Bill Wyman Says Charlie Watts’ Passing ‘Would’ve Been a Good Time’ for the Rolling Stones to End

Bill Wyman, the longtime bassist of The Rolling Stones, has reflected on the passing of his former bandmate Charlie Watts, noting his 2021 passing would’ve been a perfect stopping point for the band.

Wyman, who succeeded Dick Taylor as the group’s bassist, performed as part of The Rolling Stones’ first stable lineup in 1962, remaining with the band for over 30 years until his departure in 1993. Watts would join the group officially as their drummer in 1963, a role he held until his death in 2021 at the age of 80.

In a new interview with Classic Rock, Wyman looked back at his time in the band and his eventual departure, noting that while Mick Jagger and Watts attempted to get him to stay in the band, his desires for other projects outweighed the prospects of the band. Wyman also added that while he viewed himself as a replaceable member, he felt that the group’s demise would have coincided with the death of Watts.

“When Charlie left, I thought they would close. I really did,” he explained. “They could replace the bass, but I didn’t think they could replace Charlie, and his charisma, and what a great guy he was, but they went on, which surprised me. I wouldn’t say it disappointed me, but it surprised me.

“I think it would’ve been a good time for them to… But I don’t think they’ve got anything else to do, otherwise they’d do it, wouldn’t they?” he asked.

“I’ve got six different things I’m doing all the time, and I’m so happy doing them, but I don’t think they… Well, Ronnie’s got art, as a second thing… And Mick’s tried to do movies and things but hasn’t really succeeded, and he’s done solo stuff which really didn’t work as well as it should’ve done either. And so they just… It’s just the Stones all the time.”

Prior to Watts’ 2021 passing, The Rolling Stones had last released a new album in 2016, with covers collection Blue & Lonesome following on from 2005’s A Bigger Bang. In 2023, the group returned with their first record of new material in almost two decades, Hackney Diamonds.

While Watts’ drumming was felt on two tracks – “Mess It Up” and “Live by the Sword” – Wyman also made an appearance on the record, performing bass on the latter. Despite having performed live with The Rolling Stones on a handful of occasions, it was his first time recording with the group since 1989.

Currently, Steve Jordan serves as the drummer of The Rolling Stones, having previously performed with Keith Richards‘ X-Pensive Winos when Watts had proved unavailable.