Chatterbox, when the stars talk, they talk to
Nick and Sue. Welcome back to the Chatterbox
Redux Podcast and in this edition our special
guest is Ben Walters This is Nick and Sue with
Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about
musical entertainment. Oh, yeah! Chatterbox!
now on Chatterbox we're just lucky enough to
welcome Ben Walters. Ben welcome to Chatterbox,
how are you? Yeah very good thanks Nick, it's
great to meet you. And you, and you. Right, interesting,
I like the press release a lot. Boogie for Stu,
tribute to Ian Stewart. Deluxe edition, now this
is something that came out some years ago but
obviously the deluxe edition is something new.
Let's start off, would you like to tell? I mean,
the average music people would know who Ian Stewart
was, but would you like to just say who Ian Stewart
was and how you got to know him and how this
came about? Yeah, well, I got into piano playing
when I was 14 when Fat Stomino's 60th birthday
party came on TV. It was Fat Stomino, Ray Charles,
Jerry D. Lewis. The second I heard of it, I heard
it, it changed my life. Just really loved piano.
And I tried to play it and I started learning
then. and then luckily Ian Stewart was a friend
of my aunt and uncle's so I met him once years
ago but he passed by this time but my uncle had
his piano at their house and they had his sound
system which used to be the sound system for
the front of house of the Rolling Stones during
the 60s so it's a pretty big system for a house
and they also got loads of records and videos
so I grew up in Weymouth in Dorset and we didn't
have a we didn't have youtube or we didn't have
spotify and there wasn't many record shops where
you could get blues i think you you had to get
all ordered mail ordered blues records you know
so and then i didn't know all the people then
because i was quite young so i didn't know whether
a john lee hooker record would be good or not
you know because i of fresh into it so you know
and we you didn't really want to spend 15 pound
to find out that it wasn't you know so so anyway
um there was this treasure trove of ian stewart's
and stuff that he all these records he collected
through the 60s and 70s and 80s and also also
lots of cine footage and video footage of people
like muddy waters and cab calloway and albert
hermans but the thing i love most it was several
concerts of rocket 88 with Ian Stewart playing,
but the good thing about them was the video camera
was set up on his hands. So I learned to play
by copying him for years. And I used to go and
play in a place called Corsican with the Fox
and stay with my aunt and uncle. And I just spend
all day copying Ian Stewart. And I loved his
piano playing. It was a really unique way of
playing. And so I copied and copied and copied.
And then the bands that used to play with him,
started asking me to play with them because they
knew I was copying them. So I ended up playing
with Chris Jagger, Mick's younger brother, and
I ended up playing with Rocket 88 because of
Ian Stewart. And it snowballed from there. But
then people would say, who are your heroes? And
I'd say, Fat Stoneman. And they'd go, great.
I'd say, Jerry Lewis. They said, great. And I'd
say, Ian Stewart. And invariably, they'd say,
who? And this man did so much. He did so much.
I mean, it's ridiculous what he did. I mean without
him there wouldn't be any Rolling Stones. I'm
pretty sure Led Zeppelin recorded Boogie Boogie
with Stu for him and he played on rock and roll.
I don't think they would have done it without
him And he also made this recording studio Which
recorded the stones mobile recorded exile on
Main Street, but it also They also recorded on
it Bob Marley, No Woman No Cry, which made Bob
Marley really famous. He might not have been
the global star he was if it wasn't for Ian Stewart.
And then Smoke on the Water was recorded on it.
And they even sing about it, went down to Montreux
to record on a mobile studio and it caught fire.
That's why it was Smoke on the Water. And there
was so many things that Ian Stewart has done,
like Ian Rankin based Rebus, his biggest selling
book on Ian Stewart. He's done so much, I'm only
touching a tenth of what he's done. And it really
upset me that people didn't know him. So that's
why I did it. That's an entire book there as
well as an album, isn't it, really? So yeah,
nice tribute. Yeah. Now we got a single, in fact,
I must say, a lot of places you mentioned both
off there and at the beginning, you mentioned
Weymouth and places, Sherbourne and that. And
yeah, we're going about 30 odd years ago now.
We're back. Early mid -90s. By day and early
evening, normal times, I was the managing projectionist
at the Plaza Cinema, Dorchester, and at night,
I was the resident DJ at Mariners Nightclub in
Hyde Street, Dorchester. So I know a lot of the
places you're talking about. Wow, that's incredible.
And hence why I have a soft spot for Nick Capaldi,
who's very good anyway, but also... that the
Specifically, why has that once been a sort of
headline for the initial single, we'll say, perhaps?
Well, it was a brand new tune that we did. Well,
it's an old tune, but it's the first time that
we did it as that line up. And we were doing
some new tracks for the Deluxe version of the
album. And so I spoke to Dave Kelly, who's singing
that. He's in the blues band. His sister was
very famous, Joanne Kelly. He's my favorite.
guitar player singer from England he's just he's
amazing that's incredible so um Keith was up
for doing it Dave was doing it and then we had
Ian Jennings and Paul Beavis on it as well who
were the rhythm section for Andy Fairweather
Low at the moment actually so it was a it was
a it was a great band and then we decided what
we were going to do and Dave said he'd like to
do Comeback Baby so he told me so I went and
googled it and found it. And I thought, oh, the
piano playing is really complicated. I found
this Ray Charles doing it. I spent three weeks
learning the piano parts before we got to the
studio and I got to the studio. So I think I've
just about learned the piano parts. Yes, what
do you mean? There's no piano on it. We're doing
the John Lee Hooker version. And so I spent three
weeks learning the wrong parts for nothing. So
it was quite a relief when I got there and we
did the tune and Keith loved it. we all loved
it actually was it was in some ways it's very
simple i mean it's really is simple but also
it's quite complex because it did that old john
lee hooker thing of changing where you at least
expect it to change it's like there's only three
chords but like suddenly it'll change halfway
through a bar and things like that and i know
charlie loved all that kind of stuff and uh i
know as it as it always does um but um but it
made me think of him and you know it's just like
um and the comeback baby. But you know, I spent
a lot of time with Charlie, we did 100 gigs around
the world. And the thing that struck me with
him, when you talk to this humble man, sat next
to him in the car for hours and hours and hours.
You did realize that he knew Elvis Presley and
Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon and presidents
and prime ministers and of all sorts of different
countries and film stars and BB King and all
those kind of people he knew. So he was a very
humble man but it was just great to talk to him
because you never know what was going to come
out next. This is Nick and Sue with Cheddar Box
giving you all you need to know about musical
entertainment Cheddar Box Cheddar Box Cheddar
Box Cheddar Box I mean I must say all that going
way back the Stones been you know the way it
was all planned that rough sound and the rough
look we say it still sounds great today I know
Charlie Blessing's not with us anymore but and
I'll tell you what angry that single when the
first time I heard it I said that sounds like
a stone single that sounds like a good stone
single you know yeah so he's still got it all
these years on so Charlie's played obviously
played his part it's almost like I dare say the
ghost of Charlie and perhaps Brian Jones is still
there. I wonder if they are sort of a bit aware
when they do new stuff that well I think that's
what Charlie would have wanted to have done and
I think that's how they work things out. I do,
I generally do with them. I don't think it could
be anything else but I'd be lucky enough to play
with a few people for decades and it really does
affect your playing. And you sort of go back
to muscle memory of how it would have been. It
made you play in a certain way. And so the band
is still playing in a certain way, I'm sure,
because of all the influence that Charlie had.
I'm really confident of that. Totally different.
But just an example, more for the listeners,
really. We have the real thing on. It was maybe
on quite a few times. Chris and Eddie's past,
of course. when they did their first album in
50 years of course eddie had already passed unfortunately
what um what chris did chris amu did the younger
brother he recorded his part and they went back
to the studio and recorded eddie you know so
what it sounded like with the other guy it was
a real thing record and it worked so yeah there
you go it can be done yeah but there's a lot
of efforts gone into this album of course and
um we're talking about the likes of uh people
like um originally we got um mick jagger heath
richards ronnie woods bill wyman they've all
added their magic to the original album i guess
so um yeah who else is on it did i see you done
something at jules jules holland's studio as
well free of charge yeah well what happened was
um I said one of these conversations I was having
with Charlie in the back of a car I just suddenly
said I'm always wanted to do a tribute album
to Ian Stewart because he was always talking
about Ian Stewart and I said well I'm definitely
gonna do an album for him one day and I actually
booked it in a studio in Weymouth actually and
I told him I was gonna do it and he said well
if you ever if you need some drums on it let
me know and I thought well I can't I can't turn
that down so So I thought, right, I'll do it.
But I was recording in a tiny little studio away
with Mars out of London and stuff. So I phoned
up Jules Holland and said, look, you know, Charlie's
up for doing this album. I said, I haven't got
a studio. We said, well, use mine. I said, well,
you've got to come and play on it as well, because
he knew Stu. So then I phoned the Stones office
to say, we're recording on these dates. And Sherry
Daly, this lovely lady that was helping me at
the time, and it wouldn't have happened without
her, was having lunch with Ronnie Wood. and she
told him what was happening and Ronnie said well
if you need guitar on it and so he said he'd
do it and then I had to phone Charlie to tell
him Ronnie was there and he said oh my god if
you've got guitar on there you can't have guitar
and not have Keith on it because Keith was Stu's
best mate so I had to phone back phone back Keith
and then then I asked him and he was on it like
a shot So then I phoned Sherry back and said,
look, that all three of them are doing it. And
she said, well, you can't have three quarters
of the stones as they currently are and leave
one out without asking. So you've at least got
to ask, otherwise it looks like he's snubbed
you. And I'll tell you what, it was just amazing
how it happened. And they were all so nice and
all the thing that came across is that all their
love of music, all of them, you know, they're
just so knowledgeable and being around so long.
And they were influenced by people from the 40s
and 50s. And it's incredible, really, all these
decades, nearly a century later. I know they
weren't playing in the 40s, but their influences
were from then. And even earlier, really. So
I think it was just fascinating talking to them
because you could talk to them for hours and
hours and hours. And it's really funny because
you don't really talk about what press want to
talk about you just want to talk about like amos
milburn or the or um you know um earl palmer
the drummer you could have an hour conversation
with charlie about earl palmer you know and it's
uh and it's really fascinating wonderful so could
we almost say uh ben waters became a member of
the rolling stones perhaps all the rolling stones
became ben waters's backing group no i couldn't
say that I was very, very honoured to do it.
They have asked me to the studio a few other
times. I went into the studio with them in 2011
for four days, which was an amazing thing. And
then I went into Metropolis Studios about two,
three years ago to do some recording, which might
come out yet, actually, because I think there's
a new album coming out sometime soon. And so
you never know, I might be on one of those touchwood,
you never know. Yeah, the smoke signals are very
strong about a new studio album, definitely.
They're coming from reliable sources. They're
normally right, so I'm expecting it as well.
I think that's at 18 months, but yeah, it's going
to follow. I'd say when I went to Metropolis
a few years back, I played on four tracks, but
I know they had lots of tracks to choose from,
so I don't know if any of those will get used.
It was great, you know, it was just an honour
to do it. Yeah, I believe that there's like three
albums worth of strong tracks to do studio albums.
Yeah, it's there, isn't it? Sat on the shelf,
really. Yeah. Anyway, so we've obviously got
a full album here as well. How many tracks have
we got? We've got loads. Fifteen, I think. It's
something like that. What stands out? I mean,
okay, out of all of these, what might we have
as another single? What else could be singles
on there that in your mind you want to push?
Well, I always love watching the river flow,
but for several reasons, because it's all of
the Rolling Stones. In fact, not only was it
all of the Rolling Stones, including Bill Wyman,
it was the first time Bill Wyman had played with
the Stones in 18 years, because he left in 92
and came back when we recorded that in 2010.
And so that was the first time he did that. And
then Jules Hollands on organ, I'm on piano. Dave
Swift, who's Jules Hollands' bass player, was
playing tambourine because he wanted to play
with the Rolling Stones. Don Weller was on saxophone.
Willie Garnett was on saxophone. Alex Garnett.
But I snuck my nine -year -old son on alto saxophone
and he got to record with the Rolling Stones
at the age of nine. So he's on this album as
well. That's brilliant. That is brilliant. Yeah,
do you have a single or just see how it goes?
Yeah, Room in House Boogie. That's another one.
That's Keith Richards. I went over to New York
to record that with him and it just reminds me
of a really good time and stuff. And it's actually
when Dylan Johns, who makes the album, recorded
it. And quite rightly so, he said the album's
about Ian Stewart, so the guitars are actually
very quiet. And it sort of does sound like Rocket
88 in lots of ways. So he was quite wise to do
it, but I did love the guitar. Ronnie and Keith
both played some beautiful parts that are almost
inaudible in some places because it was about
to do. You're listening to Nick Prince and Sue
Earl on Chatterbox UK. This is Nick and Sue with
Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about
musical entertainment Chatterbox Chatterbox Chatterbox
Chatterbox But one day I'd love to find the hard
drive and turn them up because Ronnie did some
beautiful slide playing on watching the Riverfly
original Well, Ronnie is the epitome of a...
the aging rock star he just looks so i just love
him to bits i'm completely with the bloody head
thing now i just love him to bits he's amazing
i did i did quite a few gigs with him we did
the shepherds bush empire and we was the shepherds
bush empire of birmingham symphony hall um we
did two nights at runny scott's a few a few little
theaters around you never knew what was going
to happen with him one night you turn up with
rod stewart and rod have got up and sing another
night he turned up with Jeff Beck and Johnny
Depp and they got up and played with us at Ronnie
Scott's another night you turn up with a Mel
de May or um but the thing is I think that's
his um uh you know he I think he lives on the
um very creative and exciting life you know and
I just think he He is never boring put it that
way. You never know what it's gonna be and it
could suddenly be right Let's jump on this plane
and go somewhere. Let's do some recording or
or let's get I don't know He always had this
drummer that on our geeks called Dexter Hercules
And he just like he loved Dexter and thought
he's brilliant and Dexter's got on to do he's
Ed Sheeran's drummer I think now and yeah, and
these he's just a nicest humblest Kindest man
as he's running. I know he's actually a very
kind humble thoughtful man and who just happens
to be a rock and roll star as well. A surviving
one like that. No, he's great. You could tell
I absolutely dwelled the stones anyway, but,
you know, living and dead ones, you know. Yeah,
me too, yeah. He's the person of a rock star,
but what he should look like in the 60s, an aging
rock star, that's him. brilliant yeah i've never
had any any any sort of doubt in my mind that
he was anything but a really nice guy and what
you see you know so okay so we got the single
of course um which is baby come back featuring
keith richards and dedicated to charlie uh what's
uh now the album uh boogie for stew uh is uh
is released on grinning dog records yeah hold
his label from dorchester now Great record label.
Now often I know Nick likes to release quite
a bit of vinyl. He's got a real soft spot of
vinyl. Are we having a vinyl release of the album?
Yes, we are. He's got a limited edition mustard
coloured vinyl out. A normal vinyl and the CD
as well. And you can get them all at grinningdogrecords
.com. Nick and Grace have been absolutely amazing.
great mates of mine, they only live down the
road. And we could have put it, we've got several
offers of putting it on larger labels. But I
just I knew Nick and Grace are the nicest people
in the world. So I just knew they'd give it their
all, you know. Yeah, in addition to that, you
know, that's why I said all fair before we started
about the vinyl, I know that Nick's got soft
spot for the vinyl and yeah, I knew it. It's
a good selling point and yellow vinyl about so
yeah, brilliant. Yeah. Let's do some social media
for you. I've looked at your website Oh, no,
actually, no, we would look at your tour before
we do that So by the time this goes out, you
will still have Something going on in Guernsey
on the 27th of March. Yeah, we're playing in
the There's a place that used to be called the
Duke of Richmond. It's now called the Duke. So
we're playing there on Friday 8 p .m. And then
Saturday 3 p .m. And Sunday 3pm and hopefully
the weather will be lovely in Guernsey that time
of year. Yes well it's got to be about three
or four degrees hotter than here, it's supposed
to be at the moment so let's hope it stays that
way for you. So moving further down, 2nd of April
Red Lion St Colum, 3rd of April the Hay Barn
Dorset, 23rd of June, this is an interesting
one, Winterfield Festival Hampshire, 26th of
June Cafe Oasis Weymouth, not far for you to
go on that one then. No 17th of July Racing Spirit
Festival Dorset great venue this one 23rd of
July we love this like in fact I'm going there
myself I've gone there several times here to
Half Moon and Putney 23rd of July yeah great
venue have some great stuff on 31st of July Sarisbury
Green Community Centre Southampton and 25th of
September Dominic Theatre Penzance with Tom Walters
and I also see on some of these so you've got
Tom Walters on some but i also did see that the
uh farthingate farm endorse it you're with mike
darbo oh no he's already been actually there
mike darbo oh that was snapchat oh yeah mike
mike's an old friend and uh he's a fantastic
really lovely man and a great singer great songwriter
yeah i remember him coming on here it was sort
of like the only time we could we could work
it because he was doing so much uh stuff obviously
he was doing his golden whatever tours with the
Manfreds or whatever and he ended up talking
to us one Sunday night and we did the interview
bearing in mind he's about 80 during the interview
at 11 o 'clock at night with him on a Sunday
bless him so there you go great guy yeah okay
so website and social media we've got www .benwaters
.com and then links to your other social media
is basically can all be found on there scroll
down a bit you've got a link directly to your
Facebook and if someone wants to email you they
can click on that as well lots of press release
stuff lots of photos yeah good stuff yeah oh
thanks thanks for doing that Ben it's been great
meeting you fantastically got all four of the
stones at the time playing on that song and other
stones other tracks i thought that's really good
so well done so thank you very much yeah i like
that it's a pick we could just swing it say bed
waters and the rolling stones but maybe that
maybe that's contraction i was honored they did
it and they were all so kind to me and they're
all brilliant musicians and like playing playing
with all of them i mean bill's just got such
a good groove on the uh on the bass kind of thing
and charlie um he's always good but every now
and then he's sublime you know like we did like
say 100 gigs together and sometimes you just
i've never played with any bond that plays drums
like that it's suddenly like a steam train or
something you're playing along you're like oh
my god he's on fire tonight is that as the book
goes charlie's good tonight isn't he when he
is good he's like phenomenal Yeah, it's like
you mentioned bill wasn't it? I was thinking
he did do that track or couple of tracks on on
rough diamonds hackney diamonds, sorry Hackney
diamonds and uh, it is it's very much the case
that He was like, oh, is he 89 now? Was he 89
the other day something like that? Very late
80s. So he's been in 87 when he recorded that
he's still got it. He's still definitely Yeah,
he's got a very unusual way of playing but it
sounds so cool. It's great And he's very nice
to me and my son. They're all a bit very nice
to my son. He's a saxophone player and we've
all been very encouraging to him, you know. In
a way, he still looks the same as well. He does.
Yeah, he doesn't change at all. Anyway, I do
like the sound of it. I like the boogie bit and
the patch. Almost. It's so fast. I think so.
It's honky tonk. I quite like some of it, in
my opinion. Yeah, thank you. I like the sound
of it. so i wish you every success with it and
uh next time you do something uh drop us an email
pop on by yeah so uh and if you're not sure how
to get hold well it's nickprintstudio gmail .com
if not nick knows my contact details and i'm
friends with him on facebook we chat every so
often so you can always go through him if you
need to so uh yeah fantastic it was a pleasure
to meet you and thanks for having me on i really
appreciate it it's a pleasure babe you take care
thank you bye You've been listening to the Chatterbox
Redux podcast with me Nick and our guest this
time was Ben Waters If you're interested in becoming
a future guest on the Chatterbox Redux podcast
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Chatterbox giving you all you need to know about
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