The Stones' Straight Man

Charlie Watts, 1941-2021

Around 1964 when I was in high school, my buddies and I knew the names of all the Rolling Stones. There was Mick Jagger, the sly lead singer, Keith Richards on guitar, Brian Jones on guitar, Bill Wyman on bass guitar and Charlie Watts, the poker faced drummer. They were the antidote for the Beatles.

Our high school house parties were known for drinking, smoking, making out and goofing off, all to the music of the Rolling Stones. Each high school in our pocket of Southern California had their party band -- be they surfers or greasers -- and ours was the Rolling Stones. 

Their blues-based sound was raw with a defiant tone, certainly more dangerous than the high-pitched harmonies of the Beach Boys or the smooth styling of Marvin Gaye, who had their followings.

Little did we know that Charlie Watts, whose death was announced yesterday at age 80, was an essential ingredient to the music of the Stones. He was a jazz drummer, not a rock n' roller. Reportedly, it took a while for Keith to convince Charlie that Elvis was the real deal.

Charlie would have been happier playing in small clubs with Miles Davis or Charlie Parker. The Stones dug into their pockets to hire Watts as their man with the sticks.

When "Satisfaction" hit the top of the charts in 1965, I counted the minutes every hour until the song was played again on KHJ Los Angeles AM radio. I turned up the sound on my car dial and sang along, loudly.

When I'm drivin' in my car, and the man come on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more about some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination

I can't get no, oh, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey
That's what I say
I can't get no satisfaction, I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

"Watt's backbeat gave early hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" steady testosterone drive, and later tracks like "Tumbling Dice" and "Beast of Burden" a languid strut," according to Ben Sisario in the New York Times."

"To me, Charle Watts was the secret essence of the whole thing," Keith Richards wrote in his 2010 memoir, Life.

One reporter referred to Watts as the world's "politest man." When the guys started to party, Charlie hit the sack. He was married to the same woman for 50 years. When the guys were debauching, Charlie was pressing his tailored suits. His appearance was in dire contrast to the flamboyant outfits of Jagger and Richards. He looked like their accountant.

His drumming style, too, was the essence of understatement. He played with economy of motion, hitting the back-beat a micro-second behind Richard's aggressive lead guitar. Emotionless. Steady. Reliable.

I regret that I have never attended a Rolling Stones concert. Like Charlie, I prefer smaller more intimate settings. I doubt that he would have attended a Stones' concert if he weren't in the band. Yet I've always looked forward to hearing their latest work. And I'll never tire of listening to the Stones' classic tunes that always spark a youthful uproar from my past.

Thanks, Mr. Watts. May you rest in peace.