More notable rock musicians have passed away - The latest, drummer extraordnaire - Charlie Watts

Charlie Watts - R.I.P. 1941-2021

It's been another sad period of marking the deaths and memorializing the lives of numerous notable musicians and rock icons that have passed way over the past month. From Dusty Hill (bassist for ZZ Top) and Paul Cotton (singer-guitarist for Poco) earlier this month to the recent deaths of singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith and early rock vocal pioneer and half of the Everly Brothers, Don Everly. And now, iconic drummer for the Rolling Stones for nearly 60 years, Charlie Watts.  We honor and salute them all, even though we may not get a chance to publicly write about or properly honor each of them as they deserve. Their music will live on and enrich the lives of countless old fans and new followers, and has already stood the test of time. Great musicians all. But I do have to say a few more words in honor of Charlie.

Musicians from all genres have lined up to pay tribute to the unassuming, quietly debonair, steady as-a-rock Stones timekeeper as one of the greatest drummers ever. And although he was the backbone and driving force behind a band often dubbed "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band", he was never really a 'rock' drummer. His background, instincts, and approach all came from Jazz, but was essential to the sound and rhythm of all those great Stones tracks. To be honest, I'm not really that much of Rolling Stones fan, but Charlie was something else entirely. He always seemed to be such a mismatch with the rest of the band, and certainly didn't fit in at all with the reputation the band had for outrageousness, depravity, and debauchery. Yet, there he always was, through thick and thin, laying down just the right rhythms and beats that each song needed. Jagger and Richards may have attracted most of the attention, but the Stones would never have been as successful without Watts as the backbone of the band. I always had the utmost respect for him, both as a person and as a great drummer. Keep on bangin' Charlie, now and forever. 

Of course, there are hundreds of unofficial live recordings of Charlie with The Rolling Stones, available all around the internet (for starters, can check out G101, TUBE, So Many Roads, Soundaboard websites  - links in Music sites right sidebar), in addition to all of their commercially released studio and live albums.  As I'm not really a collector of Rolling Stones shows, I'm not going to post shows here, and those other sites are much better for finding great shows than I could. But go ahead. check out some more live Stones to better hear Charlie and company in action.