The Cowbell That Split 'Honky Tonk Women' in Two

The most famous cowbell in rock history wasn’t played by the drummer. Producer Jimmy Miller grabbed a stick and whacked a cowbell on a chair while Charlie Watts laid down the beat. Watts apparently hated the sound—thought it cheapened the recording—but the band kept it. That offhand clang became the song’s signature, a percussive hook that announces the track before the guitar even enters.

But the cowbell version is