Dan Sanford

Sports Editor

das6267@psu.edu

Charles Robert “Charlie” Watts, the drummer for seminal English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones, died Tuesday, August 24 in a London hospital, surrounded by his family. He had been a member of the band for their entire recording career, spanning from the year after the group’s formation until his passing. During his life and career, he established himself in the opinions of critics as one of the greatest drummers of all time.

Charlie Watts was born in Wembley, West Middlesex, England, on June 2, 1941, in the midst of World War II. His first interest in music stemmed from jazz music in his childhood. He collected many records in his youth, including those from Jerry Roll Morton and Charlie Parker; to the end of his life, jazz remained the music he was most passionate about, even when he primarily became known for his rock prowess. His first drumming interest surfaced around 1954, and he had his first drum kit by 1955. He attended art school at what is now the University of Westminster in Harrow, London, until 1960.

After briefly working as a graphic designer and playing with several local rhythm and blues groups around the London area, Watts met Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, and Ian Stewart in 1962 during one of his local gigs. They invited Watts to join their band, the Rolling Stones. Although Watts was initially hesitant, he was welcomed aboard as the band’s drummer in January 196 and began a partnership that would span for the rest of his life. His Wembley upbringing led Jagger to nickname Watts the “Wembley Whammer” at concerts.

Besides his work as a musician, Watts contributed his art skills to early Rolling Stones records such as the sleeve for their 1967 record Between the Buttons. Throughout the band’s career, the Rolling Stones became well-known for some wild, outstanding tour announcements; Watts came up with the first of these in 1975, greeting the waiting New York City reporters by playing their 1971 hit “Brown Sugar” on the back of a flatbed truck in the middle of Manhattan traffic, inspired by local traditions of New Orleans jazz musicians from his childhood. Together with Jagger, he created numerous elaborate stage designs for tours, including that 1975 trip. 

Over his 58-year tenure, Watts never missed a single live gig with his band and was one of the band’s three core members which appeared on every album. The band’s last show took place on August 30, 2019, in Miami, Florida. Despite being a decorated drummer, Watts was never enthusiastic about stardom, though he enjoyed playing shows with his band enough that it did not bother him. A rock and roll lifestyle did not suit him; notably, he preferred Hugh Hefner’s game room over groupies at their 1972 visit to the Playboy Mansion.

He garnered many accolades throughout his career. The New Yorker, the BBC, the CBC, Variety, Modern Drummer, and, of course, Rolling Stone have all named Watts as one of the greatest drummers of all time. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, followed by the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. With the Rolling Stones, his legacy will be thoroughly embedded in rock and roll, having recorded such hits as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It Black, Ruby Tuesday, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, Brown Sugar, Tumbling Dice, Angie, Miss You, and Starting Up, among many others.