(CNN) -- Was 1962 the year classic, post-'50s rock was hatched? Let's make that case. Fifty years ago, the Beatles recorded their first session at London's EMI (later Abbey Road) studios, cutting an early version of "Love Me Do," and Bob Dylan and the Beach Boys released their first albums. And it was exactly 50 years ago that the first incarnation of the Rolling Stones -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones, along with pianist Ian Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Tony Chapman -- played their first concert, at London's Marquee Club. The band was still so embryonic that they called themselves the Rollin' Stones.
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David Browne: Rolling Stones haven't had top hit in 20 years, yet they are enduring presence
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He says the band has been willing to shape-shift to compete in pop marketplace
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He says Jagger, Richards great songwriting team with tense, compelling personal dynamic
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Browne: In Stones' era, rock propelled culture; they don't make stars like that now
The @placeholder embody a time when rock 'n' roll wasn't just "outlaw" culture; it propelled the culture.