October 2021 – Volume 45 • Number 10
On 29th Oct 2021
Articles in October 2021
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…
NEW GEAR
RenziAdvanced Heel Pedestal System Kit Founded by Berklee College of Music alumni John Renzi, the Renzi “Stomp Louder” corporation utilizes science and an “athletic” approach to drum-product research to improve performance sustainability and ergonomics. (“Drummers are athletes, as the physiological…
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…
Charlie’s My Darling...
The reluctant rock star.The loving husband to his beautiful wife Shirleyfor over a half a century.The fantastic father to his Seraphina.The brilliant grandfather to his Charlotte.The jazz lover/enthusiast.The Dapper Dan.The dog lover/owner.The Arabian horse owner.The classic car collector.The vintage drum…
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.…
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…
Latin Percussion
Tommy Lee Rockstar Ridge Rider Cowbell Tommy Lee’s signature model is big. Way big. It’s loud. Crazy loud. It even looks like a rock-and roll cowbell should look, in its bright-white finish with a large red-white-black star logo under Lee’s…
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…
Watts Wisdom
Stone Insights from the Pages of Modern Drummer Given his stature in the drum community and his tenure in the world’s greatest rock and roll band, Charlie Watts gave few relatively interviews. For example, throughout MD’s 45 years, he only…
Charlie Watts Quartet
Four Different Collector Covers Honor the Legend The Modern Drummer staff wanted to do something ultra-special to celebrate the life and artistry of Charlie Watts, and we decided that a single cover—however great it might look—simply would not do. We…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Buried Treasures
I Unboxed Charlie’s First Drum Kit and Other Stories from The Watts Collection It’s hard to know what to say at a time like this. Most people will mention Charlie Watt’s contribution to the world of rock drumming—which, of course,…
“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,…
Charlie Watts in 1967: The Year of Experimentation
For decades, the Rolling Stones have served up their brand of raunchy, bluesy rock and roll to millions of fans around the globe. They’ve outlasted trends, age restrictions, and most of their ’60s contemporaries. To drummers, Charlie Watts represents a…
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…
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…
