Stones: We’ll keep Rolling for Charlie
Rolling Stones say farewell.. but vow tour will go ahead to honour drummer
THE remaining Rolling Stones have paid tribute to drummer Charlie Watts and vowed to go ahead with a US tour which will celebrate his life.
The band are due on stage in St Louis, in Missouri, on September 26 with further shows planned until November.
And, following the death at 80 of the man dubbed their “rock”, Sir Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards are determined to play the gigs with stand-in drummer Steve Jordan.
Guitarist Keith, 77, posted a picture of Charlie’s drumkit with a “Closed” sign hanging on it. He added no caption.
Sir Mick shared a picture of his bandmate of almost 60 years, smiling while seated behind a drumkit. The 78-year-old frontman also added no words. Guitarist
Ronnie, 74, shared a picture of himself and Charlie on Twitter, writing: “I love you my fellow Gemini – I will dearly miss you – you are the best.”
Despite their heartache, a source said: “It goes without saying they will want to honour him and celebrate his amazing musical legacy on stage in some form. They will want to do Charlie proud.”
Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones said it was the right decision, adding: “They have got to continue. Charlie would have wanted that.”
The Stones’ plans could still be affected by rising Covid cases across the US, which has seen some tours postponed.
But the band are busy in rehearsals and are planning to honour all the dates, which include Pittsburgh, Nashville, Minneapolis and Dallas.
More stars shared their memories and tributes with Sir Mick’s daughter, Jade, recalling how Charlie had always bought
“sanity to the madness” of rock ’n’ roll. Lyricist Sir Tim Rice, who shared a love of cricket with Charlie and invited him as his guest at Lord’s on one occasion, said the drummer was “always charming and polite and beautifully dressed” and knowledgeable about “many things besides music – art, fashion, sport”.
“But above all,” he added, “Of course, he was the rock of the Rolling Stones at the back, and the drive and punch and consistency that he provided for so many years, was just as important to the Stones’ success as the glamour and excitement upfront.
“It was a perfect combination of total reliability and drive. It wasn’t boring, it was magnificent.
“But that coupled with the brilliance of the performers in the front line made the band, quite rightly, the greatest rock and roll band in the world.”
Sir Rod Stewart posted a photo of the Stones on his Instagram page. He wrote: “I always told the drummers in my band to listen to Charlie Watts.” He added the hashtag “never forgotten”.
Kinks singer Sir Ray Davies said: “Charlie was a classy guy, knew his jazz, unmistakable style, good bloke and will be greatly missed.”
Sir Richard Branson, who signed the Stones for Virgin, said he had been one of the greats, adding: “His quiet smile often said it all.”
John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, said: “Rest in peace, Charlie Watts. Our love and deepest condolences go out to Shirley, Seraphina, Charlotte and all The Rolling Stones family.”
Charlie, who had been with the group since 1963, had recently had surgery following a routine appointment to check he was fit to tour.
Under doctors’ advice, he was told he needed rest and recuperation after the successful procedure.
The drummer said at the time: “I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while
“I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in.”
He died surrounded by his family in a London hospital on Tuesday.
I always told the drummers in my band to listen to Charlie SIR ROD STEWART ON CHARLIE’S PLAYING