Charles Robert “Charlie” Watts (2 June 1941 - 24 August 2021)
His light touch, singular rhythmic sense, and impeccable feel, as heard on canonical rock songs such as “Paint It, Black,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Brown Sugar,” made him both the engine that powered the Stones’ music and one of the most famous and respected drummers of all time.
As Keith Richards said in 1979, “Everybody thinks Mick and Keith are the Rolling Stones. If Charlie wasn’t doing what he’s doing on drums, that wouldn’t be true at all. You’d find out that Charlie Watts IS the Stones.”
As much as Jagger’s lyrics or Richards’ riffs, Watts’s timekeeping on key Stones songs made them key Stones songs. The loose, almost jazzy feel on “19th Nervous Breakdown,” his groove-lock with Richards on “Beasts of Burden,” his extraordinary control with a very odd rhythm on “Get Off My Cloud,” the bounce of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” his ice-cold snare on “Gimme Shelter” — all of these are master-classes in serving the song and shaping it at the same time.
In addition to his brilliant drumming, Watts also used his design skills to design various tour stages, including the 1975 lotus stage, the ‘89/’90 Steel Wheels tour, the Bridges to Babylon Tour, the Licks Tour, and the Bigger Bang Tour.
Away from the day job, Watts was a frequent jazz player. In 1986, he debuted the 32-piece Charlie Watts Orchestra, which was full of contemporary British jazz players. In 1991, with the Charlie Watts Quintet, he released “From One Charlie. . . .,” a tribute to Charlie Parker which included his little-seen Sixties children’s book “Ode to a Highflying Bird.”
Deepest sympathy to his wife, his family and the band.
Rest in Power!
Text courtesy: The Rolling Stone
