Charlie Watts was once described as someone who "would have made the world's worst junkie". Yet, when Keith Richards made this remark about his late Rolling Stones bandmate, it was based on a humbling and almost devastating experience.
"I took heroin and I drank a lot and it all goes together," the drummer, who died in August
last year aged 80, once admitted. "With all those things you think you can handle them. Then you realise you can't stop. I got to a point where I realised I was going to lose everything. Keith found me on the floor once and said, 'You should wait 'till you're 60 before you start doing that stuff - then you can do it slowly'."
Yet, during the first half of the 1980s, when he was already in his 40s, something changed - a period he later described with memorable understatement as a "mid-life crisis" - that could in part be traced back to his lifetime love of jazz.
What triggered the decision to pull himself back from the brink came in two very different forms. The first was what would now be called something approaching an intervention from Keith, as the Stones' guitarist later explained: "I told him, 'That's just not you Charlie.' And also, the main thing that really worried me about Charlie at the time was his drinking. Really heavy duty cognac and he was blowing up."
The second was an appeal for help from Ronnie Scott, the founder of the eponymous which was going through a period of financial hardship in 1985. Wanting to give something back to the club he loved, which was in serious danger of closing, Watts rounded up a quite extraordinary array of musicians including Jack Bruce from Cream, pianist Stan Tracey, saxophonist Courtney Pine and vocalist (and long-time David Bowie collaborator) Gail Ann Dorsey.
With the addition of at least 30 other musicians, the Charlie Watts Orchestra was born, playing the first in a long series of critically-acclaimed concerts at the world-famous jazz club, the entire proceeds of which went into its coffers
The biography is titled Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Authorised Biography of Charlie Watts and includes forewords from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and a prelude from The Rolling Stones’ former manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham. (Relix.com)
Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Authorised Biography of Charlie Watts was written by Paul Sexton, who followed and covered The Rolling Stones for over 30 years. Sexton included intimate interviews with Richards, Jagger, Ronnie Wood, friends, family members and collaborator of Watts to create an image of the drummer who died Aug. 24, 2021, at the age of 80.
Of the novel, The Rolling Stones said in a statement, “Our dear friend Charlie Watts was not just a fantastic drummer but a wonderful person. He was funny and generous and a man of great taste and we miss him terribly. It’s great that his family have authorized this official biography by Paul Sexton, who’s been writing and broadcasting about Charlie and the band for many years.”
Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Authorised Biography of Charlie Watts will release in the United States via Harper Collins Publishers
“My father was an intensely humble and private person off the stage, who relished and protected his private time at home with us,” Watts’ daughter Seraphina said in a statement. “We were so very touched by the outpouring of love and support from all his fans when he died. We’re very happy and grateful that Paul, who interviewed my father many times over many years, and whom my father liked and respected, is the one writing this very special book about this very special man.”
The Rolling Stones Release 2 Unheard Recordings of “Tumbling Dice” and “Hot Stuff”The two tracks are set to be released on the band’s upcoming live album, Live At The El Mocambo, which is slated to be released on Friday (May 13). The album will be available on double CD, 4 LP vinyl, and digitally. It will feature the band’s full set from the March 5, 1977 show.
The Rolling Stones have commemorated their secret 1977 performances at Toronto's El Mocambo Tavern with a new live album. Live at the El Mocambo, available on multiple formats, including double CD, 4 LP black vinyl, 4 LP neon vinyl and digitally.
The group have previewed the never-before-heard '77 set with 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll' and 'Rip This Joint'
The Rolling Stones descended upon Toronto in the spring of 1977 to play two consecutive nights at El Mocambo on March 4 and 5. (UCR)
The rockers were routinely packing stadiums at that point, so secrecy was paramount in order to pull off the surprise gigs at the 300-capacity club. Booker Dave Bluestein achieved the misdirection by booking Canadian blues-rockers April Wine at the venue on both nights, sharing the stage with an "unknown" band called the Cockroaches.
Fans entered a radio contest to win tickets to see April Wine. Promoter Duff Roman and the Stones handpicked the winners, who were informed of the surprise while riding a bus to the show. They were funneled in the back door of El Mocambo to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to the scene.
