In memory of the passing of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger posted a video combining photos of the two over the years, with a short spoken clip and the band’s 1974 song “Until Next Goodbye.”
“I miss Charlie…because he had such a good sense of humour,” Jagger says. “Outside the band, we used to hang out a lot and have fun. We loved sports, we went to football, we went to cricket, and we had other interests other than just music. But, of course… I really miss Charlie a lot.”
Watts was sarcastic and consistent in his performance and character. The drummer was never flashy – he always used a small group – his whip mouth, driving rhythms and uncanny sense of swing were a source of strength for the band from the day he joined in January 1963 until his death. However, his fortitude and unassuming demeanor hide the complexity of his work: a lifelong jazz enthusiast – he led many jazz bands over the years during the Stones’ hiatus – his playing carries the groove and subtlety that characterizes the genre’s greatest drummer, along with disdain for the clichés many fall into. Drummers are their prey. (Check out a selection of Watts’ greatest shows with the band here.)
Until the time of his death, the Stones had not played a concert without him since he joined, and they released a few songs recorded with a different drummer. The most famous of these, 1974’s “Its Only Rock and Roll,” features drummer/Little Faces/Kenny Jones, who played in the jam session that produced the song (which also featured Mick Jagger and future Stoner Ron Wood, along with David Bowie on backing vocals). Keith Richards added his guitar parts later, but the group never replaced the drum track. Jones said in 2015I called Charlie and said, ‘I didn’t mean to play drums on your album. ‘It’s all right,’ said he. ‘It sounds like me anyway. He’s a likable man, Charlie. A gentleman.’
Shortly before his death, Watts announced that he would not be joining the group on the tour due to health reasons, but endorsed Steve Jordan – who played for decades on Keith Richards’ solo projects – to take his place.
In a public statement, Watts said, “After all the fan suffering caused by Covid, I really don’t want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. So I asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand up for me.”
The group has since completed two tours with Jordan, all featuring a video in honor of Watts.
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