Drumming News :
Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade has announced his retirement from professional drumming, citing his age and ongoing health problems stemming from a stroke he suffered several years ago.
In a video posted from last week to the Facebook page for his solo band, Chris Slade Timeline, the Welsh drummer said he was making the decision “with a heavy heart.”
“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,” Slade said, thanking fans and his bandmates for their support over the years.
Slade revealed that he suffered a small stroke about seven years ago and said its effects have worsened. He also recently suffered a fall that left him with badly injured ribs, forcing Chris Slade Timeline to withdraw from a festival performance and requiring a hospital visit.
“I’m really jealous of people like the Stones and Paul McCartney, who are going well into their eighties,” Slade said. “I wanted to do that, but looks like I can’t. So as I say, with a heavy heart, it’s bye for now.”
Slade began his professional career at just 16, performing with Welsh singer Tom Jones. Over the decades, he went on to work with artists including David Gilmour before joining AC/DC in 1989. He played on the band’s hugely successful comeback album, The Razor’s Edge, which featured the hit “Thunderstruck.”
Slade left AC/DC in 1994 when the band reunited with longtime drummer Phil Rudd. He returned to the group in 2015 after legal troubles forced Rudd to step away temporarily.
In recent years, Slade continued performing with Chris Slade Timeline, a band that revisited material from throughout his career. In a 2020 interview, he praised the musicians in the group, saying their quality allowed him to continue performing demanding two-hour shows.
While Slade plans to step away from drumming, he indicated that the Chris Slade Timeline’s social media pages will continue to feature occasional updates.
After a career spanning more than six decades and some of rock music’s biggest stages, Slade leaves behind a remarkable legacy as one of the genre’s most accomplished drummers.
