Bill Wyman was “surprised” The Rolling Stones continued following death of Charlie Watts
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has expressed his surprise at the rock legends continuing following the death of Charlie Watts in 2021.
Watts was a crucial part of The Rolling Stones’ sound, and since his passing, the only original members still with the group are Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The drummer was aged 80 and had been battling cancer before his death.
Despite his immense contribution to the band, The Rolling Stones chose to continue with new drummer Steve Jordan, who played on the majority of their last record, Hackney Diamonds. Jordan had also deputised for Watts on tour dates before his death which he was forced to pull out of due to health reasons.
In 2021, Richards spoke to CBS, and revealed The Rolling Stones did consider cancelling their scheduled tour dates “for a brief moment” following Watts’ passing, but ultimately decided against the idea. Instead, the run of shows was a celebration of the drummer’s life.
“I think Charlie wanted us to go on the road. He wanted the tour to happen. That was my feeling from the last time I spoke to him,” Richards explained.
Now, former bassist Wyman, who left The Rolling Stones in 1991, has claimed that he believed Watts was irreplacable, telling Classic Rock, “When Charlie left, I thought they would close. I really did. They could replace the bass, but I didn’t think they could replace Charlie, and his charisma, and what a great guy he was.”
For Wyman, he believes the death of Watts would have been perfect timing for The Stones to draw a line under their career, adding, “But they went on, which surprised me. I wouldn’t say it disappointed me, but it surprised me. I think it would’ve been a good time for them to (end). But I don’t think they’ve got anything else to do – otherwise they’d do it, wouldn’t they?”
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Wyman then expressed his reasoning as to why The Rolling Stones chose to continue, claiming that the members don’t have many interests outside of the band, which has allowed them to focus solely on keeping the group alive.
The bassist stated: “I’ve got six different things I’m doing all the time, and I’m so happy doing them, but I don’t think they… Well, Ronnie (Wood)’s got art as a second thing. And Mick (Jagger)’s tried to do movies and things but hasn’t really succeeded; and he’s done solo stuff which really didn’t work as well as it should’ve done either. And so they just… It’s just the Stones all the time.”
The Rolling Stones toured North America once again this summer, following the success of their chart-topping album, Hackney Diamonds, in 2023. They also made it clear that the last LP wasn’t their swansong, and they plan to continue recording new material for as long as possible.
Richards told Sirius XM, “There’ll always be another one until we drop. We can put our feet up for a little bit, but you know.” The guitarist then added, “You’re into this thing all the way. This is what we do. We’ve gotta see this Rolling Stones through.”
Jagger and Richards have devoted their entire adult lives to The Rolling Stones, therefore, they see no good reason to stop while they are still healthy enough to keep the flag flying high. Although The Rolling Stones currently have no dates in their calendar, it’s likely they’ll return to the road in 2025.
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