Charlie Watts Finally Joins the Rolling Stones in January 1963

Charlie Watts was no easy catch. In late 1962, the Stones had gone through a few drummers and knew they needed someone with real jazz chops. Watts was already making a name for himself as the steady, clean-cut drummer for Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated.

The hang-up was his day job. Watts worked as a graphic designer for an ad agency and didn’t see the Stones as a reliable upgrade. He liked the steady paycheck and the respectability of Korner’s outfit. The Stones, still scraping by in sweaty clubs, didn’t exactly scream long-term security.

What finally flipped him? Money, but also persistence. The Stones offered him a guaranteed weekly wage of £25—more than he earned at his job. Keith Richards and Brian Jones kept badgering him. And there was a moment when Watts saw how serious they were about playing blues. He later said he joined because they promised to make it work. In January 1963, he quit his job, left Blues Incorporated, and walked into Stone history.