One Of Rock’s Greatest Drummers Will Miss Upcoming Tour

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a huge Rolling Stones fan. Just absolutely love 'em! And I happen to think that Stones' drummer Charlie Watts is one of the greatest drummers in rock and roll. He's nowhere near as powerful and bombastic as The Who's Keith Moon or Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, but Charlie's timing is rock-solid.

Charlie Watts has unbelievable dexterity and his playing just swings. He makes it look effortless and most importantly, his playing sounds like no one else. This is the guy who drummed on "(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction", "Honky Tonk Women", "Tumbling Dice", "Sway", "Gimme Shelter", "Monkey Man", "Paint It, Black", and "Brown Sugar". Just to name some of the greats.

Unfortunately, it looks like Watts will miss the band’s upcoming rescheduled No Filter U.S. tour after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure, the Rolling Stones announced on Wednesday.

CNN reports the news comes after Watts turned 80 in June and had undergone a medical procedure for an unknown condition. A representative for the band says the drummer needs to rest and recover.

In a media statement released on Twitter, a spokesperson for Watts said:

Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but I gather his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation. With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.

In a statement, Watts said he did not want to further delay the tour which is planning several stops in the U.S. including Dallas, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Furthermore, Charlie(who has a rather dry sense of humor) also said, "For once my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while."

We here at WUPE wish Charlie a quick and speedy recovery. In the meantime, drummer Steve Jordan, who was the original drummer on "Late Night With David Letterman" and who has played on several Keith Richard solo albums, will fill in.

For more on the story, check out CNN's website.