The legendary Welsh drummer Chris Slade, who will celebrate his 80th birthday in a few months, has announced his retirement. Although he was part of many other incredible groups, he is best known for his stints with AC/DC, the first from 1989 to 1994 and the second in 2015 and 2016. During those periods, he appeared on the albums The Razors Edge (1990), Live at Donington (1992), AC/DC Live (1992), and the song “Big Gun” (1993).
He started his career in 1964 and recorded with names like Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Uriah Heep, Gary Numan, Denny Laine, David Gilmour, The Firm and Asia.
Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade announces his retirement
“Hello, everybody. It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing my retirement from drumming. I’m near enough 80 years old. I’ve been drumming, professionally, since I was 16 with Tom Jones. I’ve had a good innings. And thank you all for coming to the shows. And I’d like to thank (the other members of my solo) band also, The Chris Slade Timeline, and all you lot for coming to the shows and having a good time. We know you have, ’cause you told us you have, which was, to get that feedback, is great. So please stay on The Chris Slade Timeline on Facebook, ’cause I’ll be posting, we’ll be posting stuff from now and again to try to keep you interested.”
“So, what happened was that I had a stroke, as you probably know, about seven years ago — a small stroke, but it’s got worse. And I’m afraid that has screwed me up. I’m really jealous of people like The Stones or Paul McCartney who are going well into their 80s, and I wanted to do that. But it looks like I can’t. So, as I say, with a heavy heart, it’s bye for now,” Chris Slade said in a statement.
Albums featuring Chris Slade
Tom Jones
- Along Came Jones (1965)
- A-Tom-ic Jones (1966)
- From The Heart (1966)
- Green, Green Grass of Home (1967)
- Live: at the Talk of the Town (1967)
- 13 Smash Hits (1967)
- Delilah (1968)
- Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas (1969)
Toomorrow
- Toomorrow (1970)
Tom Paxton
- How Come The Sun (1971)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
- Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (1972)
- Glorified Magnified (1972)
- Messin’ (1973)
- Solar Fire (1973)
- The Good Earth (1974)
- Nightingales & Bombers (1975)
- The Roaring Silence (1976)
- Watch (1978)
Terra Nova
- Terra Nova (1980)
Kai Olsson
- Crazy Love (1979)
Frankie Miller
- Falling in Love (1979)
Uriah Heep
- Conquest (1980)
Gary Numan
- I, Assassin (1982)
Denny Laine
- Anyone Can Fly (1982)
David Gilmour
- David Gilmour Live 1984 (1984)
The Firm
- The Firm (1985)
- Mean Business (1986)
AC/DC
- The Razors Edge (1990)
- Live at Donington (1992)
- AC/DC Live (1992)
- “Big Gun” (1993)
Asia
- Aura (2001)
- Silent Nation (2004)
Bloodstock
- Creator of Worlds
Damage Control
- Damage Control (2007)
- Raw (2008)
MIWA
- My Wish Is Your Command (2011)
- Reach Out and Touch Me (2018)