Drummer's album gets posthumous release

30 December 2008
By Angela Reed
Chief reporter ShieldsGazette.com

AN album made by a legendary drummer, who died after retiring to South Tyneside, will be released in the new year.

Carlo Little made his name in the 1960s, playing with Screaming Lord Sutch And The Savages, and inspired a generation of drummers.

He taught The Who's Keith Moon, who approached him backstage after a gig and asked for lessons from "the best drummer he had ever seen in the flesh".

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones then asked him to fill in until they found a drummer in the early days of The Rolling Stones, but he turned down a chance to join them permanently.

He married wife Iris, from South Shields, in 1968, after meeting at town centre nightspot the Latino, where she was a croupier.

They moved away, but returned to North East England after Mr Little sold his catering business and retired, settling in Cleadon in May 2003.

Shortly afterwards, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and lost his fight for life in August 2005.

Several years earlier, he recorded Never Stop Rockin' with the Carlo Little All Stars, but they could not secure a record deal, leaving the master tapes to gather dust.

The album will now be released on January 12, through Angel Air Records, which specialises in re-issues of classic rock and pop albums, and issues of never-before-available albums by familiar artists.

Mrs Little said: "I can't believe it has happened after all this time.

"The record company got in touch with me saying 'I believe you have got these tapes'.

"Carlo got ill before he could do anything with them, so they were just sitting collecting dust."

There are some impressive musicians as guests, including Ronnie Wood and his brother Art, who died in 2006, Long John Baldry, who died a month before Mr Little, and Matthew Fisher, from Procol Harem.

The album will be available in stores and via Amazon. For more information, visit www.carlolittle.com.

a great drummer - i attended the tribute show, put on in his honour, in 2006.

This sounds like a great project, with Ronnie and Art Wood and Long John Baldry too. Yes, Carlo was a great drummer...and a fine man.

I think that Nicky Hopkins plays on Country Line Special and Chicago Calling. I have the singles (1963!!) with Carlo and Nicky playing with the great late Cyril Davies