An official biography of late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, authorized by his family and endorsed by the band, is to be published by HarperCollins in the UK on September 15 and the US on October 11. Charlie’s Good Tonight is written by London-based writer, broadcaster, and uDiscover Music contributor Paul Sexton, and will appear on the publisher’s Mudlark imprint.
The book will contain forewords by both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and a prelude by original Rolling Stones manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham. It features new interviews with Jagger, Richards, and bandmate Ronnie Wood, as well as with Watts’ daughter Seraphina, granddaughter Charlotte, and sister Linda, the latter speaking about him in public for the first time.
Other contributors include former bassist Bill Wyman, engineer Glyn Johns, producer Chris Kimsey, friends such as Tony King, Dave Green, and Jools Holland, and many others. The volume will also contain countless unseen photographs, shared by Watts’ friends and family, and will arrive just after the first anniversary of the death of the much-loved drummer in August 2021, at the age of 80.
Publicity for the book notes that it will tell “the unusual and often hilarious story of how an obsessive jazz fan came to be the backbone of the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world – and of how a very private person became a reluctant hero to millions.”
Sexton interviewed the drummer on many occasions, as he has all of the Stones. “One of Charlie’s good friends said to me that he was a very easy man to love,” he says. “Having had the pleasure of his company on so many occasions over the course of more than a quarter of a century, that’s a sentiment I echo wholeheartedly.
“To be able, with the help and encouragement of those who knew him best, to draw on my time with this unique man and his fellow Rolling Stones to write his authorised biography, is a thrill and an honor. In particular, I can’t say thank you enough to Charlie’s family, whom he loved so much, for their warm support and endorsement.”
The Rolling Stones comment in a statement: “Our dear friend Charlie Watts was not just a fantastic drummer but a wonderful person. He was funny and generous and a man of great taste and we miss him terribly. It’s great that his family have authorized this official biography by Paul Sexton, who’s been writing and broadcasting about Charlie and the band for many years.”
Charlie’s daughter Seraphina adds: “My father was an intensely humble and private person off the stage, who relished and protected his private time at home with us. We were so very touched by the outpouring of love and support from all his fans when he died. We’re very happy and grateful that Paul, who interviewed my father many times over many years, and whom my father liked and respected, is the one writing this very special book about this very special man.”
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