Charlie Watts

Charlie Watts - Drummers, Life Achievements and Family

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Charlie Watts's Personal Details

Charlie Watts is an English drummer, best known as one of the members of the famous and ageless rock 'n' roll band, the ‘Rolling Stones’

InformationDetail
BirthdayJune 2, 1941
NationalityBritish
FamousMusicians, Drummers
SpousesShirley Ann Shepherd
SiblingsLinda Watts
Known asThe Wembley Whammer, Charles Robert Watts, The ABC Of Boogie Woogie, Charles Robert
ChildrensSeraphina Watts
Universities
  • University of Westminster
Birth PlaceKingsbury, London, England
Height173
GenderMale
FatherCharles Watts
MotherLilian Watts
Net Worth$170 Million as of Mar 9,2017
Sun SignGemini
Born inKingsbury, London, England
Famous asDrummer

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Charlie Watts's photo

Who is Charlie Watts?

Charlie Watts is an English drummer, best known as one of the members of the famous and ageless rock 'n' roll band, the ‘Rolling Stones’. He started playing drums with several blues and rock bands in London before joining ‘Rolling Stones’ in 1963. The initial line-up of the band included Mick Jagger, in lead vocals and harmonica; Keith Richards in guitar; Brian Jones in guitar and harmonica among others. While the former two remain members of the band till present along with Watts, Brian Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969. Apart from being a drummer, Watts is a trained graphic artist and made contributions as a designer for the group’s tour stages and album liners. ‘Beggars Banquet’, ‘Exile on Main Street’ and ‘Bridges to Babylon’ are some of the many hits of the band. Besides being associated with the ‘Rolling Stones’, he released many albums with his own group, ‘Charlie Watts Quintet’ that include ‘Warm And Tender’, ‘Long Ago and Far Away’ and ‘A Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings’. He is also a remarkable jazz musician and has performed in the famous ‘Ronnie Scott’s’ jazz club in London with his group ‘Charlie Watts Tentet’. The reader’s poll of the monthly publication, ‘Modern Drummer’, voted him into the ‘Modern Drummer Hall of Fame’ in 2006. The same year he was inducted in the ‘International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame’ as well.

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Childhood & Early Life

He was born on June 2, 1941, at the ‘University College Hospital’, London, to Charles Richard Watts and Lillian Charlotte (née Eaves). His father served the ‘London Midland & Scottish Railway’ as a lorry driver.

He and his sister Linda were brought up in Kingsbury.

At the age of ten years he came across jazz and blues music and his early influences include John Coltrane and Miles Davis. By thirteen years of age, he became more interested in drumming and would emulate his jazz drumming heroes by playing a banjo that he had converted into a snare drum.

Watts and one of his childhood neighbours cum friend Dave Green, who became a jazz bass player and remains his friend till date, would listen to music together that included 78 RPM records of American jazz musicians like Charlie Parker and Jelly Roll Morton.

In 1952 he joined the ‘Tylers Croft Secondary Modern School’, where he studied till 1956. During his school days he remained a sports enthusiast including football and cricket and also displayed his flair for art.

He got his first drum kit from his parents in 1955.

After leaving his secondary school at si16 he joined ‘Harrow Art School’ (at present ‘University of Westminster’) and studied there till 1960.

Career

He started his musical career along with his friend Dave Green in around 1958-59 and played in ‘Jo Jones All Stars’, a jazz band, in Middlesex.

In 1960 he joined ‘Charlie Daniels Studios’, an advertising company, as a graphic designer. During this time he became associated with a few local bands that saw him occasionally perform as drummer in various clubs and coffee shops in London.

In 1961, he penned down a children’s book, ‘Ode to a High-Flying Bird’, a tribute to the jazz legend Charlie Parker, which was later published in 1965. His illustrations and writings in the book reflect his love for art, literature and jazz.

While working as a graphic designer, he accepted the proposal of Alexis Korner and joined the latter’s band ‘Blues Incorporated’ in early 1962. Later he worked with advertising firm of Charles, Hobson and Grey while playing regularly as a drummer with ‘Blues Incorporated’.

Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ian "Stu" Stewart would often visit the rhythm and blues clubs in London and during one such occasion in mid-1962 they met Watts. They were all members of the newly established English rock band, ‘Rolling Stones’.

Though he turned down the proposal of the ‘Rolling Stones’ earlier, in January 1963 he finally gave his nod and officially joined the band. On January 12, 1963 he played for the first time for the band at the ‘Eagles Blue Club’.

Till date he remains a part of the ‘Rolling Stones’, a band that emerged as the most enduring and popular classic rock ‘n’ roll band of all times. Its cover of Bobby Womack's ‘It's All Over Now’ zoomed up at the number 3 position on the British pop charts in 1964. The following year they scored ‘(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction’ that became the number one hit in US.

Over the years the ‘Rolling Stones’ has released several hit albums that include ‘Beggars Banquet’ (1968), ‘Sticky Fingers’ (1971), ‘Exile on Main St.’ (1972), ‘It's Only Rock 'n Roll’ (1974), ‘Tattoo You’ (1981) and ‘A Bigger Bang’ (2005).

The album liner of ‘Between the Buttons’ (1967) and some of the early records of the band were designed by him.

He was responsible behind creative entry of the ‘Rolling Stones’ during 1975 press conference held at New York City that saw the band playing their hit song ‘Brown Sugar’ while driving on the back of a flatbed truck. This act not only awestruck the reporters but was later emulated by other rock bands across the globe like AC/DC and U2.

He and Mick Jagger also contributed as designer in many of the group’s tour stages like the ‘Tour of the Americas’ (1975), ‘Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour’ (1989-90), ‘Bridges to Babylon Tour’ (1997), ‘Licks Tour’ (2002-03), and ‘A Bigger Bang Tour’ (2005-07).

He always had a leaning towards jazz, and by late 1970s he became associated with Ian Stewart in ‘Rocket 88’, a retro boogie-woogie party band. Many noted English rock, jazz and R&B musicians performed for the band.

His ‘Charlie Watts Orchestra’, a 32-piece band, performed live at the ‘Fulham Town Hall’ in 1986.

His own jazz group, ‘Charlie Watts Quintet’ released several albums like ‘From One Charlie’ (1991), ‘A Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings’ (1992), ‘Warm and Tender’ (1993), ‘Long Ago and Far Away’ (1996).

In 2000 he collaborated with American drummer and percussionist Jim Keltner and released the album ‘Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project’.

His group ‘The Charlie Watts Tentet’ released an album in 2004 titled ‘Watts at Scott's’.

Recently he has gained popularity for performing with ‘ABC&D of Boogie Woogie’, a swing band that includes his childhood friend and bassist Dave Green along with pianists Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger. He started performing for the band since April 2009.

On March 25, 2016, the ‘Rolling Stones’ created history when the group performed a free concert in front of a crowd of around 500,000 in Havana, Cuba, where music of the band was earlier banned by the Communist regime of the country.

Personal Life & Legacy

He married Shirley Ann Shepherd on October 14, 1964. He has always remained a doting husband.

Their only daughter Serafina was born in 1968.

Sometime in the 1980s, he and his wife set up Haldson Arabians, a stud farm in Dolton village in west Devon where the couple breed and raise horses.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in June 2004 and underwent radiotherapy treatment and upon recovery he resumed his musical career.

He has one granddaughter named Charlotte.

Watts is a vegetarian.

Net Worth

As of year 2012, the net worth of Charlie Watts is believed to be US$160 million.

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Charlie Watts biography timelines

  • // 2nd Jun 1941
    He was born on June 2, 1941, at the ‘University College Hospital’, London, to Charles Richard Watts and Lillian Charlotte (née Eaves). His father served the ‘London Midland & Scottish Railway’ as a lorry driver.
  • // 1952 To 1956
    In 1952 he joined the ‘Tylers Croft Secondary Modern School’, where he studied till 1956. During his school days he remained a sports enthusiast including football and cricket and also displayed his flair for art.
  • // 1955
    He got his first drum kit from his parents in 1955.
  • // 1958 To 1959
    He started his musical career along with his friend Dave Green in around 1958-59 and played in ‘Jo Jones All Stars’, a jazz band, in Middlesex.
  • // 1960
    After leaving his secondary school at si16 he joined ‘Harrow Art School’ (at present ‘University of Westminster’) and studied there till 1960.
  • // 1960
    In 1960 he joined ‘Charlie Daniels Studios’, an advertising company, as a graphic designer. During this time he became associated with a few local bands that saw him occasionally perform as drummer in various clubs and coffee shops in London.
  • // 1961 To 1965
    In 1961, he penned down a children’s book, ‘Ode to a High-Flying Bird’, a tribute to the jazz legend Charlie Parker, which was later published in 1965. His illustrations and writings in the book reflect his love for art, literature and jazz.
  • // 1962
    While working as a graphic designer, he accepted the proposal of Alexis Korner and joined the latter’s band ‘Blues Incorporated’ in early 1962. Later he worked with advertising firm of Charles, Hobson and Grey while playing regularly as a drummer with ‘Blues Incorporated’.
  • // 1962
    Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ian "Stu" Stewart would often visit the rhythm and blues clubs in London and during one such occasion in mid-1962 they met Watts. They were all members of the newly established English rock band, ‘Rolling Stones’.
  • // 12th Jan 1963
    Though he turned down the proposal of the ‘Rolling Stones’ earlier, in January 1963 he finally gave his nod and officially joined the band. On January 12, 1963 he played for the first time for the band at the ‘Eagles Blue Club’.
  • // 1964
    Till date he remains a part of the ‘Rolling Stones’, a band that emerged as the most enduring and popular classic rock ‘n’ roll band of all times. Its cover of Bobby Womack's ‘It's All Over Now’ zoomed up at the number 3 position on the British pop charts in 1964. The following year they scored ‘(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction’ that became the number one hit in US.
  • // 14th Oct 1964
    He married Shirley Ann Shepherd on October 14, 1964. He has always remained a doting husband.
  • // 1967
    The album liner of ‘Between the Buttons’ (1967) and some of the early records of the band were designed by him.
  • // 1968
    Their only daughter Serafina was born in 1968.
  • // 1975
    He was responsible behind creative entry of the ‘Rolling Stones’ during 1975 press conference held at New York City that saw the band playing their hit song ‘Brown Sugar’ while driving on the back of a flatbed truck. This act not only awestruck the reporters but was later emulated by other rock bands across the globe like AC/DC and U2.
  • // 1986
    His ‘Charlie Watts Orchestra’, a 32-piece band, performed live at the ‘Fulham Town Hall’ in 1986.
  • // 2000
    In 2000 he collaborated with American drummer and percussionist Jim Keltner and released the album ‘Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project’.
  • // 2004
    His group ‘The Charlie Watts Tentet’ released an album in 2004 titled ‘Watts at Scott's’.
  • // Jun 2004
    He was diagnosed with throat cancer in June 2004 and underwent radiotherapy treatment and upon recovery he resumed his musical career.
  • // Apr 2009
    Recently he has gained popularity for performing with ‘ABC&D of Boogie Woogie’, a swing band that includes his childhood friend and bassist Dave Green along with pianists Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger. He started performing for the band since April 2009.
  • // 2012
    As of year 2012, the net worth of Charlie Watts is believed to be US$160 million.
  • // 25th Mar 2016
    On March 25, 2016, the ‘Rolling Stones’ created history when the group performed a free concert in front of a crowd of around 500,000 in Havana, Cuba, where music of the band was earlier banned by the Communist regime of the country.

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Charlie Watts's FAQ

  • What is Charlie Watts birthday?

    Charlie Watts was born at 1941-06-02

  • Where is Charlie Watts's birth place?

    Charlie Watts was born in Kingsbury, London, England

  • What is Charlie Watts nationalities?

    Charlie Watts's nationalities is British

  • Who is Charlie Watts spouses?

    Charlie Watts's spouses is Shirley Ann Shepherd

  • Who is Charlie Watts siblings?

    Charlie Watts's siblings is Linda Watts

  • Who is Charlie Watts childrens?

    Charlie Watts's childrens is Seraphina Watts

  • What was Charlie Watts universities?

    Charlie Watts studied at University of Westminster

  • How tall is Charlie Watts?

    Charlie Watts's height is 173

  • Who is Charlie Watts's father?

    Charlie Watts's father is Charles Watts

  • Who is Charlie Watts's mother?

    Charlie Watts's mother is Lilian Watts

  • What is Charlie Watts's sun sign?

    Charlie Watts is Gemini

  • How famous is Charlie Watts?

    Charlie Watts is famouse as Drummer