October 2021 – Volume 45 • Number 10

Gretsch Drums August-September 1982

“Unbeatables.” Ya think? Also, “Legends,” “Icons,” and “Badasses.” Gretsch certainly had a pair that represented all of the above—and more—for this 1982 promotional ad. Tony Williams (1945-1997) was a Gretsch user from 1959 to 1993. He used a round-badge kit…

Snare Drum Independence

Editor’s Note: It’s no secret that Charlie Watts loved jazz, so if you want to put a dollop of “Charlie Vibe” into your playing, consider jumping into some jazz exercises. This book excerpt by Modern Drummer founder Ron Spagnardi is…

RTOM

LV Mesh Drumheads I thought I was so smart. With the global pandemic surging, I drove to my rehearsal space to pack up my four-piece Yamaha kit and bring it to my home office just before lockdown. “Now, I can…

Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault

The Charlie Watts Collection Long before I ever met Charlie Watts, I was captivated by him and anything he did, said, or played. Why did this small, grey-haired gentleman sitting quietly behind the massive spectacle of the Rolling Stones command…

That Seductive Charlie Watts Groove

One Style I Could Never Mimic Charlie loved music of all kinds. One of the many things we had in common. And he loved all the same drummers I did—mostly the jazz guys. But we also agreed on how great…

Ron Tutt

March 12, 1938 - October 16, 2021 Ron Tutt, who backed up the King—Elvis Presley—as part of his TCB band from 1969-1977, passed away on October 16, at 83 years old. Tutt was a founding member of Presley’s “Taking Care…

Hardware & Accessories

If percussion gear were rated like cinema fare, drum kits, snares, and cymbals would be the thrill-a-minute, skyscrapers exploding, monsters devouring Manhattan action flicks. Hardware? Probably more like a grainy, black-and-white French film from the ‘60s, where two people sit…

“The Adult in the Gang”

Photographing Charlie Watts Charlie was a real English Gentleman who brought class to the Rolling Stones as the adult in the gang. And he gave them a solid foundation to play on! As fast as rock and roll can be,…

Chad and Charlie

In 2018, Charlie Watts made an appearance on Drum Channel’s The Chad Smith Show. To celebrate Watt’s imprint and impact on drumming, we are currently offering the complete interview for free at drumchannel.com, but here are a few tidbits from…

Charlie Watts

A Personal Remembrance and Tribute Ringo Starr and I waited at the top of his Los Angeles driveway. It was November 2006, and as noon approached, I turned to ask Ringo, “When was the last time you and Charlie saw…

Capturing That Charlie Vibe

As great as he was as the starship-powered engine of the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts didn’t have a distinctly obvious drum sound on the order of John Bonham’s bombastic room rumble, or Tony Thompson’s gleefully grandiose ‘80s Power Station tracks.…

A Distinguished Gentleman

My Photographic Journey with Charlie Watts Charlie Watts was a distinguished man, grounded, considerate of others. In 1981, years after we had worked together, he called me from the road when he heard my father passed away. He brought so…

Charlie’s 50 & Counting Rehearsal Kit

We’re taking this space away from Modern Drummer readers this issue, but we hope no one will mind, because the Kit of the Month for October 2021 belonged to Charlie Watts. (We’ll showcase reader kits again starting next month—you weren’t…

Don McAulay Charlie Watts’ Drum Tech

Drums are at the center of many lives, and Don McAulay seems to live in all of them. McAulay is a drummer, a woodworker, drum restorer, studio owner, vintage-drum collector, and technican for bands such as Neil Young, My Morning…

October 2021 - Volume 45 • Number 10

Why Influencers Matter

The Drummers Who Forged Charlie Watts’ Style As a teenager in early ‘50s London, Charlie Watts discovered the American jazz art form and was transformed. He became obsessed with anything and everything regarding the American jazz movement—including the fashion and…

12 MD Cover Artists on Playing for the Song From the Modern Drummer Archives

As we honor Charlie Watts in this special tribute issue, we wanted to take a look back at how some other drummers accomplished what Watts did so brilliantly—which was create parts and arrangements that enhanced the song. A lot of…

What Was That?

Five Genius Charlie Watts Fills You hardly ever see “Charlie Watts” and “Drum Fills” in the same sentence. Discussions around him usually involve his groove, his feel, and the way he never plays his hi-hat with his backbeat. Rightfully so—as…

A family tribute to Charlie Watts ...Or Recollections on the Bakerloo Line

Charlie presenting Dad with the Zildjian Lifetime Achievement Award in London, 2008. I know that my late father, Ginger Baker, would want me to pay tribute to one of his two most-enduring friendships. Here is my personal account of a…

DW Drums

MFG XF Double Pedal I’ve been using a DW 5000 double pedal for years. I really enjoy playing it, and it has been super reliable. I broke a spring just once. That’s the only time it needed a repair. Everything…