A handwritten letter from Brian Jones to Charlie Watts offers an interesting glimpse into the early days of The Rolling Stones. The previously unseen note reveals how Jones tried to convince Watts to join the band and includes a brutally honest assessment of their drummer at the time.
The historic letter, written in 1962, will go up for auction at Sotheby’s in December, according to The Guardian. Auction estimates place its value between $70,000 and $80,000, making it a valuable piece of rock history for collectors.
The correspondence captures a pivotal moment before the Rolling Stones became one of the most influential bands in rock music. More than six decades later, it offers fans a rare look at the ambition, personality and determination that helped shape the group’s legendary lineup.
Brian Jones Had a Blunt Pitch for Charlie Watts
Jones wrote the letter on June 3, 1962, when Watts was playing drums for Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated while also working a day job in advertising.
At the time, Jones was building a new rhythm and blues band with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and other musicians. He wanted Watts behind the drum kit and reached out to ask whether the drummer might consider leaving Blues Incorporated.
Jones acknowledged that his message might seem forward, opening with a polite apology before making his pitch. He then asked about Watts’ future with Korner’s group and explained that his own band needed a good drummer.
Jones confidently claimed that his band already sounded better than Korner’s outfit and described its sound as increasingly tight and cohesive.
‘Our Present Drummer Is Atrocious!’
The letter’s most memorable moment comes in its postscript, where Jones outlines the band’s lineup and plans to add a bass guitar.
He then delivers a wonderfully blunt verdict on the musician currently occupying the drum stool: “Our present drummer is atrocious!”
That line gives the historical document an unexpected sense of humor. Jones clearly wanted to recruit Watts badly enough to leave little doubt about why he thought the band needed a change.
However, the letter does not identify the drummer Jones criticized. The group worked with several drummers during its early months, so the musician’s identity remains uncertain.
Charlie Watts Took Seven More Months to Join the Band
Despite Jones’ recruitment attempt, Watts did not immediately accept the offer. He officially joined the Rolling Stones in January 1963, several months after receiving the letter.
Watts went on to become a defining part of the band’s identity. His restrained, precise drumming provided the rhythmic foundation for generations of Stones classics, helping distinguish the group from many of its rock contemporaries.
He remained with the band for nearly six decades, recording and performing with the Stones until his death in August 2021 at age 80.
Keith Richards later recalled in his autobiography, Life, just how determined the band members were to bring Watts on board. According to Richards, they even sacrificed food to afford the drummer, joking, “We starved ourselves to pay for him!”
Sotheby’s Will Auction the Historic Letter in December
The letter remained in the Watts family for more than 60 years before emerging for public attention. It comes with its original envelope, which confirms the date Jones sent it.
Sotheby’s will display the letter in New York from December 2 through December 8, 2026. Online bidding will open on December 2 ahead of the auction house’s Rock & Pop sale on December 15.
Craig Inciardi, Sotheby’s music and pop culture specialist, described the letter as a remarkable glimpse into the group’s early history, capturing its ambition just before the band began its rise to fame.
