Skip to main content

Tribute to Rolling Stones founding member recording tonight at King Eddy

Ben Waters came to play with the Rolling Stones almost accidentally, through his obsession with the boogie-woogie style of piano played by one of the band's founding members, Ian Stewart.

Jagger, Richards, Watts and the rest later kind of came with the package.

"I was so obsessed with him (Stewart) I started copying not just his piano playing ... I started siting the same way on the piano," Waters said of his early days.

He'd hammer away 12 or more hours a day learning the raucous old blues style that Stewart brought to the Stones early days.

Waters is playing Thursday night at the King Eddy, recording tracks for the re-issue of his Stewart tribute album "Boogie 4 Stu."

The album will also feature recently-recorded tracks with the surviving members of the Rolling Stones and Water's 21-year-old son Tommy.

Stewart was the man behind the Rolling Stones mobile studio that now lives at the National Music Centre at Studio Bell, which will be used to record parts of the show.

"To come to this studio was the first time I came in (Wednesday) and I got shivers up my spine - he was in here recording all those things," said Waters.

The truck was used to record tracks such as Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and much of Led Zeppelin IV which features Ian Stewart playing piano on the track "Rock and Roll."

Behind the board will be long time engineer Mick Mckenna, a veteran of countless hours in what is known in some circles as "rock's Sistine Chapel".

The show starts at 8 p.m. at the King Eddy Hotel and tickets are available at the door.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Ontario doctors disciplined over Israel-Gaza protests

A number of doctors are facing scrutiny for publicizing their opinions on the Israel-Hamas war. Critics say expressing their political views could impact patient care, while others say that it is being used as an excuse for censorship.

'No concessions' St-Onge says in $100M a year news deal with Google

The Canadian government has reached a deal with Google over the Online News Act that will see the tech giant pay $100 million annually to publishers, and continue to allow access to Canadian news content on its platform. This comes after Google had threatened to block news on its platform when the contentious new rules come into effect next month.

Live updates

Live updates Hamas frees 10 Israeli women and children, 4 Thai nationals

Ten Israeli women and children and four Thai nationals held captive in Gaza were freed by Hamas, and Israel followed with the release of a group of Palestinian prisoners Thursday. It was the latest exchange of hostages for prisoners under a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza war. Two Russian-Israeli women were also freed by Hamas in a separate release.

opinion

opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears

With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.

Stay Connected