Charlie Watts

[Dickled]

Just on the BBC that he's died at the age of 80.
How sad, I always felt he was the nicest and most down to earth member of the Rolling Stones.
RIP Charlie.

[Squire Haggard]

Shit. I'm really sad to hear this. 

RIP Charlie.

[Blackpool Rock]

Let's be totally honest here, by many accounts most of them were lucky to get out of their 30's RIP Charlie 

[WARSZAWA16]

Sad news indeed. He came across as being very dry and quite down to earth I thought. I always liked his "work five years, and 20 years hanging around" quote on the Rolling Stones 25th anniversary.

[mr.bluesky]

Sad news. A great drummer with a great band. 

[Stevelondon]

Lots of stories about Charlie and the Stones of course.
But he was always the laid back one. No stories of scandal etc and yet a drummer with one of tha ll time great rock bands....go tell.

Apparently he had a collection of classic cars and like to have suits made to match the interiors.....he would sit in them.
In fact I do think i heard it that he never actually drove any as he had never bothered to pass his driving test.

RIP Charlie.

[fastcar669]

Ive seen the Stones five times live - never forget them literally wheeling Charlie onto the stage sat at his drop kit. Without doubt he got the biggest cheer of the night.

One of the coolest guys in Rock n Roll.

Sad day indeed

[Squire Haggard]

Sad news indeed. He came across as being very dry and quite down to earth I thought. I always liked his "work five years, and 20 years hanging around" quote on the Rolling Stones 25th anniversary.

That quote has stuck in my mind as well. I think that he was hanging around in a car park at the time, a bit like Marvin the paranoid android, who complained of waiting 42 million years in a car park. 

[Dickled]

On one of their early tours of the USA, a list was made of how many groupies the Rolling Stones had shagged/slept with. The list read....
Bill Wyman 200
Brian Jones 169
Mick Jagger 75
Keith Richards 6
Charlie Watts 0
For some reason, it makes me like him and regret his passing even more.

[Markus]

One anecdote relates that in the mid-1980s, an intoxicated Jagger phoned Watts's hotel room in the middle of the night, asking, "Where's my drummer?" Watts reportedly got up, shaved, dressed in a suit, put on a tie and freshly shined shoes, descended the stairs, and punched Jagger in the face, saying: "Never call me your drummer again” 

RIP Charlie

[ulstersubbie]

A very capable jazz drummer/enthusiast as well.

[Cockneyboy49]

One anecdote relates that in the mid-1980s, an intoxicated Jagger phoned Watts's hotel room in the middle of the night, asking, "Where's my drummer?" Watts reportedly got up, shaved, dressed in a suit, put on a tie and freshly shined shoes, descended the stairs, and punched Jagger in the face, saying: "Never call me your drummer again” 

RIP Charlie

I think the retort as Jagger nursed a bloody nose was "You're my fucking singer..."

[opel70]

Very sorry to hear of Charlie's passing. Great drummer with a fairly simple drum kit providing a unique beat, unlike those guys with massive egos and massive drumkits. A gentleman too boot with a country estate and dressed like one, hard to believe he was a cornerstone of the best rock and roll band ever.

[mikecee]

RIP  Charlie

[smiths]

Sad news, I have been listening to a lot of Stones albums recently especially their 60s and best for me stuff. Came across in interviews as a gent. RIP.

[mikecee]

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[The Film Director]

A very capable jazz drummer/enthusiast as well.

A talent perhaps not best suited to The Stones' music. 

[VolapUK]

A talent perhaps not best suited to The Stones' music. 

Or maybe it is? Jazz can be very hard to play, so if you can play jazz drums, you can play any style.

[Ahalfa Carling]

What I find brilliant is that his drum set only consisted of about 7 items, yet he was able to make that massive sound that held everything together. Compare that against an amateur playing a gig in a pub who cannot be seen behind his set...

Shows that size isn't everything.

Lesson for us all there guys.

RIP

[Corus Boy]

On one of their early tours of the USA, a list was made of how many groupies the Rolling Stones had shagged/slept with. The list read....
Bill Wyman 200
Brian Jones 169
Mick Jagger 75
Keith Richards 6
Charlie Watts 0
For some reason, it makes me like him and regret his passing even more.

I heard that he was married to;

On 14 October 1964, Watts married Shirley Ann Shepherd (born 11 September 1938), whom he had met before the band became successful. The couple had one daughter, Seraphina, born in March 1968, who in turn gave birth to Watts's only grandchild, a girl named Charlotte.

And is still married to he!

Google says;

The Rolling Stones were among the last to know when the band's drummer, Charlie Watts, married his wife. The musician, who died on Tuesday (24 August) at the age of 80, kept his personal life very private. ... Watts was faithful to his wife Shirley, and consistently refused sexual favours from groupies on the road.

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[Bonker]

Was there a drum roll in heaven as he walked through the pearly gates?
Good bloke, RIP.

[mr.bluesky]

I heard that he was married to;

On 14 October 1964, Watts married Shirley Ann Shepherd (born 11 September 1938), whom he had met before the band became successful. The couple had one daughter, Seraphina, born in March 1968, who in turn gave birth to Watts's only grandchild, a girl named Charlotte.

And is still married to he!

Google says;

The Rolling Stones were among the last to know when the band's drummer, Charlie Watts, married his wife. The musician, who died on Tuesday (24 August) at the age of 80, kept his personal life very private. ... Watts was faithful to his wife Shirley, and consistently refused sexual favours from groupies on the road.

Hidden Image/Members Only

External Link/Members Only

He certainly wasn't your typical rock star. Always a very private man.

[sparkus]

I remember thinking he looked ancient in the 'Love is Strong' video when I was a kid.

Now I think I doubt I'll look that good at 53...

[Malvolio]

A talent perhaps not best suited to The Stones' music. 

His jazz background enabled the Stones to swing.  Take a listen to Tumbling Dice for a great example.

[Jumping Jack Flash]

His jazz background enabled the Stones to swing.  Take a listen to Tumbling Dice for a great example.

Exactly this. A wonderfully simple style that was so powerful. He didn’t need a huge drum kit, he played what he needed to enable that unique Stones sound to evolve.

I’m genuinely saddened by his death, the Stones are my favourite band and without Charlie there is no Rolling Stones. Rest easy Mr Watts.

[Colston36]

Exactly this. A wonderfully simple style that was so powerful. He didn’t need a huge drum kit, he played what he needed to enable that unique Stones sound to evolve.

I’m genuinely saddened by his death, the Stones are my favourite band and without Charlie there is no Rolling Stones. Rest easy Mr Watts.

I recall seeing them in a club called The Scene behind Piccadilly Circus in the mid 60s. They were unknown. I just thought they were noisy buggers. Silly old me.

[Problem Child]

I recall seeing them in a club called The Scene behind Piccadilly Circus in the mid 60s. They were unknown. I just thought they were noisy buggers. Silly old me.

Ha! A mate’s dad was bouncing when they were playing a hotel in Hamilton, v early in their career. He thought they were shit, so as a joke one of the other bouncers got him their autographs. He immediately threw them away.. Doh!

[The Film Director]

His jazz background enabled the Stones to swing.  Take a listen to Tumbling Dice for a great example.

OK, will give Tumbling Dice another close listen.  I was not complaining about Watts' drumming, far from it ..... only that the drumming on something like Get Off My Cloud (my favourite Stones song) came across as something even I could play.

[Problem Child]

This is him at his best.
Peak Stones with everyone in the band doing their job perfectly, but it’s Watts that drives everything and outshines the rest of them.
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[Squire Haggard]

This is him at his best.
Peak Stones with everyone in the band doing their job perfectly, but it’s Watts that drives everything and outshines the rest of them.
External Link/Members Only

I used to play that track a lot.

IMO, the peak Stones was a couple of years later. I thought that it was crap at the time, then dug it out a few years later, and was blown away. The critics also panned it when it first came out, but then changed their mind.

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[Problem Child]

I used to play that track a lot.

IMO, the peak Stones was a couple of years later. I thought that it was crap at the time, then dug it out a few years later, and was blown away. The critics also panned it when it first came out, but then changed their mind.

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To me peak stones is Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main st and everything in between. (Although that’s probably one of a plateau than a peak..)

No just peak  Stones, the peak of music really.

[Jumping Jack Flash]

Charlie was a drummer’s drummer

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[sparkus]

I recall seeing them in a club called The Scene behind Piccadilly Circus in the mid 60s. They were unknown. I just thought they were noisy buggers. Silly old me.

Respect

[Stevelondon]

Charlie was a drummer’s drummer

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Just as an aside........I have never understood that phrase(ology)

Sean Lock died and I just knew someone would come out with it,
"He was the comedians comedian"

[Problem Child]

Just as an aside........I have never understood that phrase(ology)

Sean Lock died and I just knew someone would come out with it,
"He was the comedians comedian"

It means he was a comedian that lots of other comedians liked.
It shows that the artist in question has a firm grip of their art to the extent where other artists/entertainers appreciate them as well as us ignorant plebs.
Im trying to think of a counter, a successful act who isn’t really liked by their peers. It’s still early and I haven’t had my second cup of tea yet, so all I can really think of is the band Nickelback. They they’ve sold a lot of records, but don’t really have the respect of other musicians.

Edit: 2nd cup of tea kicked in and just thought of an other one.
Jack Vettriano. Scottish painter who’s had huge commercial success, but is really looked down upon by other artists and the art establishment.

[WARSZAWA16]

The documentary "Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane" is on BBC 1 tonight (27/8) at 22.35.

"Documentary charting the rise and rise of the Rolling Stones, from blues-obsessed teenagers growing up in London in the early 60's, to million-selling stadium rockers".

[WARSZAWA16]

Also, on BBC2 at 10pm tonight (27/8) "Charlie Watts at the BBC".