Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards fondly remembered the group’s late drummer Charlie Watts during a new interview on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show, telling the shock jock that he misses his old bandmate and friend “every day.”
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Richards revealed to Stern that he has a regular ritual in which he pays tribute to Watts, who was a member of The Stones from 1963 until his death in August 2021 at age 80.
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“As I come out of my bedroom the first thing I see is… I have a portrait of Charlie on the staircase … I always give him a salute on the way,” the 79-year-old guitarist explained. “Charlie Watts was a solid guy.”
On October 20, The Rolling Stones will release Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new songs in 18 years, and two of the tracks feature Watts on drums, “Mess It Up” and “Live by the Sword.” During Richards’ visit to Stern’s show, the host played a clip of “Live by the Sword,” which also features a guest appearance by former Stones bassist Bill Wyman.
Stern pointed out that he noticed Richards getting emotional while listening to the song, to which the rock legend responded, “It’s the last time that bunch is ever gonna be heard together, you know?”
Richards also reminisced about when Watts was first considering joining the group, recalling that the drummer insisted on being paid even though the group didn’t have much money at the time.
“If we didn’t have him, we wouldn’t be able to do the gig,” Richards pointed out. “And the gigs paid off right away. And Charlie wanted to do it, that’s what we knew, is that even though he was trying to be professional … after a couple of gigs, we knew we had him anyway.”
He added, “Did we luck out with that guy.”
Richards also explained why he felt Watts was such an integral member of the band, both in the studio and onstage.
“There was a feeling about Charlie, a subtlety about the way he played,” he noted. “He would throw in ideas that you hadn’t really thought of … [But] at the same time, such a solid beat. I never had to worry about anything, which gives the rest of us the freedom to fly, ’cause you’re never wondering if the beat’s gonna hold.”
Shortly before Watts’ death, The Rolling Stones announced that, with Watts’ blessing, veteran session drummer Steve Jordan would be filling in for him on the band’s then-upcoming tour. Jordan has now become the group’s full-time touring drummer, and also is featured on most of the tracks on Hackney Diamonds.
You can pre-order the album now.
