The Rolling Stones:

Chuch Magee (page 3)

Here are some pictures of my dear friend Chuch MaGee. (He passed away in 2002.)

In the spring of 1997, I received a call from Chuch MaGee. Charlie was in need of another drumset! He said that the Stones were going to have a "B" stage that was going to be set-up in the middle of the arena. At some point during the concert, the Stones would march out across a "bridge" from the main stage down to the smaller "B" secondary stage. A full drumset was going to be needed for the "B" stage! At first Charlie wanted a sparkle Gretsch set. But then, he decided he wanted a close replica of his beloved maple kit. All of this had to happen in one month.. The only way that this was going to happen, was to enlist the aid of Steve Badalament of Detroit, Michigan. Steve had just started a new drum company called "Innovation Drums" (Click here to take a look at his web site). We were able to locate a set of vintage Gretsch shells that came from another vintage drum shop, "Blair 'n Drums", located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The shells were overnighted directly to Jack Lawton in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Jack prepped the shells and sent them to a drum shop in Kansas City, for paint work. Once the paint was ready, the drums were sent to Detroit, where Steve and I were able to get together and then take them directly up to Toronto, Canada.

After driving all night, we arrived at the Rolling Stone's rehearsal hall in downtown Toronto, Canada. We rushed the drums through the front gate, and were ushered into a place where every Stone's fan dreams of going to. These rehearsals are a closely guarded secret and only the core band and technicians are allowed in. After setting the drums up, we were allowed to go upstairs and watch the rehearsal process from the balcony. Charlie was immediately impressed with the drums and declared them a success! This drumset is now still being used on the current 2002 tour.