Chris Slade, the veteran drummer whose career carried him from the early days of Tom Jones to the stadium-sized thunder of AC/DC, is retiring from professional drumming at 79.
The Welsh musician announced his decision after more than six decades behind the kit, explaining that continuing health problems have made it increasingly difficult for him to perform.
Slade suffered a stroke roughly seven years ago, and its lingering effects have worsened over time. The drummer had hoped to continue performing into his 80s, but ultimately concluded that his health would no longer allow it.
The decision brings an extraordinary career to a close.
Slade began working professionally at just 16 years old with Tom Jones, long before either man’s career had reached its eventual heights. From there, Slade developed the kind of résumé that reads like a tour through several generations of British rock.
His credits included Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Firm, Uriah Heep and work with David Gilmour, among numerous other projects.
For millions of rock fans, however, Slade will forever be associated with AC/DC.
He joined the Australian rock powerhouse in 1989 and became part of a particularly memorable period in the band’s history. Slade played on 1990’s “The Razors Edge,” the album that helped launch AC/DC into another enormously successful decade and featured some of the band’s most recognizable material.
His first run with AC/DC ended when longtime drummer Phil Rudd returned to the lineup. More than two decades later, however, Slade received another call from the band.
He returned in 2015 while Rudd was unavailable and once again found himself behind the kit for one of rock’s biggest touring acts during the “Rock or Bust” era.
Away from AC/DC, Slade continued performing and eventually formed The Chris Slade Timeline, a project that allowed him to revisit music from across his extensive career.
Recent health problems had already begun interfering with those performances. A fall that injured his ribs forced the cancellation of a festival appearance this summer and added another difficult chapter to what would become his final year as an active drummer.
Slade made clear that stepping away was not an easy decision. He had wanted to remain onstage well into his 80s, following the example of other veteran rock performers who continue touring at an advanced age.
Instead, one of rock’s most seasoned drummers is calling time on performing after a career that began when he was a teenager and ultimately placed him behind the kit for some of the biggest names in music.
The drums may finally be getting a rest, but Slade’s six-decade body of work leaves plenty of noise behind.
