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Star Sightings: Naomi Watts Looks Chic in New York City, Jonathan Bailey Enjoys Dinner at Mastro's in L.A.
Hollywood

Star Sightings: Naomi Watts Looks Chic in New York City, Jonathan Bailey Enjoys Dinner at Mastro’s in L.A.

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Here’s a look at what celebrities have been up to as of late!

Naomi Watts stepped out in New York City in the SIMKHAI Autumn leather coat, Kobie wide-leg leather pants, River suede shoulder bag and Ryder Leather Zip Boots. The actress also attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards presented by Amazon Fashion held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in the SIMKHAI Beatrice Sequin Gown, Norah Satin Blazer, and Reya Clutch. 

Jonathan Bailey enjoyed dinner at Mastro’s in Beverly Hills, California.

Taylor Swift enjoyed dinner at Polo Bar in New York City in the Audry Rose Pave Diamond Lock and Three Diamond Lariat necklaces.

Constance Wu attended the Wicked: For Good premiere in New York City in the Cult Gaia Ciana Gown.

Emily Ratajkowski walked in New York City while carrying DeMellier’s The New York Bag in classic black.

Kylie Jenner celebrated mom Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday in Beverly Hills, California in a dress by Elisabeth Franchi with Stringys underneath.

Barbie Ferreira posed on Instagram in the 8 Other Reasons Addison Resin Hoop earrings.

Hannah Berner appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in New York City in a pair of HUE Super Opaque Control Top Tight in burgundy.

Kate Winslet attended the 16th Annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles, California in the SIMKHAI Norah Satin Blazer paired with the brand’s coordinating Kyra Pants.

Ethan Hawke was on the cover of Modern Luxury Hamptons, where Leo and Luca’s Midnight Star pendant was featured in the magazine’s Almost Famous edit.

Lana Condor attended the grand opening of Netflix House Philadelphia in Prussia, Philadelphia in Nadine Merabi’s Remy Check Jacket, Maya Check Top, and Eve Check Micro Short paired with the Betsey Johnson Nash Black Heels.

Jennifer Coolidge shopped in London, England in the RIXO Milly Leopard Coat.

Rixo/Instagram

Sydney Sweeney arrived for a taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York City in the PATOU Longline single-breasted jacket in sustainable technical wool, Wide collar blouse in organic silk, and Belted midi skirt in sustainable technical wool. The actress was also out in Santa Barbara, California wearing the Brilliant Earth Certified Lab Grown Diamond Stud Earrings.

Naomi Campbell stepped out in Paris, France with the suede ALO Tranquility Tote in Bordeaux.

Rain Spencer was out and about in New York City with the ALO Daily Voyage in Espresso.

Halsey performed in Boston, Massachusetts in the Sybel Snap Detail Bootie in white by AKIRA.

Bella Hadid celebrated the launch of Orebella at Ulta in United Arab Emirates in the wore the Imperia Earrings and Imperia Ring by La Marquise.

Adria Arjona relaxed on a yacht in Amalfi, Italy with the black ALO Daily Voyage.

Oprah Winfrey selected FLAUS as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025. The talk show host has also shared her love for Ana Luisa’s 14K Gold Plated Amber Ring, 14K Gold Plated Elise Pendant, and 14K Gold Plated Frida Pearl Earrings.

Selena Gomez snapped a photo for Instagram in the Ronny Kobo Zarina Bodysuit.

Roselyn Sánchez attended the 26th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in TACORI fine jewelry.

Bethenny Frankel celebrated her 55th birthday with Macy Broyles at a Scarface themed party at ZZ’s Club in Miami, Florida.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley posed on Instagram in the Kemo Sabe Grit Black Lizzy Boots with the Sahara Rabbit Leadville Hat.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley/Instagram

Pete Davidson enjoyed a stroll in New York City in Steve Madden Yosemite shoes.

Venus Williams attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a Ronny Kobo Cosma Dress.

Kat Graham married Bryant Wood in Mountain Center, California in the Betsey Johnson Nikki Ivory heels.

Rebecca Minkoff attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in her line’s Cropped Jett Moto Jacket and Megan Small Shoulder Bag.

Barbara Palvin attended the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a custom Cult Gaia dress.

Jasmine Tookes attended the Cult Gaia Resort ’26 dinner in Los Angeles, California in a Cult Gaia look.

Lili Reinhart was out and about in West Hollywood, California in a sleek leather jacket from Simkhai’s Spring/Summer ’26 collection. The actress’ Personal Day brand launched the Trust Me On This Hypochlorous Acid Spray in a mini size to calm, heal, and protect skin on the go.

Witney Carson attended the premiere of Zootopia 2 in Los Angeles, California in the Alanna Halter Cowl Neck Dress’ in Black by ASTR The Label.

Renate Reinsve attended premiere for Sentimental Value in Los Angeles, California after celebrity makeup artist Emily Cheng prepped the actress’s skin with Allies of Skin products.

Morgan Stewart attended the 2025 CFDA Awards at The American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a custom Cult Gaia dress.

Selma Blair celebrated Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday in Beverly Hills, California in the Tianna Gold Jumpsuit by Nadine Merabi.

Selma Blair/Instagram

Gia Giudice and the Next Gen NYC cast won the Rookie of the Year Award at BravoCon in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Grace Ann Nader attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in the Rebecca Minkoff Jett Moto Skirt, the Cropped Jett Moto Jacket, and Small Ruched Clutch.

Paloma Elsesser attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a SIMKHAI look.

Moira Tumas celebrated the grand opening of Luli Fama at Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida.

Keith Powers attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in a SIMKHAI look.

Aesha Scott attended BravoCon 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada in the All Eyes On Me Mirrored Mini Dress by AKIRA.

Vince’s Chief Creative Officer, Caroline Belhumeur, hosted an immersive exploration behind the brand’s atelier and a first look at the Pre-Spring 2026 collection at The Future Perfect in Los Angeles, California to celebrate craftsmanship, creativity, and the understated luxury at the heart of Vince.

Brittny Button teamed up with Lulu & Georgia for a furniture collection.

Cassidy Montalvo attended an advance screening of Wicked: For Good in New York City.  

Gabriella Gomez attended the Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts debut at Bar Marmont in Los Angeles, California.

Hailey Bieber was out and about in London, England in the Wealthy Sunglasses by Giant Vintage.

Hailey Bieber/Instagram

Susan Holmes McKagan attended the Guns N’ Roses show at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, Mexico to support her husband, Duff McKagan, on the What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things world tour.

Vuori Founder and CEO Joe Kudla hosted A Day in the Life of Vuori immersion trip to celebrate Vuori’s 10-year anniversary, where guests enjoyed spa treatments at the Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas in Encinitas, California, cold plunge and sauna recovery therapies, workouts with celebrity trainers Kirsty Godso and Harley Pasternak, a hands-on product workshop with the Vuori design team, an intimate dinner, and more.

Abby Baffoe launched her Solibeech pajama collaboration with pieces that blend her love of fashion, beauty, and self-care.

Griffin Johnson was named Owner of the Year and honored with the Big Sport Turfdom Award for his rising influence in thoroughbred horse racing.

Kristin Juszczyk and Emma Grede launched Off Season’s NFL Faux Leather Puffers in partnership with Fanatics and the NFL with Faux Leather Puffer Jackets featuring 11 teams and Cropped Puffer Vests with 8 teams.

Hannah Chody attended the 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in the SIMKHAI Carmela Embellished Lace Midi Dress.

Katie Austin hosted the CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee in a vintage Roberto Cavalli look.

Maddison Rotner taught a mat Pilates class at the Cowboy Colostrum and Year of Ours Pilates and Matcha Social at Hume in Venice, California, where guests enjoyed an afternoon of movement, community, and wellness.

Aiyana-Lee attended the 16th Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, California in the Taffeta A-line Gown with Corset Bodice in crimson by OKSANA MUKHA.

Roseanne Karmes hosted the Sydney Evan Fall/Holiday Collection Preview at Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California, where guests enjoyed personal styling sessions, customization, and viewed the brand’s Wicked 2 collection.

Jac Vanek launched a collaboration with Sequin Jewelry inspired by a quote from Winnie the Pooh.

Jac Vanek

Maya Henry attended Broadwick Soho’s 2nd birthday party in New York City in the Cropped Tailored Balloon Sleeve Jacket and Pleated Wrap Mini Skirt in black houndstooth by ASTR The Label.

Hannah Meloche, Olivia Ponton, and Sedge Beswick spoke to undergraduate business students at Harvard University’s BOLD Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Nick Mayhugh hit a new personal record in the long jump at the World Para Championships in New Delhi, India and is preparing for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California. 

Composer Anne-Marie Keane prepared to set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in her 60-foot Sailboat Alpenglow.

Kim Gravel attended the Forbes 50 Over 50 Luncheon in New York City.

Ekin-Su attended the Google Pixel UK Residency Trip in London, England.

Spill Sesh attended a TikTok event in Los Angeles, California to celebrate Wicked: For Good.

Dr. Gun-Young Ahn, founder of Dr.G, launched his clinically proven skincare line made to strengthen, soothe, and protect, on Amazon, including the Brightening Peeling Gel, R.E.D. Blemish Clear Soothing Cream, Green Mild Up Sun SPF 50+ and more. 

Betsey Johnson teamed up with Dolls Kill to launch a 13-piece holiday collaboration with velvet-and-lace slip dresses, corseted ballerina jackets, baby-doll hems, rosette detailing, all with a signature punk-romantic attitude.

Carolyn Dailey and Yinka Ilori celebrated the Los Angeles, California launch of The Creative Entrepreneur with food by Chloe Walsh and sounds by Jean-Luc Edenwood. 

Lulus hosted an exclusive screening of Wicked: For Good at The Grove in Los Angeles, California to celebrate the movie premiere, where guests enjoyed movie theater treats and a celebration of sisterhood in pink and green looks from the fashion company.

Megan Foutch of Fait Par Foutch hosted a pop-up in West Hollywood, California, where attendees shopped new and old collections for 2-days only, enjoyed free Alfred matcha for the first in line, and exclusive goodies.

Fait Par Foutch/Instagram

Angelica Hicks teamed up with Larroudé to launch a holiday collaboration filled with black satin pointed-toe pumps with an oversized red gift bow and golden festive tassels.

Dr. Gundry’s Gundry MD is hosting a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale from Nov. 21 through Nov. 30, where customers who spend $100, get free blender bottle, those who spend $250 get a Plant Paradox book, and those who purchase items for $350, get a free Energy Renew.

Formula Fig partnered with Messy for a limited-edition treatment experience featuring a LED + Lymphatic Facial with a luxe Messy scalp massage add-on with the brand’s signature Hair Oil Serum and Revitalizing Spray for the ultimate glow-up from skin to scalp.

Agentry PR hosted the bi-annual LA SS26 Press Days in Los Angeles, California, where guests viewed collections from 4CCCCEES, Abercrombie & Fitch, AKNVAS, Andre Assous, A.Potts Esthera, Florsheim, Hollister, JanSport, Layer Zero, Maison de Sabre, Shwetambari, Silhouette, and UNTUCKit.

Destree hosted a one-day trunk show at The West Hollywood EDITION in West Hollywood, California, where attendees enjoyed champagne, hors d’oeuvres, personal styling, and more.

Boka launched the limited-edition vanilla cardamom toothpaste with nano-hydroxyapatite (n-Ha) for the brand’s 10-year-anniversary as well as the Erewhon x Boka Mint Condition Smile Smoothie inspired by the Boka Ela Mint n-Ha toothpastes and its natural ingredients like mint and green tea.

Bleusalt launched The Puffer with a sculptural silhouette, zip-to-chin detailing, and clean lines crafted in a sustainable TENCEL™ Modal in black and stone for $450. 

Lack of Color launched the Snowfall Collection with babushkas, trappers, beanie headbands, and snuggle buckets in plush, cozy styles all under $200 designed for a chic ski adventure.

Tristan Eaton partnered with Kiehl’s for an immersive installation in Santa Monica, California. The brand also surprised 50 patrons of Elephanté in Santa Monica, California with a complimentary meal and Hydration 2 the Max Gift Set and offered consumers at La La Land Kind Café a complimentary Hydration 2 the Max Gift Set with every purchase of an exclusive holiday menu item from Nov. 8 through Nov. 10.

8 Other Reasons unveiled the Wicked: For Good x 8 Other Reasons Collection, a 40-piece limited-edition jewelry and accessories line with ear stacks, chokers, statement earrings, charm hoops, and the brand’s first-ever line of hair accessories with prices ranging from $29 to $149.

Escentric Molecules celebrated its 20th anniversary by introducing the new 200ml editions of Molecule 01 and Escentric 01.

Benson Boone and Anderson. Paak, a.k.a. DJ Pee .Wee are set to headline the first nighttime concert at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida, which will be livestreamed globally on TikTok, on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. EST as part of Visa Live.

Visa

Shake Shack launched the Peppermint Bark Chocolate Shake with a chocolate frozen custard, mint chocolate fudge in a crackable white chocolate peppermint bark shell, whipped cream, and peppermint candy bits, the Christmas Cookie Shake with sugar cookie frozen custard, whipped cream and holiday sprinkles, and the Sticky Toffee Pudding Shake with sticky toffee pudding cake, vanilla frozen custard, caramelized brown sugar, whipped cream, and sticky toffee pudding sauce in partnership with Chef Ravneet Gill.

Nécessaire launched the Olibanum Eau de Parfum, the brand’s signature warm, resinous scent, in fragrance form with notes of olibanum and vanille, fig leaf, and cassis buds.

Roots teamed up with Wicked: For Good for the second drop of the brand’s collaboration with the film filled with apparel, accessories, and premium leather goods.

Azazie launched the Women’s Suit Collection filled with tailored suits that blend timeless sophistication with a contemporary edge and prices ranging from $134 to $168. 

Westlake Dermatology opened their new office in Lockhart, Texas.

Black Tap Craft Burger & Beer in New York City, Dallas, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada teamed up with Wicked: For Good for the limited time Something Bad CrazyShake®, a chocolate peppermint milkshake with mint green frosting, crushed Oreos®, chocolate cake, a pretzel broomstick, whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle, and a playful witch hat, available from Nov. 20 through Nov. 30.

MemeHouse Productions kicked off their first-ever two-day college tour at University of Southern California and at University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California.

TEDxUnityPark hosted their second annual event in Greenville, South Carolina.

Celebrity-loved brand I.AM.GIA is hosting a BFCM sale with 30% off sitewide from Nov. 10 through Nov. 16, 40% sitewide from Nov. 17 through Nov. 27, and 30%-80% select styles from Dec. 1 through Dec. 2. 

Beekeeper’s Naturals teamed up with Fontana Candle Co., to launch the Honey Ember Candle with beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oils for a clean burn that fills the room with soft notes of honey, amber, and spice. Beekeeper’s Naturals is also hosting a 30% off sale from Nov. 19 to Nov. 25 and a free gift with purchase of the brand’s holiday kits.

Witchery is hosting a 30% off everything a sale for BFCM.

Taco Bell debuted the limited-edition Mountain Dew Baja Blast ™ Pie featuring the iconic tropical Baja Blast flavor reimagined as a creamy key lime-style pie for Friendsgiving. The food chain also launched the Fan Style Menu, where fan created items including Brock’s California Crunchwrap, Sandra’s Cantina Craze, and Kajol’s Burrito Bliss to Taco Bell will be available for a limited time. 

Taco Bell

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Steve Albini on What Made The Rolling Stones Dummer Charlie Watts So Special
Music

Steve Albini on What Made The Rolling Stones Dummer Charlie Watts So Special

by jummy84
written by jummy84

My book Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in 15 Drummers tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar vantage. Moving from Chicago blues to Phil Spector’s early-1960s confections to the British Invasion, the birth of punk, metal, grunge, and hip-hop, the book tracks the seven-decade story of rock and roll as if drummers were the main characters. 

And why not? Though they aren’t typically as famous as guitarists and singers, drummers have been just as crucial to the creation of this music, possibly even more so. Rock and roll was a rhythmic revolution above all, and who could imagine what it would look like without the Bo Diddley beat (created by drummer Clifton James), the “Be My Baby” intro (played by Hal Blaine), or the thunderous power of John Bonham? 

Charlie Watts embodies this book’s thesis. It’s impossible to imagine the Rolling Stones without him, and he was just as crucial to their sound as Keith Richards’ guitar or Mick Jagger’s singing. In this excerpt I discuss why his blues- and jazz-influenced style was so unique and important to their group’s development.

It’s hard to overstate how difficult it was for young British people to obtain records from American jazz- and bluesmen in the 1950s and ’60s. Figures like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bukka White, and even Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf were still obscure in the US at the time. It wasn’t until 1958 that Waters and a few other performers came to Britain for a tour, and if you missed those concerts then you had to make do with what you could find in the few specialist record shops, where obsessives like Brian Jones and Keith Richards were your competition for the limited supply. Lonnie Donegan, a crucial figure in the development of UK rock and roll, got his early jazz and blues records by stealing them from the American embassy in London. But the scarcity drove these young men together.

“That scene became the only chance you had to play that music,” Charlie Watts said. “It was a chance to talk about those records.” When Keith Richards and Mick Jagger arrived in London’s burgeoning local blues venues, they found Watts already playing drums a few nights a week with another band while attending art school.

The trio of Jagger, Richards, and Watts played their first gig together in 1962, before Beatlemania. From the start, their tastes ran rougher than the pop-minded Liverpudlians: they made their reputation on Wolf and Muddy covers, and the Stones would never have been caught playing tunes from The Music Man, for instance. But in their early years, Jagger and Richards were relatively focused on traditional British songcraft, especially in their ballads. Original songs like “Ruby Tuesday” and “I Am Waiting,” even “Paint It, Black,” revealed eclectic, exotic tastes and studio approaches.

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The latter became instantly iconic for its sitar melody, but it is also a major drum feature, especially for the time. Watts’s pounding toms set the tone for the thrumming verses, then he leaps into the chorus with a heavy backbeat and massive fills. And as much as Watts is known for demureness, both musically and otherwise, it’s worth noting that his wild playing is all over the band’s mid-1960s singles and hits, from “19th Nervous Breakdown,” which perfects the Who’s jacked-up R & B feel, to the swinging triplet blues “Heart of Stone,” and the power-pop buried gem “Gotta Get Away.” Then there’s “Get Off of My Cloud,” which opens with Watts’s bouncing beat, built on a snare fill. All these songs rely on a strong backbeat more than harmonies or guitar solos, for example. The drums are intrinsic to the arrangement, even in this more traditionally melodic era.

In the defining early Stones anthem “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Watts’s drum break—performed only on the snare and hi-hat—is a hook to equal Richards’s three-note guitar melody. The song swings on Watts’s snare drum throughout, as he keeps a steady quarter-note pulse. Instead of a traditional backbeat on the two and four, Watts played every note on “Satisfaction,” one-two-three-four. The Rolling Stones were defined by the sound of Charlie Watts’s snare from their first public breakthrough.

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That snare sound is as instantly identifiable as Miles Davis’s muted horn or Eddie Van Halen’s pyrotechnic neck tapping. No one else has a backbeat like Charlie Watts, and it’s the first thing any drummer will say about him. So how did he achieve it? Like any iconic musical voice, he had his physical peculiarities. He played with a “traditional” stick grip, meaning his left stick, which hit the snare, went through his fingers at an angle like a bottom chopstick. Drumming with a traditional grip takes the power away from your elbow or shoulder—they won’t be any help. It has to come from the wrist, in a whip motion, like a viper attack. Charlie Watts held his trunk and head so still, and never played loudly or overexerted himself, but his snare sounds like he was whacking the dust off it, like he’d put in a dollar and never got his cigarettes.

Watts also played a lot of rim shots, where the stick hits the head and the metal hoop around the drum simultaneously. It further sharpens the sound into a crack rather than a thud, and forces additional reverberations from the drum’s shell. Watts’s snare sound was really a mix of sounds—a thwacking snap on the head, the vibration of the air in the drum itself, the click of wood on the rim. Recorded in faux-blues verité style, his backbeats were alive. And like fingerprints, no two were precisely the same.

It shouldn’t surprise any blues fan, but Watts achieved this sound on banged-up vintage equipment, even as the trend for giant, customized sets grew through the 1970s and ’80s—even when he was competing for stage space with Mick Jagger riding on a giant inflatable penis. Gina Schock is the drummer for the Go-Go’s, who opened for the Stones on the Tattoo You tour in 1981. “The drum tech said the rug underneath it was worth more than the kit,” she told me. (She added, in a south Baltimore drawl that she has heroically preserved despite a half century on the West Coast, “Charlie was a perfect gentleman.”)

Moreover, he played his ancient drums quietly. No matter how big the Stones’ crowds got, no matter how enormous the stage show, you’d never see his elbows raise. He played everything at a reasonable, even modest volume, and let microphones capture the nuances of his sound—another jazz technique. If your art depends on developing a unique voice, you don’t seek it by screaming all the time.

I spoke with Steve Albini, the fiercely, iconically independent musician and recording engineer, in February 2024. Known for his unadorned, documentary techniques and specifically for his full-bodied drum sounds, Albini recorded all-time records for the Pixies, Nirvana, Slint, PJ Harvey, Low, and literally hundreds of other bands over three decades, in a schedule that ranged from experimental groups in his actual neighborhood to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. His artistic philosophy was closer to that of Alan Lomax (or his fellow adopted Chicagoan Leonard Chess) than what we typically think of as a “record producer.” “I like it when a recording is convincingly naturalistic,” he told me. “That’s the most successful basic recording scenario, when it’s a convincing representation of what was happening in the room. The band should be allowed to do whatever the fuck they want to do. I’m here to help.”

I called him to ask about drummers, and he brought up Watts unprompted. “The thing that’s amazing about Charlie Watts is the little rhythmic peculiarities in his playing. It’s almost like his playing is for him alone. He marches right through the song. His natural gait has a loping to it, it’s not boom-boom-boom. There’s a pulse, separate from the tempo, and I love how committed to it he is.”

In the 1970s, Watts started to omit his hi-hat when he played backbeats, which put even more emphasis on the snare. You can hear just how clear it is on “Sway,” “Happy,” “Beast of Burden,” and other masterpieces from this era. “His hi-hat peccadillo, the lift,” Albini described it, “it’s like a hardcore drummer. And it creates a stutter in the rhythm.” He compared Watts to two other masters of rhythmic simplicity, AC/DC’s Phil Rudd and Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick, both of whom had such uncluttered styles that their personalities, like Watts’s, shone through in the spaces between their notes. They defined their bands by their unrelenting swing and backbeat. They made themselves elemental to their bands’ personalities.

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Those two hard rockers came well after the Stones, however. Tremendous as they both are (and my goodness, I love Cheap Trick at Budokan, a drastically underrated drum album), Watts never hit hard. He emphasized his backbeat by keeping his playing loose; everything in his entire bodily approach to drums was designed to highlight the snare. His fellow drummers, always his sharpest observers, said as much. “Charlie played even less than me,” Ringo once joked. Stewart Copeland of the Police noted that Watts’s jazz influence meant he “derived power from relaxation. Most rock drummers are trying to kill something; they’re chopping wood. Jazz drummers instead tend to be very loose to get that jazz feel, and he had that quality.”

This essay is adapted from John Lingan’s new book, “Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in Fifteen Drummers,” which will be published by Scribner on Nov. 11.

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