Charlie Watts

In the mid-1980's, an intoxicated Mick Jagger phoned Charlie Watt's hotel room in the middle of the night asking where "his drummer" was. Watts, the quiet, reserved and mega-talented fellow member of The Rolling Stones, reportedly got up, shaved, dressed in a suit, descended the stairs and punched Jagger directly in the face, saying, "Don't ever call me 'your drummer' again. You are my f___ing singer!"

Charlie Watts is far more than a drummer for a legendary rock band. He's also a talented graphic artist (starting his career in advertising, thank you), an award-winning composer, and a collaborator on several highly successful jazz/big band records. One of which, Long Ago & Far Away (1996), captivated me. Here are a few samples.

But what perhaps impresses me the most about Charlie Watts is that through all the tours with The Rolling Stones, all the all-nighters, and all the partying, he is legendary for remaining faithful to his wife, Shirley, whom he met and married in 1964. Together, they have one daughter, Seraphenia, as well as a baby granddaughter.

I have never met Charlie Watts nor toured with a rock band, but I would imagine that he and I would both agree that some of our best produced works are our children. This painting is one of my first ... and very favorite.