Dapper Gent

He has been a long-time player of Gretsch drums.

Yeah, he is the "cool" Stone.

We walked past each other last week on the Kings Road in London.

I got a huge load of grief from people for not stopping him and asking for a photo. But it's just not me to bother people. He was dressed just as you see in this photo.

I like all of these, Another is Maroon 5 who plays quite well.

I respect Charlie. Certainly as a musician. But also for his grace in the company of the Rolling Stones. Early film clips of them sometimes show Mick and the others taking the piss out of him, as if he is a rube, uncool and unaware of his own social awkwardness. But as time has gone by, he has kept his dignity by being nothing more or less than what he started as; a musician, a worker, and a family man. As older age approaches, this position has growing honesty and mana. While his bandmates are falling out of coconut palms, being revealed as money-hungry, or grasping with futility at long-lost youth, Charlie is just Charlie. My son plays the drums and would love a Gretsch set because they speak of real players, playing real music. Charlie and Gretsch are a good match.

Charlie was recently involved in an album called Boogie 4 Stu, If early Stones floats your boat you should check this out. It includes Jagger's
best vocal performance in years. You've got to admire a man who buys suits to match his cars and doesn't drive.

Charlie was well known for his Savile Row suits and his Gretsch drums, as well as being the older and more reserved Stone.

I hang out with Ian McLagen once in awhile and he never had much to say about Charlie, I guess because he mainly kept to himself. Being a Rolling Stone was a job to him I think, just as if he were a banker, or a car salesman.

I always thought he was older, but in fact only by 18 months or so, and younger than Bill by 4 years. Just the way the man holds himself, I suppose.

I knew the Stones always considered him the "old man" of the band, but I didn't know it was actually Bill that was oldest. I guess that's why Bill retired earlier than everyone else. His pension was due...

Possibly my favorite story about Charlie:

"...I know that Charlie Watts dished him out a great smurfing right hook and that was Charlie Watts saying, You and I have had it. It was 1984 or '85 (actually, October 1984, during a band meeting before the start of the Stones' recording sessions for Dirty Work in January 1985) and... Charlie punched him into a plate full of smoked salmon and he almost floated out the window along the table into a canal in Amsterdam. I just grabbed his leg and saved him from going out... (The fight) was about absolutely nothing. I had taken Mick out for a drink in Amsterdam, so at 5 in the morning, he came back to my room. He's drunk by now, Mick drunk is a sight to behold. Charlie was fast asleep. Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here? Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me "your drummer" again. You're my f%*king singer. ..." - Keith Richards, 1989

A perfect timekeeper and always so tasteful. As knowledgeable about rhythm as Keith Richards is about the blues and rock & roll.

Charlie is just to cool , and does more with his small drum kit than most can do with a 20 piece drum kit

Charlie's good tonight, ain't he?

He looks like David Niven or Sir Alec playing the Prime Minister!

Early Charlie pic-

Bill Wyman retired? Not hardly.

Stones fans will go nuts

Great story CB. Thanks.