Charlie Watts will be honored with an award for his outstanding contribution to jazz at the 2017 Jazz FM Awards, that will take place in London, United Kingdom, on April 25. The Rolling Stones drummer will be receiving Jazz FM’s Gold Award in recognition of his lifelong dedication to jazz and blues music.
“I am very grateful to be honored by Jazz FM for my contribution to jazz and blues,” said Watts in an official statement. “I’ve always loved and been influenced by the music and its players. It was one of the reasons I wanted to be a musician myself. It’s still important that we continue to support this music to ensure it lives on for the next generations.”
The Rolling Stones are also up for two awards at the ceremony: album of the year for Blue and Lonesome and blues artist of the year.
This year’s Jazz FM Awards will take place on the 100th anniversary of vocalist Ella Fitzgerald’s birth. It will feature a tribute to Fitzgerald’s music from singer Laura Mvula and performances by such artists as saxophonist Donny McCaslin and singer and keyboardist Georgie Fame.
For more information, go to http://www.jazzfmawards.com/
