Charlie Watts was an English drummer. He achieved international fame as the drummer for “The Rolling Stones” who was one of the band’s longest-serving members, joining in January 1963 and remaining a member until his death in 2021. Watts began playing drums in London’s rhythm and blues clubs, where he met Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards. In January 1963, he joined their fledgling group, the Rolling Stones, as a drummer. Watts, along with Jagger and Richards, are the only band members to have been featured on all of their studio albums. In the year 2006, he was elected into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame; in the same year, Vanity Fair elected him into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. In the estimation of music critic Robert Christgau, Charles Watts was “rock’s greatest drummer.” Sadly, Charlie Watts passed away on 24th August 2021 (Tuesday).
Rolling Stones drummer, Charlie Watts dies at 80
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who helped them become one of the greatest bands in rock ‘n’ roll, has died at the age of 80 in a London hospital on 24th August 2021. “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts,” a statement said. It said he was “a cherished husband, father, and grandfather” and “one of the greatest drummers of his generation”. Tributes have come from stars including The Beatles’ Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr, and Sir Elton John. Sir Paul described Watts as “a lovely guy” and “a fantastic drummer” who was “steady as a rock”. His cause of death is not given.
What is Charlie Watts Famous For?
- Being the longtime drummer for ‘The Rolling Stones’.
- For his wardrobe: the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph named him one of the World’s Best Dressed Men.
- Being elected by Vanity Fair into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2006.
Source: @freep
Who were the Parents of Charlie Watts?
Charlie Watts wаѕ bоrn оn 2nd Јunе 1941 іn Bloomsbury, Lоndоn, England at University College Hospital. His real name was Charles Robert Watts. He was born tо his father, Сhаrlеѕ Rісhаrd Wаttѕ аnd his mother, Lіllіаn Сhаrlоttе. His father was an employee at London Midland & Scottish Railway as a lorry driver. He held British nationality and his ethnic background was British-White. His hometown wаѕ іn thе Кіngѕburу rеgіоn. He also had a sibling; a sister named Linda. He lastly celebrated his 80th birthday. Gemini was his Zodiac sign and his religion was Christian.
After moving to Kingsbury, Charlie bеgun hіѕ еduсаtіоn іn thе fаmоuѕ Туlеrѕ Сrоft Ѕесоndаrу Моdеrn Ѕсhооl. Durіng hіѕ vеrу ѕсhооl dауѕ, he hаd dеvеlореd аn іnсоmраrаblе vіgоr tоwаrdѕ аrt, аnd gаmеѕ lіkе fооtbаll аnd сrісkеt. When Watts and hіѕ frіеnd, Dаvе Grееn was about thirteen, he became interested in drumming. His parents then gave him his first drum kit in 1955, and he practiced drumming along with jazz records he collected. He then соntіnuеd wіth bоth drumѕ аnd јаzz. After finishing his secondary school, he enrolled at Harrow Art School (now the Harrow campus of the University of Westminster), which he attended until 1960. After leaving art school, he worked as a graphic designer for an advertising company called Charlie Daniels Studios and also played drums occasionally with local bands in coffee shops and clubs. He hаd bеgun wіth thеіr соllаbоrаtеd muѕіс bаnd еntіtlеd Jо Јоnеѕ Аll Ѕtаrѕ, thаt hаd соntіnuеd frоm 1958 tо thе уеаr 1959 whеrе hе hаd еnјоуеd ѕhоwсаѕіng hіѕ јаzz ѕkіllѕ. He and Green began their musical careers together from 1958 to 1959, playing in a jazz band in Middlesex called the Jo Jones All Stars. He initially found his transition to rhythm and blues puzzling: “I went into rhythm and blues. When they asked me to play, I didn’t know what it was. I thought it meant Charlie Parker, played slow.” In the year 1961, hе rесеіvеd аn оffеr fоr bеіng а раrt оf Вluеѕ Іnсоrроrаtеd, whеrе hе hаd реrfоrmеd ѕіnсе 1962. Іt wаѕ оnlу а уеаr thеn thаt hе hаd ѕhіftеd tо Rоllіng Ѕtоnеѕ. Initially, the band could not afford to pay Watts, who had been earning a regular salary from his gigs. His first public appearance as a permanent member was at the Ealing Jazz Club on 2nd February 1963.
Charlie Watts Life Story and Career Timeline
- Charlie Watts even contributed graphic art and comic strips to early Rolling Stones records such as the “Between the Buttons” record sleeve.
- He was also responsible for the 1975 tour announcement press conference in New York City.
- In addition, the band surprised the throng of waiting for reporters by driving and playing “Brown Sugar” on the back of a flatbed truck in the middle of Manhattan traffic.
- Likewise, he has also designed the elaborate stages for tours, first contributing to the lotus-shaped design of that 1975 Tour of the Americas, as well as the 1989–1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, the 1997–1998 Bridges to Babylon Tour, the 2002–2003 Licks Tour, and the 2005–2007 A Bigger Bang Tour.
- Besides this, he was also involved in many activities outside his life as a member of The Rolling Stones. He published a cartoon tribute to Charlie Parker entitled “Ode to a High Flying Bird” in December 1964.
- In the late 1970s, Watts joined Ian Stewart in the back-to-the-roots boogie-woogie band “Rocket 88”.
- The year 1993 saw the release of “Warm and Tender”, by the Charlie Watts Quintet, which included vocalist Bernard Fowler. This same group then released “Long Ago and Far Away” in the year 1996.
- After a successful collaboration with Jim Keltner on The Rolling Stones LP Bridges to Babylon, they released a techno/instrumental album simply titled, “Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project”.
- Watts at Scott’s was recorded with his group, “the Charlie Watts Tentet”, at the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.
- In April 2009, he started to perform concerts with the ABC&D of Boogie Woogie (including pianists Axel Zwingenberger and Ben Waters plus childhood friend Dave Green on bass).
- In the year 1989, The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Watts did not attend the ceremony.
- In the July 2006 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, he was voted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame, joining Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Steve Gadd, Buddy Rich, and other highly esteemed and influential drummers from the history of rock and jazz.
- In the estimation of music critic Robert Christgau, Watts was “rock’s greatest drummer.”
- Variety stated on the day of his death that Watts is “universally recognized as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time”.
Source: @cnbc
Who was Charlie Watts married to?
Charlie Watts was a married man. He married his beautiful and charming wife, Shirley Ann Shepherd on 14th October 1964. The duo met each other before the band became successful. The couple also had one daughter, Seraphina, born in March 1968, who in turn gave birth to Watts’s only grandchild, a girl named Charlotte. He was living near Dolton, a rural village in West Devon, where he owned an Arabian horse stud farm. Prior to his death, Charlie and Shirley were living happy life. His sexual orientation was straight and he was not gay.
Source: @thesun.co.uk
How much was Charlie Watts Net Worth?
Charlie Watts was a famous drummer whose net worth was estimated to have $250 Million as per sources at the time of his death. He is on the list of the “Top 10 Richest Musicians” in the world. Additionally, he had endorsed several top brands. He also owned a percentage of The Rolling Stones’ various corporate entities. worked hard to complete his dreams and goals. He was really an iconic star in the music industry. Whereas his exact career earnings and salary details are still to get unfold yet. He was living a luxurious lifestyle before his death.
How tall was Charlie Watts?
Charlie Watts was a handsome man who had a standing tall height of 5 ft 7 in or 1.73 m. His weight consisted of 78 Kg or 172 lbs. His eye color was blue-brown and his hair color was white. The other body measurements detail is unavailable at a moment. With his drummer skill, he had made huge fans.
Charlie Watts Health
Charlie Watts’s health became problematic due to the consumption of alcohol and drugs in the mid-1980s. “[They were] my way of dealing with [family problems] …” he said. “I think it was a mid-life crisis. All I know is that I became totally another person around 1983 and came out of it about 1986. I nearly lost my wife and everything over my behavior”. In June 2004, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, despite having quit smoking in the late 1980s, and underwent a course of radiotherapy. The cancer went into remission. “I went into the hospital,” he recalled, “and eight months later Mick said, ‘We’re going to do a record. But we’ll only do it when you’re ready.’ They were buggering about, writing songs, and when I was ready I went down and that was it, A Bigger Bang. Then I did a two- tour. It seems that whenever we stop, I get ill. So maybe I should carry on!”. On 5th August 2021, it was reported that Watts had elected to sit out the resumption of the U.S. No Filter Tour due to an unspecified medical procedure and that Steve Jordan would temporarily replace him on drums.
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