![]() His private life, too, was as un-rock’n’roll as could be: away from touring, he moved to a horse stud farm in rural Devon, stabling Arabian horses with his wife Shirley, to whom he was married in 1964.Ĭharles Robert Watts was born in Wembley, north London, on J(Mick Jagger would sometimes refer to him in his stage introduction as “the Wembley whammer”). But even here, Watts made every effort to deflect the limelight in favor of his fellow musicians. He was far more comfortable in the world of his first love, jazz, happily fronting his own groups and playing in others, on stage in small clubs and often on record, in a variety of line-ups from big bands to quintets and quartets. On their second live album Get Your Ya- Ya’s Out!, Mick Jagger says: “Charlie’s good tonight, isn’t he?” All of this with what was widely held to be the smallest drum kit in all of rock’n’roll, totaling perhaps seven items. He truly hated to be in the spotlight, and was famously reluctant to take a bow, or to speak, when introduced on the band’s stadium and arena shows – which only made the applause from scores of thousands of fans even louder. You’d find out that Charlie Watts is the Stones.”īut the other ingredient that made him so warmly loved by friends and strangers alike was his extraordinary humility. If Charlie wasn’t doing what he’s doing on drums, that wouldn’t be true at all. Everybody thinks Mick and Keith are the Rolling Stones. “Charlie’s always there, but he doesn’t want to let everybody know,” he said in 1979. From that day forward, he was a constant on the drum stool for the better part of 60 years, until he was forced to miss the resumption of the band’s No Filter tour in the US in September 2021 while recuperatingfrom a medical procedure. Watts played his first gig with the Stones in January 1963, some seven months after their live debut, and after being energetically sought-after by his future bandmates. We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members, and close friends is respected at this difficult time.” Charlie was a cherished husband, father, and grandfather and one of the greatest drummers of his generation. “He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts,” a statement said. The news was confirmed by Watts’ publicist. He died on 24 August 2021, at the age of 80.Charlie Watts, beloved drummer with the Rolling Stones and one of the most admired musicians of the rock era, has died at the age of 80. He had to cancel the "No Filter" Tour with the Stones due to medical reasons (replaced by Steve Jordan). He received treatment, and made a full recovery.Ĭharlie Watts continues to record and play with the Rolling Stones and expects to stay with the band until Mick Jagger or Keith Richards decides to retire, but in 1921 Watts, a longtime smoker, was also diagnosed with throat cancer that year. In 2004, he put out an album with Charlie Watts and the Tentet, another jazz ensemble. He joined forces with drummer Jim Keltner for 2000's Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project, which covered a broad spectrum of musical styles. In the early 1990s, Watts released several albums with another group, the Charlie Watts Quintet, including a tribute to Charlie Parker. Around that same time, Watts worked with early Rolling Stones member Ian Stewart in the band Rocket 88. He returned to his first love, jazz, by forming a number of different groups, including a 32-piece band called the Charlie Watts Orchestra. ![]() He left school at 16, and then studied at the Harrow School of Art.īy the 1980s, Watts found time to pursue projects outside the Rolling Stones. But music was just a side interest for Watts at the time. ![]() He started playing music on his own a few years later, converting a banjo into a snare drum. ![]() He married Shirley Ann Shephard in 1964, and the couple welcomed a daughter named Seraphina four years later.Īround the age of ten, Watts discovered jazz and blues music Miles Davis and John Coltrane were two of his early influences. While the rest of the band was cultivating their image as rock music's bad boys, Watts was settling down. 1 hit in the United States in 1965 with "Satisfaction." A string of other successful songs quickly followed such as "Paint It Black" and "Ruby Tuesday." The "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" continued to enjoy enormous popularity for the next two decades. The Rolling Stones scored their first No. He grew up in Wembley near London as the son of a truck driver. For more than four decades, Charlie Watts has been a prominent figure in the world of rock and roll as the longtime drummer of the Rolling Stones. ![]() Born on June 2, 1941, in London, England. ![]()
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