Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dead at 80

Jerry Bransford

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This just hitting the news, it shocked me having been a Rolling Stones fan since they hit the charts. I only knew Charlie was not quite like the rest of them, he was always more reserved and non-flashy than Mick and Keith are.

This article I just found is a good read if you have the least bit of interest in the band.

https://www.wagmtv.com/2021/08/24/rolling-stones-drummer-charlie-watts-dead-80/
 
I never liked the rolling stones but can't deny their impact on nearly every genre of music..RIP
 
that is sad news, I was wondering when that band would start dying off. I loved the Stones starting in junior high & I'll never forget scoring a pair of tickets to their show at JFK Stadium in Philly in 1981, I was in 10th grade at the time & me & my buddy skipped school & hopped a train into town to see it. Naturally the school called my parents to report my absence which I expected so I knew I'd be dealing with some pissed off parents when I got back home that night but I didn't give a shit, it was the Stones. To this day my mom reminds me of that story, with a smile on her face.

The old sports complex in Philly, Veteran Stadium up top, the original Spectrum in the middle & JFK at the bottom. All three long gone:

JFK.jpg
 
Wow, just in time for their new tour too! I had heard he was sick, but didn't know with what.

I just heard about the new tour yesterday. They mentioned they had a different drummer, but no mention Charlie Watts was ill.
 
Was hooked on the Stones with '12x5' in the early '60s. A lot of over produced mediocre music on the air and it was refreshing to hear their raw bluesy styly. Saw them in San Diego with Ike and Tina Turner as the opening group in '69. Talk about an out of this world pairing. When they announced the latest tour with Watts not being the drummer assumed something healthwise was up. They are about the only group touring that are older than me.
 
Been losing quite a few musicians, as of late. Dusty Hill, Tom T. Hall, Don Everly, and now Charlie Watts. It's always sad when folks you grew up listening to start leaving this life...
I'm surprised he made it to 80 with all the drugs the Stones did.
 
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From what I've read he partook in alcohol, heroin and speed in the past just not to the extent of Jagger and certainly not Richards.
Hmmm... :unsure:

Well, there can only be one truth. In the end, however, I guess it really doesn't matter. His music will live on, even if he doesn't. Talk about a legacy. :cool:
 
This is sad news.

I was in high school in the early 80s and quite a few people wanted nothing to do with anything from the Rolling Stones while a similar number were highly addicted to them. I was somewhere in the middle but one girl I knew ended up married and named her first child Keith Richards Jones. All I can say is that Charlie Watts Jones would have been a better choice.

Back then we had a radio station that had the "4 O'clock High" every weekday. It was basically 1/2 hour of music from one band or about one topic. Eventually there was a Rolling Stones "4 O'clock High", it was a whole hour followed by another whole hour the next day.
 
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