The Rolling Stones’ "Honky Tonk Women" had one of the first drum beats I ever wanted to learn, especially the way it starts with just the cowbell. I had The Stones style in mind when composing “Honky-Tonk Boardroom”, and thought I'd pull this 2020 song back out to pay tribute to Charlie Watts.
Like Ringo Starr, Charlie was not a real technical or fancy drummer. But he never missed a beat and always played the right feel at the right time. He was awkwardly “smooth as jazz, but with a hard-driving edge.”
RIP Charlie Watts.