Handwritten Letter Brian Jones Penned Asking Charlie Watts To Join The Rolling Stones Is Going up for Auction

A piece of music history is going up for auction.

A handwritten letter from June 3, 1962, in which Brian Jones asked Charlie Watts to ditch Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and join the then-unnamed Rolling Stones, is set to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s New York this December.

In a statement to The Independent, Craig Inciardi, Sotheby’s music and pop culture specialist, explained the significance of the letter.

“What’s so fascinating about this letter is that it shows just how highly regarded Charlie Watts already was at this incredibly early stage,” Inciardi said. “The Rolling Stones band name didn’t yet exist, but Brian Jones clearly understood how important the right drummer would be to the sound they were trying to create.”

“There’s something wonderful about seeing that history unfold in real time,” he added, “especially knowing that Charlie’s distinctive drumming style would go on to define the band’s sound.”

It took a while for Watts to come around to the request. He ended up joining the Stones, which also included Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, in January 1963. He continued playing with the band until his death in 2021.

The letter, which has, up until now, been owned by Watts’ sister, is expected to fetch between $70,000 and $80,000 at auction.

Read Brian Jones’ Full Letter to Charlie Watts

Dear Charlie,

If you consider this letter impertinent, please excuse me. I don’t know at the moment what your relationship with Korner’s band is. I noticed Nick Nicholls was drumming last night at Ealing. If you are not going to work with Alex in the future, and still want to play R&B, we are looking for a good drummer.

Already we consider our band far better than Alex’s—we are getting a very tightly-knit sound. We are rehearsing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Anyway, if you have time, let me know what’s happening.

Cheers,

Brian Jones

P.S. If you are interested, our present lineup is 2 guitars, harp, piano, and drums. We are going to use a bass guitar eventually. Our present drummer is atrocious!

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images