S.O.D. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones

9/27/2021 This is for you Charlie. Dignified, humble, and family man who was always well-dressed. Charlie Watts is considered by many musicians and critics the best rock ‘n’ roll drummer there ever was. Although he admits that he wasn’t the kind of drummer who led the band with his beat. Instead, he followed Richards, and the rhythm, which made it nearly impossible to follow the Stones’ style.

Born in 1941, he lived in Wembley, London, where many of the houses had been destroyed in World War II. His best friend through childhood and teen years was his neighbor Dave Green, now an accomplished double bassist. He lived right across the street, and they would go to Charlie’s room and listen to records, and make recordings. They remained close until Charlie’s passing. At age 13, he removed the neck and strings from a banjo, and the head became his first drum.

One year after he joined the Stones, Charlie married Shirley Ann Shepard, and they were together until he left us. They had one daughter, Seraphina, who gave them their only grandchild, Charlotte. When the Stones began playing in 1963, Watts was not only their drummer, but also their album and set designer, as he had a degree in graphic arts. He didn’t really know how to drive and never had a drivers license, but did own an Arabian horse stud farm and collected cricket memorabilia. There are many tributes.