What a great biography of Charlie Watts. I have never really considered myself a Stones fan but always been intrigued by Charlie Watts and how he does not really fit the Rock 'n' Roll mode. Secton really helped me to get to know Watts and appreciate him even more (and even maybe become more of a Stone fan).

Charlie's Good Tonight by Paul Senton is an authorized biography being released on October 11, 2022. Harper Collins publishing provided an early galley in exchange for a review

It seems music-nerds are often either fans of the Rolling Stones or The Beatles; I tended to towards the latter. The Stones, however, was one of older brother's favorite bands (up there with the Who and the Clash). So, I was very familiar with their discography long before I started to develop my own music listening patterns. And I very much do enjoy many of their albums from the 60's through the early 80's.

Naturally, this biography was an instant interest for me. Right off the bat, I liked seeing the forewards by Mick and Keith. Hearing what Charlie's good friends and long-time bandmates had to say about him, in their own words, was the right way to kick this one off. I also like that in the introduction the author outlines how this book is a tribute to the steady, professional drummer who was there to do his job and not be the source of scandal. The rest of the book is broken up into nine chapters plus four interludes labeled as "backbeats", all together telling the life story of this musician's musician.

I learned a lot from this book - from Charlie's style to his preferred music genres to his approach to family. Paul Senton delivers it all in a friendly and moving manner. I would certainly recommend this one to my music nerd friends.