Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at 80

[Jimbuna]

One of the greatest drummers of his generation.

RIP Charlie

[Arlo]

https://i.imgur.com/gqlZpQO.png

[Buddahaid]

Nobody knows who he is now.

[Sean C]

R.I.P., Mr Watts.


I always loved his reactions when Mick and the others started dancing all fruity. Like in the video for "Start Me Up". He has this look on his face like "What in the hell are you idiots doing?" :haha:

[u crank]

One of the greats. RIP Mr. Watts.

:salute:

[mapuc]

R.I.P

[Catfish]

Rest in peace Mr. Watts.

[Commander Wallace]

R.I.P., Mr Watts.


I always loved his reactions when Mick and the others started dancing all fruity. Like in the video for "Start Me Up". He has this look on his face like "What in the hell are you idiots doing?" :haha:


Charlie wasn't the only one with the incredulous look on his face when Mick Jagger did his stupid onstage antics thing.



I loved Charlie's drumming in this classic Stones song. Honky Tonk Woman.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqqkGxZ1_8I




Rest in peace Charlie and thanks for leaving us with some great music.

[vienna]

Charlie was very revered by his fellow musicians; Max Weinberg, drummer in Springsteen's E Street Band, once wrote a book in which he interviewed other drummers about their craft; in an interview about the book, Max related how some drummers balked at the idea of being interviewed for a book that included other drummers, perhaps out of concerns of being compared with each other, so many of the drummers would ask Max, "Who have you interviewed so far?"; he said he would start to list names and would get reactions ranging from indifferent to displeasure, but when he mentioned the name Charlie Watts, every single drummer lit up with reactions like, "Wow!! You actually got Charlie to talk? What's he like? Did he give you any drumming tips? Did you get to play drums with him?...?...", etc.; Charlie may not have been the flashiest or most extroverted of drummers, but the musicians who knew quality certainly gave him their attention...


Max Weinberg: ‘There Was Only One Charlie Watts’ --

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/max-weinberg-charlie-watts-rolling-stones-1216454/


Charlie was an original; a jazz drummer who wound up in the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band; a rock star who shunned the limelight in favor of family life; someone whose hobbies ran to breeding Arabian horses, collecting US Civil War memorabilia, and collecting cars even though he couldn't drive; he was fiercely private and rather shy, but was always gentleman with a dry sense of humor; there was one TV interview, a rarity for Charlie, where he came out after his introduction and nervously sat down on his hands, which was noted by the shows host, to which Charlie explained, "My wife suggested it because I don't know what to do with my hands and I tend to either keep putting them up by my face or start biting my nails"; he was the anit-rockstar rockstar...

Elegant is the word most often associated with Charlie Watts and its a word that has been misused to convey a degree of high luxury when it originally meant something that is simple, yet complete and whole without needing ornamentation or enhancement; he was like his carefully tailored suits, tasteful, unadorned and perfect for the occasion; his elegance extended to his playing with a very simple drum kit and a playing style that emphasized playing to the needs of the song rather than the ego of the drummer; there was no endless, thundering drum sols, no drum kit that looked like a drum shop exploded, just a guy and a few bits of gear supplying the engine beat that powered the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band, all done with modesty, self-effacement and a single-minded intent to give the best performance possible...

Each of the Stones has a very specific role in the band's operations; Mick, with his London School of Economics background, is the business brains of the group and also handles the logistics in addition to being arguably the most famous lead singer in Rock; Keith is the musical arbiter, who, as he himself said "knows what the Stones are supposed to sound like" and manages the stage shows; Ronnie acts as a resident artist and assists Keith with the music and also assisted Charlie; Charlie, who had an arts background was given the task of designing the Stones touring stages and lighting and approving media such as posters, adverts, etc.; but, perhaps, Charlies greatest function in the Stones was to be the bedrock, the foundation on which the Stones stood for all those decades; he was so loved and admired by the other Stones, even when the rest of them were fighting and sniping at each other, none of the ever said one cross word about Charlie; there was a sign on the back of the drum riser, just above Charlie's kit; it was one of those signs you see in shop windows, sort of an "Open" thing; Keith put it there many years ago as an affectionate joke and each time the Stones would get together, on the road or in the studio, the sing would be flipped to "Closed" until Charlie sat behind his kit...

This clip is a rare interview with Charlie and Ronnie, both of whom are seldom interview for more than a few minutes at a time; it gives a glimpse into Charlie's laid back personality...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZqUa7NMwM


...and Charlie on his place in the Stones...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkAfh7wsnK4


14 Charlie Watts Stories That Prove He Was the Rolling Stones’ Rock --

https://www.vulture.com/article/best-charlie-watts-rolling-stones-stories.html


One of the best hopes in a person's life is that, at the end, others will remember you in a good light, and, in that Charlie Watts has succeeded admirably...

Thank you, Charlie, for all the music, the tours, the memories, and for helping to keep the Stones rolling and forgive the world for taking a simple jazz summer and turning him into the best rock star drummer in the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band, much to your chagrin; rest well, Charlie: I think St. Peter is turning the sing at the gates to "Open"...


<O>

[vienna]

Just posted to Twitter by Keith Richards...


https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article24832132.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Keith-Richards-follows-Mick-Jagger-in-posting-poignant-pic-tribute-for-Charlie-Watts.jpg




<O>

[Aktungbby]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX5QLgCMA7A https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2630yy