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About Ode To A High Flying Bird, Charlie Watts’ book, which he wrote and illustrated in 1961
Long before Charlie Watts became the quiet heartbeat of The Rolling Stones, he was a jazz devotee with a sketchbook and a dream. Ode To A High Flying Bird, written and illustrated in 1961, captures Watts at a crossroads—part graphic designer, part aspiring drummer, fully obsessed with jazz icon Charlie Parker. Framed as a simple story about a bird, the book is really a love letter to bebop, creativity, and artistic independence. This rarely discussed work reveals Watts not as a rock star in waiting, but as a young artist defining his voice—on paper, in rhythm, and in spirit.
The story of a little bird, but it’s really about jazz great Charlie Parker. In 1961, twenty-year-old Charles Robert Watts was working as a full-time graphic designer and a part-time drummer. He had left art school in July 1960, and after working as a tea boy in an advertising agency he got his chance to work as a designer. In mid-1961 he was also playing drums twice a week in a coffee bar, but by September he was playing with a band at the Troubadour Club in Chelsea.
It’s here he met Alexis Korner who asked him to join his band, but young Charlie had other ideas: he moved to Denmark to work. It was while he was at art school that he wrote and illustrated a book he called, Ode To A High Flying Bird (the “bird” being Charlie Parker, the jazz saxophonist who Charlie loved so much) When Charlie became a member of the Stones in January 1963 his jazz drumming took a back seat, but not his passion for the music, which he has loved and played ever since whenever his commitments with the Stones allowed. The book was issued again 30 years later as part of the From One Charlie box set.
Charlie Watts, known worldwide as the steady backbone of The Rolling Stones, was much more than a legendary drummer. Beyond his musical prowess, Watts was also an accomplished graphic designer and a jazz enthusiast with a deep admiration for Charlie Parker. In 1960, while still pursuing his graphic design career, Watts channeled his love for jazz into a children’s book titled Ode to a High Flying Bird. This personal tribute to the great saxophonist Parker began with a whimsical line: “Frustrated with what life had to offer him in his hometown, he packed his whistle, pecked his ma goodbye and flew from his nest in Kansas City bound for New York.”
From Banjo to Drums and The Rolling Stones
Watts’ journey to music started with the banjo, but after being dissatisfied with the instrument’s design, he fashioned his own makeshift snare drum by placing a banjo head on a stand. His parents eventually gave him a proper drum kit, which he eagerly used to practice along with his growing collection of jazz records. After enrolling at Harrow Art School and working as a graphic designer, Watts played drums in local coffee shops and joined a jazz band called the Jo Jones All Stars.
His transition to rhythm and blues came with a bit of confusion. “I thought it meant Charlie Parker, played slow,” he said, but it was through meeting Alexis Korner in 1961 that his career took a decisive turn. After joining Blues Incorporated and meeting Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Keith Richards, Watts officially became a member of The Rolling Stones in January 1963. As his fame grew, so did the recognition of his book. Ode to a High Flying Birdwas published by London’s Beat Publications for seven shillings, marking an artistic milestone in Watts’ creative journey.
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