Charlie Watts - RIP (1 Viewer)

[ChristopherG]

Just saw this one the wire. RIP Charlie - thanks for all the solid beats.

 

[disctrip]

I passed him on the street in downtown San Francisco in the 70's when they were playing the Cow Palace. He was wearing a 3-piece suit. Don't know where he was headed. I nodded and he nodded back. R.I. P Charlie.

 

[Phil A]

RIP

 

[TravisR]

A legend from a legendary band.

 

[dpippel]

I always thought of Charlie as the "anti-Keith Moon." Peace Mr. Watts, and thanks for all of the great music. You will be missed!

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I will view tonight Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus Blu-ray and maybe Gimme Shelter. Rest in Peace.

 

[Tony Bensley]

I got to see the Rolling Stones play when Bill Wyman was still in their lineup at CNE Stadium way back on Labour Day, 1989. With Charlie Watts now gone, the Stones are down to 2 original band members, although Ronnie Wood has been with them seemingly forever! I wonder whether they'll carry on without Mr. Watt's steady back beat, which I believe Keith Richards once said the Stones would be nothing without?

RIP Charlie Watts (1941-2021).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I believe they are currently on tour without him now.

 

[Tony Bensley]

I believe they are currently on tour without him now.

Yes, it is actually in the article I saw, that I finally had a chance to read all the way through a few minutes ago! Steve Jordan was initially meant to be a temporary replacement as Charlies Watts recovered from his recent heart operation. Steve will be joining the Stones when they resume their tour next month.

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies aged 80 weeks after emergency op

ROLLING Stones drummer Charlie Watts has died aged 80. The music legend passed away just weeks after pulling out of the band’s US tour following an emergency operation. His publicist said in …

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[dpippel]

 

[RICK BOND]

Thank You Charlie !

 

[Jeffrey D]

Thank You Charlie ! View attachment 110223

Great picture. Has to be from the late 60s/
early 70s. I have all of their studio albums from the 70s (Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street are great). RIP, Charlie.

 

[Jeffrey D]

View attachment 110221

Eddie Trunk read that on his Volume show yesterday. Funny incident. I think it’s not quite right that The Stones are carrying on without him, much like ZZ Top are carrying on without Dusty Hill.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I've not seen the Stones since the Steel Wheels tour. That was in a giant stadium and despite the effort they put into making the stage and effects huge, well, when the wind howled through the open seating it had a large effect on the sound. This music was not meant for stadiums. It was the hot, sweaty, bluesy groove that made you involuntarily shake your ass in a small club where the sound surrounded you. Where it closed in on you from all sides and made you feel the menace, the joy, and the sex in that sound. It was rock'n'roll stripped down and raw and you could feel the crosshairs on you. Charlie Watts was right in the middle of that sound and without him, the music still lives and breathes but the Rolling Stones are no more.

 

[TravisR]

I think it’s not quite right that The Stones are carrying on without him...

I get what you're saying but Brian Jones formed the band and he's been dead more than 50 years so why not keep going?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I get what you're saying but Brian Jones formed the band and he's been dead more than 50 years so why not keep going?

Most bands do keep going. They have tour dates scheduled and my guess would be they will honor those barring any sort of issue that may arise. Steve Jordan is a fine drummer and natural replacement for Mr. Watts. He will hold down that position in an admirable manner. Charlie would fully support that as he would say the music was bigger than him. He was though, a very big part of that music. He and Keith shaped that sound that Mick struts to. I would not tell them to quit but they also don't need the money at this point. Watts, Moon, and Bonham defined playing the drums in a rock band. Basically, if you want to know anything about playing that style, look no further than that. There were other great drummers, Ginger Baker, Buddy Miles, Tiki Fulwood, Clyde Stubblefield...I mean no one guy owns the whole thing but with rock drumming those three guys pretty much set a standard that would define the genre.

Only Led Zeppelin walked away I think when their drummer passed because they knew he was not just a drummer but one of the definers of their sound. Sure, they could get a guy to fill the spot but it ceased to be Zeppelin without Bonham. I think the Stones were defined by Richards, Watts, and Jagger. Any one of those guys goes, it is no longer the Rolling Stones. They could still sound good and play the songs but it would not be the Stones.

"Charlie Watts has always been the bed that I lie on musically." -Keith Richards

"I don’t actually like touring, and I don’t like living out of suitcases. I hate being away from home. I always do tours thinking they’re the last one and at the end of them, I always leave the band. Because of what I do I can’t play the drums at home, so to play the drums I have to go on the road, and to go on the road I have to leave home and it’s like a terribly vicious circle. And it’s always been my life." -Charlie Watts

 

[TravisR]

Most bands do keep going. They have tour dates scheduled and my guess would be they will honor those barring any sort of issue that may arise. Steve Jordan is a fine drummer and natural replacement for Mr. Watts. He will hold down that position in an admirable manner.

I think it's safe to assume that Jordan isn't going to try to reinvent the wheel either. He's going to play in Watts' style and they probably hired him at least partially based on his ability to do that.

 

[RICK BOND]

I get what you're saying but Brian Jones formed the band and he's been dead more than 50 years so why not keep going?

They should have called it Quits Years ago. THE BEATLES quit in 1970, and they are more Popular and have Better songs, albums, and #1 Hits in only 7 years !! The Rolling Stones always Copied THE BEATLES.

 

[TravisR]

They should have called it Quits Years ago. THE BEATLES quit in 1970, and they are more Popular and have Better songs, albums, and #1 Hits in only 7 years !! The Rolling Stones always Copied THE BEATLES.

When they should have quit is a different discussion but they've done 3 or 4 albums in the last 30 years so they've been a greatest hits band for decades now. They go out and play the songs that make the crowd happy so I don't see the harm in continuing to do that without Watts.

Also, I definitely don't think they've always copied The Beatles.

 

[BobO'Link]

Most bands do keep going. They have tour dates scheduled and my guess would be they will honor those barring any sort of issue that may arise. Steve Jordan is a fine drummer and natural replacement for Mr. Watts. He will hold down that position in an admirable manner. Charlie would fully support that as he would say the music was bigger than him. He was though, a very big part of that music. He and Keith shaped that sound that Mick struts to. I would not tell them to quit but they also don't need the money at this point. Watts, Moon, and Bonham defined playing the drums in a rock band. Basically, if you want to know anything about playing that style, look no further than that. There were other great drummers, Ginger Baker, Buddy Miles, Tiki Fulwood, Clyde Stubblefield...I mean no one guy owns the whole thing but with rock drumming those three guys pretty much set a standard that would define the genre.

Only Led Zeppelin walked away I think when their drummer passed because they knew he was not just a drummer but one of the definers of their sound. Sure, they could get a guy to fill the spot but it ceased to be Zeppelin without Bonham. I think the Stones were defined by Richards, Watts, and Jagger. Any one of those guys goes, it is no longer the Rolling Stones. They could still sound good and play the songs but it would not be the Stones.

"Charlie Watts has always been the bed that I lie on musically." -Keith Richards

"I don’t actually like touring, and I don’t like living out of suitcases. I hate being away from home. I always do tours thinking they’re the last one and at the end of them, I always leave the band. Because of what I do I can’t play the drums at home, so to play the drums I have to go on the road, and to go on the road I have to leave home and it’s like a terribly vicious circle. And it’s always been my life." -Charlie Watts

That quote from Charlie is the primary reason most bands who "don't need the money" continue to play concerts. And Charlie's comment is spot on why I dropped out of singing in rock bands in the early 70s yet often regret that decision. At least I can sing at home...

The guy was a class act. Like all the greats we've lost over the decades, he'll be missed.