Charlie Watts Will Be Missed
Dear Editor,
On Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, the world of music said goodbye to one of the true greats, legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, aged 80.
A modest and humble man, he never got caught up in the star trip like so many others. He was considered an anchor of stability in an otherwise tumultuous organization. There are those who felt that he was the glue that held the band together through the years. He, along with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, was on every studio and live recording going back to 1963. There was nothing flashy or fancy about his style of drumming. Rather, his style was an efficient, no frills approach that got the job done. He never took a drum solo – he didn’t see the point of them. As Keith Richards once said, “Charlie doesn’t miss a beat, Charlie doesn’t waste a beat, he just plays what needs to be played.” In addition to his drumming, he played a key role in the album cover artwork as well as helping to design their stages.
As a person he was respected among the entertainment industry as one the classier and genuinely nice people. Also, rare in that business, at the time of his passing him and his wife Shirley had been married 57 years. A very stylish dresser, he was named “Best dressed man in London” over 20 times. Just last year Vanity Fair had inducted him in their Best Dressed Hall Of Fame.
He will be missed.
James Allen Bailey Jr.
I’d like to commend James Allen Bailey, Jr. for writing the first letter to the editor this year that literally no one gives a dam about. Congrats Jim, way to give us a break!
😎