Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts (born 2 June 1941) is the drummer of The Rolling Stones. He is also a jazz bandleader and commercial artist. Watts is sometimes referred to as "The Wembley Whammer" when introduced by Mick Jagger during a concert
Early life.
Charlie Watts was born to a lorry driver for a precursor of British Rail and his wife at University College Hospital, London, England, and raised in Islington and Wembley boroughs. The family moved to Pilgrims Way Wembley in the late 1940s. Charlie has a sister named Linda. Between 1952 and 1956, he attended Tylers Croft Secondary Modern School. After that, he went to Harrow Art School. He was talented at football while at Secondary School. In 1960, he was working with a local band when he met Alexis Korner, who convinced him to join his own band, Blues Incorporated.
Shortly afterwards, Watts left Blues Incorporated, citing its hectic schedule. A trained commercial artist, Watts found work at the advertising firm of Charles Hobson and Grey. However, in January 1963, Watts was persuaded to join the Rolling Stones as a drummer (also keeping his day job for several months thereafter). Watts remains a member of the Rolling Stones to this day.
Private life
On 14 October 1964, Watts married Shirley Ann Shepherd, whom he had met before the band had its first big hit; they are still together. They had one daughter, Seraphina Watts, born on 18 March 1968. He also has a granddaughter.
Watts has expressed a love-hate attitude toward touring. In Canada's Macleans magazine, he told interviewer Brian Johnson that he has had a compulsive habit for decades of actually sketching every new hotel room he occupies – and its furnishings – immediately upon entering it. He stated he keeps every sketch, but still doesn't know why he feels the compulsion to do this.
Watts's personal life has outwardly appeared to be substantially quieter than those of his bandmates and many of his rock and roll colleagues. Ever faithful to his wife Shirley, Watts consistently refused sexual favors from groupies on the road and discussed his regular bouts of insomnia incurred from not sharing his bed with his wife in Robert Greenfield's STP: A Journey through America with The Rolling Stones, a document of their 1972 American Tour. When the group held court at the Playboy Mansion during that tour, Watts famously took advantage of Hugh Hefner's renowned game room rather than frolic with the women.
Watts has spoken openly about a period in the mid-1980s when his previously-moderate use of alcohol and drugs became problematic: "[My drug and alcohol problems were] my way of dealing with [family problems] ... Looking back on it, 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 behaviour."A famous anecdote relates that in the mid-1980s, an intoxicated Jagger phoned Watts's hotel room in the middle of the night asking where "his drummer" was. Watts reportedly got up, shaved, dressed in a suit, put on a tie and freshly shined shoes, descended the stairs and punched Jagger in the face, saying: "Don't ever call me your drummer again. You're my fucking singer!"
Watts is noted for his tasteful personal wardrobe: the British newspaper The Telegraph has named him one of the World's Best Dressed Men. In 2006 Vanity Fair elected Watts into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame, joining his style icon, Fred Astaire.
In June 2004, Watts was diagnosed with throat cancer, and underwent a course of radiotherapy. The cancer has since gone into remission and he is once again recording and touring with the Stones.
He is a vegetarian.
Solo records
- February 1987: Live at Fulham Town Hall
1. Stomping At The Savoy
2. Lester Leaps In
3. Moonglow
4. Robbins Nest
5. Scrapple From The Apple
6. Flying Home
- February 1991: From One Charlie
1. Practising, Practising, Just Great
2. Blackbird - White Chicks
3. Bluebird
4. Terra De Pajaro
5. Badseeds - Rye Drinks
6. Relaxing At Camarillo
7. Going, Going, Going, Gone
August 1992: Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings
- Intro - Charlie Watts Quintet
- . Practicing, Practicing, Just Great
- Black Bird, White Chicks
- . Bluebird
- Bound for New York
- Terra de Pajaro
- Bad Seeds-Rye Drinks
- Relaxin' at Camarillo
- Going, Going, Going, Gone
- Just Friends
- Cool Blues
- Dancing in the Dark
- Dewey’s Square
- Rocker
- Lover Man
- Peridido
- December 1993: 'Warm & Tender
- My Ship
- Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
- My Foolish Heart
- Someone to Watch over Me
- I'll Be Around
- . Love Walked In
- It Never Entered My Mind
- . My One and Only Love
- I'm Glad There Is You
- If I Should Lose You
- . Ill Wind
- Time After Time
- Where Are You?
- For All We Know
- They Didn't Believe Me
- You Go to My Head
- June 1996: 'Long Ago & Far Away'
1. I've Got A Crush On You
2. Long Ago And Far Away
3. More Than You Know
4. I Should Care
5. Good Morning Heartache
6. Someday (You'll Be Sorry)
7. I Get Along Without You Very Well
8. What's New
9. Stairway To The Stars
10. In The Still Of The Night
11. All Or Nothing At All
12. I'm In The Mood For Love
13. In A Sentimental Mood
14. Never Let Me Go
- May 2000: Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project
1. Shelly Manne
2. Art Blakey
3. Kenny Clarke
4. Tony Williams
5. Roy Haynes
6. Max Roach
7. Airto
8. Billy Higgins
9. Elvin Suite
- August 2004: Watts at Scott's
Disc One:
1. Main Stem 10:05
2. Bemsha Swing 9:35
3. Anthony's Dice 8:06
4. Roll 'Em, Charlie 7:34
5. What's New? 8:15
6. Body And Soul 4:21
7. Here's That Rainy Day 9:05
8. Tin Tin Deo 11:59
Disc Two:
1. Sunset And The Mockingbird 7:09
2. Little Willie Leaps 9:57
3. Airto II 11:33
4. Chasing Reality 2:49
5. Faction & Band Introduction 11:17
6. Elvin's Song 16:12
7. Take The A Train 5:08
