The album was recorded over the course of just three days in December of 2015 at British Grove Studios in West London, just a stones throw from Richmond and Eel Pie Island where the Stones started out as a young blues band playing pubs and clubs.
Their approach to the album was that it should be spontaneous and played live in the studio without overdubs. The band - Mick Jagger (vocals & harp), Keith Richards (guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ronnie Wood (guitar) were joined by their long time touring sidemen Darryl Jones (bass), Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Matt Clifford (keyboards) and, for two of the twelve tracks, by old friend Eric Clapton, who happened to be in the next studio making his own album.
Blue & Lonesome sees the Rolling Stones tipping their hats to their early days as a blues band when they played the music of Jimmy Reed, Willie Dixon, Eddie Taylor, Little Walter and Howlin Wolf - artists whose songs are featured on this album.