The Rolling Stones song where Ron Wood plays drums

A few weeks ago the guitarist of Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood was the star of the BBC programme Desert Island Discs. In addition to having indicated his favorite songs, the 78-year-old British musician revealed to the host of the show Lauren Laverne that I started playing the drums.

This is her story: “My brother Ted played and kept his drums under the stairs. When my parents were at work and I was home sick or skipping school, I would take out the drums, play all afternoon, and then put them away before anyone came home. The neighbors would say, ‘Mrs. Wood, there’s been a terrible noise in the house all afternoon.’ She’d say, ‘Was that you, Ronnie?’ I was like, ‘No, I had nothing to do with it.'”

Ronnie is self-taught and, as he explained to Laverne, he can read music a little, but only to a certain point. “I thought: I don’t want to know every note I play. It takes away the improvisation and inventiveness.”

Wood even played drums on a song by Stones, “Sleep Tonight”included on the 1986 album “Dirty Work”. “He (Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts) tried it then said, ‘I can’t do it as good as you, Ronnie. You come back on the drums.’ So I played on that song. It’s pretty good drumming, even if I say that about myself.”

“Dirty Work”
it is considered the lowest point of the band’s career.
Mick Jagger
And
Keith Richards
they didn’t talk to each other or collaborate much. Even the usually reliable
Charlie Watts
had a heroin problem at the time. Ron Wood’s contribution to that album – and throughout that period – was fundamental in keeping the Stones’ concerts together in a moment of great difficulty.