Like many this past week I was shocked, stunned and saddened but the unexpected loss of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. It’s been tough couple of years with the passing of some of my favorite musicians. It feels like part of my youth has been taken away with the loss of musicians like Tom Petty, Neil Peart, Glenn Fry and the toughest one for me personally, Edward Van Halen. Charlie is no different and this one definitely hurts just as much.
Unfortunately for me, I did not discover bands like the Beatles, the Stones, the Doors, and Jimi Hendrix like a lot of people that experienced them first hand. I was born in 1970 and because my parents are not big music listeners, I discovered a lot of this music when I started playing drums in the summer of 1982. It’s hard to comprehend in today’s world but back in those days, my only way to hear music was either in the car or on my parents turntable stereo that was set up in the main room of the house. I didn’t own any records and it wasn’t until I was around 11 when I got a clock radio for my bedroom so I would have an alarm to get me up for school. The other thing to note about the 1980’s was that some of great 60’s artists were making albums in the 80’s so some of my first exposure to them was not what I would call a proper introduction. Paul McCartney had a hit with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder had hits with I just Called and Part Time Lover, Herbie Hancock had a pop album out and Aretha Franklin had a hit with a song called Freeway of Love. As a teenager those songs hardly left an impression on me and it was not until later that I learned what all these artists had done in the 60’s. The exception though? The Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones released Tattoo You in 1981 and those songs were all over the radio. Songs like Start Me Up, Hang Fire and Waiting on a Friend were being played constantly and they were great. Of course the radio also played all of the older Stones songs too and as the years went by, I liked all of the new Stones records that came out too. One of the reasons they all felt so good to me was because of the driving force and sound of Charlie Watts. I was fortunate to see the Stones for the first time in 1989 on the Steel Wheels tour and it was a real treat. Watching Charlie play that Gretsch set made me appreciate the 70’s set of Gretsch I got used in 1983 as my first set. I still gig with them from time to time and they sound amazing. I was fortunate to see the Stones for a second time in 2004 and once again they were great and Charlie was sounding good as ever and solid as a rock on that same Gretsch set. I feel the Stones were always one of those bands that have always been cool. Charlie was so unlike any rock star image as he was faithfully married to the love of his life right until the very end, he loved jazz and had a huge collection of historic vintage drums. His parts were always perfect for the songs and he had a lot of signature licks and grooves that drove the Stones.
I never met Charlie or any other of the Rolling Stones but I feel fortunate as I was able to indirectly help put a rare WFL drum Charlie owned back to original shape. Charlie acquired a late 30’s WFL twin snare drum that had off-set lugs and the type of strainers that often broke at the tip. Charlie’s drum had one broken strainer and his tech, Don McAulay was looking to find a replacement strainer. I started collecting twin strainer WFL drums in 1993 and while I have had a fair number of them over the years, I always kept a lookout for parts too. Every time I went to a drum show, I would hunt the various parts bins in hopes of finding WFL parts from this era. As luck would have it, I had the complete strainer that Charlie needed and thanks to Bun E. Carlos, Don was able to reach out to me. Because Don did not live too far away, we were able to get the drum fixed up in my drum room so Don could deliver it to Charlie. Don gave me a used pair of sticks as well as two picks from Keith Richards that say Charlie Watts on them. That certainly tells you what the guys in the Stones thought of him. I also sent a letter to Charlie with that drum thanking him for the years of inspiration as well as explaining some history on the drum that he may not have known. I’m hoping he was able to read that letter and enjoy the drum as it was a real beauty. I am very saddened by the loss of Charlie and would like to thank him for having an influence on me and showing the world how it is done. Rest easy Charlie. The jam session in Heaven just got a little cooler.