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Carlo Little | |
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| Born | (1938-12-17)17 December 1938 Shepherd's Bush,London, England |
| Died | 6 August 2005(2005-08-06) (aged 66) Cleadon,Tyne and Wear, England |
| Genres | Rock,British blues |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1960–2002 |
| Formerly of | The Savages,The All-Stars,The Rolling Stones,The Flower Pot Men |
| Website | carlolittle |
Carl O'Neil Little (17 December 1938 – 6 August 2005),[1] better known by his stage nameCarlo Little, was arock and rolldrummer, based in the Londonnightclub scene in the 1960s. He played in an early version ofthe Rolling Stones. Little was also withCyril Davies'All-Stars and was a founder member ofScreaming Lord Sutch'sSavages.
Born Carl O'Neil Little at theQueen Charlotte's Hospital,Shepherd's Bush,London, he was brought up and lived inWembley,Middlesex for most of his life with his sister Carole. His fellow townsmen[clarification needed] included peersKeith Moon,Ginger Baker andCharlie Watts, all of whom would find fame with the same instrument. He was included in theevacuation of civilians during World War II as a child, and sent to relatives in Wales duringthe Blitz in London.
As a teenager he discoveredTed Heath and thenskiffle music, especiallyChris Barber andLonnie Donegan. Skiffle inspired Little to join a band, Derek Addison's Rhythm Katz. By the late 1950s rock and roll had arrived in the United Kingdom, and Little became a fan ofChuck Berry andLittle Richard, whose drummerEarl Palmer he was influenced by. Little was called up in 1958 to doNational Service in theRoyal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)Corps of Drums, serving in Kenya and Malta, and he was singled out to become head drummer due to his loud playing. He wasdemobbed in 1960.
On his return to civilian life, he metDavid Sutch and formedthe Savages[2] with amongst othersNicky Hopkins who lived locally.Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages toured the UK and became known for their unique British rock and roll shows. The bulk of the band members, including Little, left in 1962 to join theCyril Davies All Stars, and recorded asingle "Country Line Special",[2] aninstrumental track which influencedKeith Richards andRay Davies.[citation needed] He also played a few gigs with the young Rolling Stones and was asked byBrian Jones to join permanently before they hiredCharlie Watts as their official drummer[3] in January 1963.[citation needed] In 1998, during their European tour, he was invited as an official guest backstage at one of theirParis concerts.[4]
Little gaveKeith Moon drum lessons.[5] Little was the loudest drummer many had ever seen or heard, one of the first to ever hammer the bass drum.
Little continued to work as a session drummer throughout the 1960s, and toured withthe Flower Pot Men,Billie Davis andNeil Christian in Europe. He later auditioned forDeep Purple andIan Dury but signed toDecca Records in 1973 as Hurricane withStuart Colman andFreddie 'Fingers' Lee.[2] Little played in pub bands throughout the 1970s and 1980s, until he reformed the All Stars in 2000. The band now includedArt Wood on vocals, Alex Chanter (brother of theChanter Sisters) on lead guitar and vocals, Johnny Casanova on keyboards and vocals, Eddie Armer on harmonicas and fellow former Cyril Davies band member, Ricky Brown (akaRicky Fenson), on bass. Carlo and his All Stars recorded analbum, which also featuredRon Wood,Jeff Beck,Long John Baldry,Matthew Fisher, Simon Bell andthe Chanter Sisters. The album, entitledNever Stop Rockin', (the title track penned by Little), could not be released until 2009, so he was unable to see the finished product.
Next to his musical activities, he worked as a bread salesman and entrepreneur until his retirement.[4]
Little died oflung cancer inCleadon,Tyne and Wear in 2005, at the age of 66.[6] The Carlo Little All Stars albumNever Stop Rockin' was released byAngel Air Records in January 2009.
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