Few Rolling Stones fans know that Charlie Watts played on two boogie woogie albums before he started to release albums with his own jazz bands or orchestras. Main figure in this four-year saga is the English boogie woogie pianist par excellence, Bob Hall.

It all started when Bob Hall got fed up with the company he was working for in Swindon. Local County Arts Officer Terry Court then requested Bob to do a farewell concert. Bob agreed and recruited a band for the occasion. Sixth Rolling Stone and boogie woogie fanatic Ian ‘Stu’ Stewart joined and brought along one Charlie. The one-off concert on 12 June 1977 by a band that even had no name was a great success. Says Bob Hall: “I don’t think the band had a name by then, it was just my farewell concert.  I remember I played the first half of the concert either solo or with George/Stu on second piano, bass and drums, because we didn’t have enough brass arrangements for a whole evening. The concert was entirely recorded on Ronnie Lane’s mobile studio and some tracks appeared on the LP ‘Jammin’ with the Boogie’ credited to ‘The Bob Hall / George Green Boogie Woogie Band’, a name we coined for the album I think”.

Cover of Rocket 88's only LP on Atlantic cat. no. ATL 50776, 1981

Enter Alexis & Jack

This one-off event turned out to be a success and lead the band to book further concerts at the Swindon Arts Centre, the first of which took place on 1 February 1978. Now called “Bob Hall’s Swindon Skiffle Group”, the band continued with the same basic line-up featuring Charlie on drums and Stu on piano. Dave Green, a childhood friend of Charlie’s replaced Nick Dean on bass and Dick Morrissey replaced Al Gay on tenor sax.  This new line-up carried on till early 1981, changing the band’s name a few times along the way. Important line-up changes occurred when Alexis KORNER joined and Jack BRUCE would sometimes take over from Dave GREEN.  In 1979, This line-up also did a concert with Cousin Joe Pleasants as a guest artist and at least one with Jimmy Witherspoon. Bob remembers the band remained active in 1980 and 1981: “We also played The Venue in Victoria, London on more than one occasion. I have a review from January 1981 but Charlie was not in the band that night. The band with Charlie played the Bracknell Jazz Festival twice (1979 and 1980). On the second occasion, it was called The Bob Hall Boogie Woogie Big Band”.

Live in Germany

Smetime in 1980, Bob Hall’s outfit adopted the name that some Rolling Stones fans may know: Rocket 88, after the famous Pete Johnson composition. Bob remembers: “The band, as Rocket 88, played The 100 Club in Oxford Street in June 1980 where the line-up included Alexis Korner, Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts and Ian Stewart. Danny Adler (who, like Bob himself, was to join Bob Brunning’s De Luxe Blues Band later – ed.) was on second guitar and vocals. In January 1981, Rocket 88 played The Half Moon, Putney, but I’m not sure Charlie was there”. Shortly afterwards, the second incarnation of Rocket 88 would record a live album for Atlantic. Bob Hall: “Stu had this ambition to make a record for Atlantic. To make the band more attractive, Hal Singer was brought in on tenor sax and Jack Bruce on bass. Eric Clapton was willing to join, but Stu wouldn’t have any of it”. Although Bob Hall doesn’t think the Atlantic album does the band justice – the gigs were chaotic, several musicians appeared to be drunk on stage – Rocket 88 was a huge success in boogie woogie and jazz circles. Apart from the short Germany tour in 1981, they played several festivals on the Continent and were a big draw at London clubs like Dingwalls and The Venue. 

Aftermath

Regretfully, Bob Hal became ill and the band folded. Ian ‘Stu’ Stewart carried on for a while as Rocket 88 but without Bob, George, Charlie, Alexis and Jack. When Bob Hall had fully recovered, both Alexis and Stu were dead and trombone player John Picard was using the name for his own jazz band. Bob Hall became involved in Bob Brunning’s De Luxe Blues Band and later with The Blues Band.

For his first album under his own name, Charlie recruited many musicians that he’d played with in Bob’s band: David Green, Jack Bruce (on cello!), Colin Smith, John Picard and Don Weller are featured on 1986’s The Charlie Watts Orchestra: Live at Fulham Town Hall. Old mate David Green would equally appear on “To One Charlie” (1991), “A Tribute to Charlie Parker” (1992) and “Warm and Tender”  (1993).

[MORE INFO: LINE-UPS OF THE BAND]

Eddy BONTE [email protected]

THANKS: There would be no such article without Bob Hall’s help. Thank you so much Bob for all the information you so willingly provided whenever I wrote you  - and, of course, for starting this boogie trip in the first place. BOB

BOB HALL’s comprehensive DISCOGRAPHY is on www.getmusic.com/artists/amg/Artist/715/10715.html

BOB HALL’s PROFILE is on http://au.travel.yahoo.com/muze/performer/HallBob.html

From left to right: Ian 'Stu' Stewart, Tom McGuinness, David Green, Charlie Watts and Paul Jones (kneeling) Copyright and CourtesyTom McGuinness. See 'A Rare Watts' article in the same section.