The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts – Kultúra SME – SME.sk

Charlie Watts’ profile:

• Charlie Watts, full name Charles Robert Watts, was born on June 2, 1941 in London into the family of a truck driver. His interest in drumming awoke at the age of 11 and his first role model was drummer Chick Hamilton. His first real set of drums was bought by his parents in 1955, but in the beginning he devoted himself to jazz rather than rock. He learned to drum under the influence of compositions by Johnny Dodds, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and other jazz greats
• After graduating from London’s Harrow Art College in 1960, he worked as a graphic designer in an advertising agency, but also devoted himself to music. In 1961, he became the drummer of the band Blues Incorporated, whose leader was Alexis Korner
• A year later, he met Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. He did not accept the offer to sit on the drums in the then beginning band The Rolling Stones until 1963. However, he also engaged in other activities, in 1964, for example, he gave a comic book homage to jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. In the 1970s, he also worked in the Rocket 88 group, which was returning to the roots of boogie-woogie.
• In addition to working in The Rolling Stones, he founded the jazz quintet in 1991. With drummer Jim Keltner, he released a purely drumming album called Charlie Watts / Jim Keltner Project. The songs on the recording were named after famous jazz drumming legends
• As a graphic artist, he participated in the visual design of the covers of the first plates of The Rolling Stone, for example Between the Buttons. His ideas also included an original trailer for a concert tour in 1965. At that time, the band surprised waiting journalists by playing Brown Sugar on the trailer of a truck traveling through Manhattan.
• Together with Jagger, he also designed the stage for the Steel Wheels / Urban Jungle (1989-1990), Bridges to Babylon Tour (1997), Licks Tour (2002-2003) and Bigger Bang Tour (2005-2007). After bassist Bill Wyman left the band in 1993, the other members left the choice of the new “bass player” exclusively to Watts. He brought Darryl Jones into the band, a respected musician who played for example with Miles Davis or Sting.
• Watts’ original drumming performance was filmed in the documentary Shine A Light (2008) by director Martin Scorsese
• The legendary drummer was also a big collector of cars, despite the fact that he did not actively drive, but he liked to sit in his garage in cars.
• In 2004, he was treated for throat cancer. His health problems prevented him from touring the United States in 2021. Steve Jordan (64) was to represent him on the American part of this planned September No Filter Tour.

(TASR)