RIP Charlie watts

[Zanzman]

Passed away at the age of 80

 

[bloor]

Wow I was just listening to Monkey Man when I read your post. RIP Charlie.

 

[bloor]

From BBC website:

The subtle, stoic heartbeat of the Stones​

By BBC music reporter Mark Savage
Charlie Watts was never the most flashy drummer. He wasn't known for the frenzied solos of Cream's Ginger Baker, or for placing explosives in his kick drum like The Who's Keith Moon. Instead, he was the subtle, stoic heartbeat of The Rolling Stones for almost 60 years.

A jazz aficionado, he fell in love with the drums after listening to Chico Hamilton play brushes on Walking Shoes; and was only introduced to the dark arts of rock 'n' roll by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the early 1960s.
He joined the Stones in 1963 after the band had discarded several other drummers - and they never looked back. "Charlie Watts gives me the freedom to fly on stage," Richards later observed.
His jazz-inflected swing gave the Stones' songs their swagger, pushing and pulling at the groove, creating room for Jagger's lascivious drawl.
He was at his best on the cowbell-driven Honky Tonk Women or the locked-down groove Gimme Shelter (where he even threw in some uncharacteristically showy fills).
On and off the stage, he was quiet and reserved - sticking to the shadows and letting the rest of the band suck up the limelight.
"I've actually never been interested in all that stuff and still am not," he told the San Diego Tribune in 1991. "I don't know what showbiz is and I've never watched MTV. There are people who just play instruments, and I'm pleased to know that I'm one of them."

 

[Ouremblem]

Brian Jones got his drummer back. RIP Charlie, and thanks for all the wonderful memories. You were marvelous.

 

[D J B]

From BBC website:

The subtle, stoic heartbeat of the Stones​

By BBC music reporter Mark Savage
Charlie Watts was never the most flashy drummer. He wasn't known for the frenzied solos of Cream's Ginger Baker, or for placing explosives in his kick drum like The Who's Keith Moon. Instead, he was the subtle, stoic heartbeat of The Rolling Stones for almost 60 years.

A jazz aficionado, he fell in love with the drums after listening to Chico Hamilton play brushes on Walking Shoes; and was only introduced to the dark arts of rock 'n' roll by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the early 1960s.
He joined the Stones in 1963 after the band had discarded several other drummers - and they never looked back. "Charlie Watts gives me the freedom to fly on stage," Richards later observed.
His jazz-inflected swing gave the Stones' songs their swagger, pushing and pulling at the groove, creating room for Jagger's lascivious drawl.
He was at his best on the cowbell-driven Honky Tonk Women or the locked-down groove Gimme Shelter (where he even threw in some uncharacteristically showy fills).
On and off the stage, he was quiet and reserved - sticking to the shadows and letting the rest of the band suck up the limelight.
"I've actually never been interested in all that stuff and still am not," he told the San Diego Tribune in 1991. "I don't know what showbiz is and I've never watched MTV. There are people who just play instruments, and I'm pleased to know that I'm one of them."

Well said, Mark Savage. As a former drummer myself, I had the utmost respect for both Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr. As said, he was never flashy, never destroyed his drums, never made a spectacle of himself, or never took credit for much of anything. What he did do was lay down the perfect beat for every song, that one thing that always held it together, that heartbeat that somehow always matched your own and made you want to get up and dance, even if you were alone with just your stereo to keep you company.

God bless you Charlie. Enjoy your chariot ride home. And bless his family, may they know that his legacy will be one that many future drummers will embrace, and that there are millions of hearts beating in time with you.

 

[noirwestern]

Been a bad month for music. Nancy G., Charlie, Don, and Tom T. Hall with about a week left.

 

[JonathanXIV]

In my mind, the coolest of the Stones. One of a kind. RIP.

 

[bloor]

Well said, Mark Savage. As a former drummer myself, I had the utmost respect for both Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr. As said, he was never flashy, never destroyed his drums, never made a spectacle of himself, or never took credit for much of anything. What he did do was lay down the perfect beat for every song, that one thing that always held it together, that heartbeat that somehow always matched your own and made you want to get up and dance, even if you were alone with just your stereo to keep you company.

God bless you Charlie. Enjoy your chariot ride home. And bless his family, may they know that his legacy will be one that many future drummers will embrace, and that there are millions of hearts beating in time with you.

Here is another video focusing on Charlie's drumming style for Monkey Man--fascinating and illuminating to watch for people (like me) that may have damned him with faint praise regarding his drumming skills. Not only was he the uber cool counter balance to Jagger and Richards, he was a hell of a drummer

 

[JellyBean]

RIP, Brother Charlie Watts. Brother kept it on the 2 and the 4. Straight and simple.