During a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock, Pete Sears looked back on when his tenure with Rod Stewart first started. Apparently, Micky Waller introduced him to Stewart, and he had a close relationship with late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts.
Pete Sears is one of the musicians in rock music who has a long history of collaborations in his career. Throughout his career of six decades, the bassist’s most well-known tenure was with Rod Stewart, for whom he played on numerous albums such as ‘Every Picture Tells A Story,’ ‘Gasoline Alley,’ ‘Never a Dull Moment,’ and more in addition to many hit singles.
On top of his successful stint with Stewart, Sears has worked with several other iconic artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Pete Brown, and many other rock legends. Because his name is often mentioned with Rod Stewart, the bass player recently reflected on how he got the opportunity to work with him and detailed how it first started.
The musician stated that there was a ‘key person’ who contributed to his career, and that was late drummer Micky Waller with whom Sears had a close friendship. He also mentioned that Waller was one of Charlie Watts’s favorite drummers. Moreover, the bassist said that they had a close friendship, which makes sense considering that Waller replaced Watts once at a Rolling Stones gig after he failed to return from a holiday.
Sears continued by saying Micky Waller introduced him to Stewart after forming a band named ‘Silver Metre’ with the drummer. While they were recording at a studio in London, his bandmate introduced him to Rod Stewart, which marked the beginning of his fruitful tenure with the musician during which he played on four studio albums.
When asked about the beginning of his tenure with Rod Stewart, Sears said:
“I think most people would say that there are a few people in their lives that they think were key in a way. One guy I was really close with, a good friend, he played drums with the Jeff Beck band and is on the album ‘Truth,’ Micky Waller, the drummer. Micky Waller was one of Charlie Watts’ favorite drummers. They were really close.
I formed a band called Silver Metre, and Micky was part of that. We recorded at Trident Studios in London, and Micky introduced me to Rod. So I played on Rod’s second solo album, ‘Gasoline Alley.’ I went in and played piano on ‘Country Comfort’ and bass on a song called ‘Cut Across Shorty’ that he did. So then, I did four albums with him. I did ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’ and then ‘Never a Dull Moment,’ and then ‘Smiler’ was the last one.”
Unfortunately, Micky Waller passed away due to liver failure in London on April 29, 2008, at the age of 66. Waller was an applauded drummer as he had played with many brilliant artists during his career, such as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones.
