RIP – Charlie Watts

It seems I am forever writing out obituaries these days. But obviously all the musical hero’s of my youth are now reaching that time of life, so I suppose it’s inevitable! That doesn’t take away the pain of writing these posts when someone you respect and admire passes away.

This time it’s Charlie Watts, the legendary drummer of the Rolling Stones. I cannot think of a time from my early formative years that doesn’t have a soundtrack consisting of at least one Stones track. This from Wikipedia:

Originally trained as a graphic artist, he started playing drums in London’s rhythm and blues clubs, where he met Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards. In January 1963, he joined their fledgling group, the Rolling Stones, as drummer, while doubling as designer of their record sleeves and tour stages. Watts, along with Jagger and Richards, were the only band members to have been featured on all of their studio albums. He cited jazz as a major influence on his drumming style. He toured with his own group, the Charlie Watts Quintet, and appeared in London at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club with the Charlie Watts Tentet.In 2006, Watts was elected into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame; in the same year, Vanity Fair elected him into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. In the estimation of noted music critic Robert Christgau, Watts was “rock’s greatest drummer.” In 2016, he was ranked 12th on Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time” list.^[1]

All of us here at Shangrla Radio mourn the loss of Charlie. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. RIP Charlie.

~ Lordy

Charlie Watts – 1941 ~ 2021