Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts’ Signed Copy of ‘The Great Gatsby’ Is Heading to Auction
Charlie Watts provided beats for every one of the Rolling Stones’ albums going back to 1964. He was also a fan of jazz, even forming his own group apart from the iconic band that sold over 200 million records.
The legendary drummer who passed away in August 2021 is at the center of an upcoming Christie’s auction. “Charlie Watts: Gentleman, Collector, Rolling Stone—Literature and Jazz,” is a two-part sale that will include an unparalleled collection of books and jazz memorabilia amassed by the musician. A flagship auction will take place at Christie’s headquarters in London on September 28, while an online sale will go from September 15-29.
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Leading the auction is an autographed copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book’s front cover has an inscription from the author to MGM screenwriter Harold Goldman, “the original Gatsby.” The copy is expected to sell for £200,000-300,000 ($258,000-387,000).
The collection also includes other works with notable inscriptions, as well as rare editions of books by authors like George Orwell, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and James Joyce. It also features memorabilia around Watts’ favorite saxophonist Charlie Parker, including his Associated Musicians Membership Card, his contracts for the Alto Break sessions and a pair of Down Beat awards from 1952.
The Rolling Stones said in a statement Christie’s about their late bandmate: “Charlie was the heartbeat of the Rolling Stones for nearly sixty years, he was totally unique and devoted to jazz and literature from boyhood. He was the quintessential English gentleman and his absence is a great loss for us all. We miss him hugely.”
Dave Green, a childhood friend of Watts and a jazz musician, also said in a statement to Christie’s, “Charlie was my dearest old friend since early childhood and in our early teens we both developed a lifelong love of jazz. Charlie of course became a member of the greatest rock band in the world but his love of jazz never left him. His collection of jazz memorabilia which he started in his teens and built up during his years with the Stones is truly astonishing; it reflects his enduring love of the music and the musicians who made it.”
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