Charlie Watts

On this day in 2014 Charlie and his fabulous Rolling Stones played their first show of a three night residency at the Tokyo Dome. The band were joined by Japanese guitarist HOTEI on 'Respectable' and Mick Taylor on 'Midnight Rambler'. These magical shows were Charlie's last performances in Japan. Photo of Charlie on stage by Mikio Ariga.
#ストーンズ来日
The Rolling Stones Japan

Remembering Nicky Hopkins on his birthday today. Nicky was a classically trained pianist and former child prodigy who has played on some of the most famous songs from the 1960's and 1970's. Charlie and Nicky collaborated on the album Jamming With Edwards and Nicky played piano on many Stones tracks including 'We Love You', 'She's A Rainbow', 'Sympathy For The Devil', 'Gimme Shelter', 'Loving Cup', 'Angie' and Waiting On A Friend', as well as tracks for the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, Harry Nilsson, George Harrison and many more, and was immortalised by the Kinks, who wrote the song 'Session Man' about him. Nicky is photographed with Charlie and the Stones at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, where the band are recoding the track 'Sympathy For The Devil'.

Charlie is a darling! Young Master Watts in 1942.

Keith cuts Charlie's hair backstage before their appearance on the TV show Hullabaloo, 11th November 1965. Photo by Bob Bonis

Charlie in impeccable tailoring, London, 1978.

To celebrate Record Store Day UK on the 20th April a very special release of Live At Fulham Town Hall will be available. This newly remastered vinyl pressing comes with all original sleeve designs and an exclusive art print. Recorded live in 1986 with the Charlie Watts Orchestra, the album includes the tracks ‘Stomping at the Savoy’ and ‘Flying Home’.
Find your local participating store at recordstoreday.com
Record Store Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Charlie is photographed here with his future wife, Shirley Ann Shepherd, in 1963 in London, by photographer Eric Swayne. He entitled the photograph 'Embrace'.

Charlie and Keith enjoy cups of tea, outside West Ham Magistrates’ Court, in east London, July 1965. Charlie and Keith were called as character witnesses for Mick, Brian and Bill, who had been charged with unruly behaviour, for urinating against a wall in a petrol station in nearby Forest Gate, after being denied permission to use the lavatories, and using obscene language.

Remembering photographer Jim Marshall on his birthday today. Jim followed the Stones on many tours, including the 1972 Exile On Main St. tour of the USA.

"He was Savile Row, man. He could have lived there. I said, 'Why don’t you marry a tailor?’" Keith Richards on Charlie's love of tailoring.

Remembering one of Charlie's heroes, Francis Clay, who was Muddy Waters' drummer: "...Francis Clay, who plays on Muddy Waters — Live at Newport, he is incredible. He plays Chicago style; the pickups are marvellous. He had this cymbal that curled up like a Texas hat. He played it around and around...It was a beautiful concept. Clay is a brilliant drummer. By anybody else, I suppose, it would be sloppy, but because it’s him, it's right on. He's whacking all over the place — sort of mad playing. Oh, it’s perfect!"

Happy anniversary Between The Buttons, released on this day in 1967. "I used to draw for a living, as a designer for an advertising agency. When I joined the Stones that’s what I did. … I find it all interesting…" Here is the back cover of the album, which features a six-panel cartoon accompanied by a rhythmic poem drawn and composed by Charlie. When Charlie asked Andrew Oldham (then the Rolling Stones' manager) what the title of the album would be, he told him it was 'between the buttons', meaning undecided. Charlie gave the phrase to the title of his cartoon which then became the title of the album. On the album cover itself, the band name and album title appear on the buttons on Charlie's coat. What's your favourite track from the album?
Cover photography by Gered Mankowitz

Stewart Copeland, drummer with The Police, said of Charlie's drumming: "I can tell you about the technique, though. Drummers will argue about this long into the night: either how did John Bonham get that mountain of sound, or how did Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts get that feel? Technically, what it is, is that he leads with his right foot on the kick drum, which pushes the band forward. Meanwhile his left hand on the snare, the backbeat, is a little relaxed, a little lazy – and that combination of propulsion and relaxation is the technical definition of what he’s doing. But you can try it yourself, all you want, and it ain’t going to sound like Charlie. He has caused a lot of damage out there, in the same way Jimi Hendrix came out with a wah-wah pedal – it was the ruination of many guitarists who didn’t get it and ruined their guitar playing with a wah-wah pedal. Similarly, drummers attempting to get that laid-back feel just sound lame. Behind the beat, that’s not good – you’ve got to do it in such a way, like Charlie. And there’s a synergy with those guitar riffs, and also with Mick Jagger, who is extremely rhythmic with his vocals – he, in that band, more than most, was part of the rhythm section. It’s a combination of those elements that makes it what it is. Charlie described himself as a jazz drummer, but they all do that – in rock’n’roll, that’s sort of like saying “classically trained”. Rock musicians aspire to have jazz credibility – even Ginger Baker called himself a jazz drummer, for God’s sake. I’d say it was a futile enterprise: a member of the Rolling Stones denying being rock’n’roll is not very convincing! But one thing you can see of the jazz influence on him is that he went for groove, and derived power from relaxation. Most rock drummers are trying to kill something; they’re chopping wood. Jazz drummers instead tend to be very loose to get that jazz feel, and he had that quality. The jazz factor in Charlie wasn’t in the use of the ride cymbal going ting-ting-ti-ting, it was his overall body relaxation. It’s also why he hardly broke a sweat while driving the band to light up a stadium."

Happy birthday Mick Taylor! "We made the best music we've ever played with Mick Taylor. I thought the chemistry worked fabulously, and musically it was a peak period...As a lead, virtuoso guitar, Mick was so lyrical on songs like 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking', which was an amazing track because that was a complete jam, one take at the end. He had such a good ear, and I would help push him along...he was a fabulous guitar player...He was a great one-off guy, a natural."

Happy birthday Kate Moss! Kate is photographed for the cover of British Vogue in 2016 wearing Charlie's diamanté vest, which he wore on the 1973 Stones world tour. The Vogue cover was to celebrate the launch of Exhibitionism - The Rolling Stones, the Rolling Stones' exhibition, which toured four continents, including the cities London, New York, Chicago, Sydney, Las Vegas and Tokyo.
Vogue cover photograped by Craig McDean
Backstage photo of Charlie by Michael Putland

On this day in 1963, Charlie played his first gig as an official member of The Rolling Stones at the Ealing Club in west London. “When I left Alexis Korner - Musician, Ginger Baker took over, and I went around with a few different bands. I was sort of between jobs, as they say. I used to play with three bands at once. You’d play with people you knew because they knew that you knew what song they were talking about. But Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were looking for a drummer and asked me if I’d do it, so I said yeah. I had nothing better to do. Getting with them was just luck, really. I didn’t expect it to go on; bands usually don’t. So I kicked it with them. I was young, and you never see the end of the year, do you? I guess they became rather important, didn’t they?”

"It sure been a hard, hard winter
My feet been draggin' 'cross the ground
And I hope it's gonna be a long, hot summer
And a lotta love will be burnin' bright"
Charlie with his daughter Seraphina, and granddaughter Charlotte, on Madison Avenue, wrapped up warm for winter, 1997. Photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald

Happy birthday David Bailey! The legendary photography is celebrating his 86th birthday today. He shot Charlie and the Stones from the very beginning of their career. He said of Charlie, "I got on very well with Charlie because he had worked as a graphic designer . He knew who Irving Penn was and a little bit about my own work. And of course he was more jazz-orientated, and I had been listening to a lot of jazz - when I was fourteen I really wanted to be Chet Baker."

Remembering Alexis Korner - Musician, on the anniversary of his death. Alexis is known as a founding father of British blues, who championed young musicians like Charlie. Charlie was a member of Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated in 1962. Alexis introduced Charlie to Brian Jones, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - the rest is history.
Charlie is photographed here in 1962, as a member of Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, and in 1983 at the Marquee Club with Alexis and Bill Wyman, by Brian Rasic - Picture This

Raising a glass to all of you, and wishing you very happy new year! Thank you for following Charlie in 2023 and celebrating his legacy with us. See you in 2024!
Listen to Charlie Watts - Anthology here: https://charliewatts.lnk.to/anthologyFA

"Dear All, Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year. Thank you for everything, Charlie" Charlie's Christmas message to his fans in 2012, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Listen to Charlie Watts - Anthology here: https://charliewatts.lnk.to/anthologyFA
Charlie is photographed backstage at the Prudential Center, New Jersey, by Elizabeth Curran

Wishing Keith Richards a very happy 80th birthday today! Charlie said of his lifelong friend, "Keith is the most interesting, the most different of us all...He's a man of vision, and one of the few people who hasn't really changed over the years. Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he's always Keith. He'll be in his room and all the stuff that makes him Keith will be there. The music's going, the wine's there, his guitar's there, and he'll be sitting in the middle of it all like some wonderful sultan. It's fantastic. It's not a new thing, it's the way he's always been."

On this day in 2012 Charlie and his fabulous Rolling Stones played their 50th anniversary show at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center. Here is Charlie with Mick, Keith and Ronnie backstage, photo by Kevin Mazur.

On this day in 1962 a young art student named Ray Davies, attended an end of year dance at the Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts in north London. Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated were the headline act, with Charlie Watts drumming with them for the evening. The support band performing were called The Rolling Stones. Charlie would go on to join the Stones almost exactly one month later. Also in attendance was Charlie's future wife, Shirley Ann Shepherd and Charlie's friend and musical partner, bassist Andy Hoogenboom. Sadly, no photos from this gig are known to exist. Here are photos of Charlie playing with his new bandmates once he had joined the Stones a few weeks later, in 1963.
The Kinks Alexis Korner - Musician

Happy birthday to Darryl Jones bassist! Charlie and Darryl were the Rolling Stones' rhythm section from 1993 until Charlie's death. Charlie said of bass player Darryl, "In a band, you have to get on with everyone, really, and Darryl is one of those people who... he’s very easy to work with and very pleasant to be around.”
Photograph of Charlie by Darryl

"...I never listen to rock 'n' roll. Never liked it. I listen to classical. Or jazz. Especially Miles Davis." Charlie Watts goes shopping for jazz records in the 60's.