Ode to a Highflying Bird – Charlie Watts’ Jazz Book
Charlie Watts left behind not just a catalogue of great music and performances but a book. The trained graphic designer and musician best known as the drummer with The Rolling Stones loved jazz. In 1960, he wrote and illustrated a children’s book, a tribute to Charlie Parker called Ode to a Highflying Bird – “Frustrated with what life had to offer him in his hometown, he packed his whistle, pecked his ma goodbye and flew from his nest in Kansas City bound for New York.” As Watts recalled, “This guy who published ‘Rolling Stones Monthly’ saw my book and said ‘Ah, there’s a few bob in this!’” The book was published by London’s Beat Publications on January 17, 1965, and cost 7 shillings.
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Posted: 26th, August 2021 | In: Books, Celebrities, Music Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
