Black Sabbath founding drummer Bill Ward dedicated a poignant segment of his latest radio broadcast to the memory of Mitch Mitchell, the rhythmic architect behind the Jimi Hendrix Experience, revealing a deep personal connection between the two percussion legends.
During the November 23 episode of his “LA Radio Sessions” show on 99.1 KLBP-FM, Ward—now 77—reflected on the profound influence Mitchell had on his formative years, specifically citing the drumming on the classic track “All Along The Watchtower.”
“I was still quite young when I first heard ‘All Along The Watchtower‘, so I was intrigued by the amount of work that he was putting into his drumming, his double-bass drum work, everything,” Ward told listeners (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I think he was cutting edge, leading edge. He was going into places where I would’ve loved to have gone, but at that point I think I was only 15 years old. So I was dreaming to go there.”
Ward praised Mitchell‘s ability to fuse genres, noting that his performance on the track was “so unique and so brilliant” because he was blending rock and jazz simultaneously. However, it was Mitchell‘s fearless approach that truly resonated with the heavy metal pioneer.
“Mitch was just out there and playing frantically with basically a ‘I don’t give a flying f**k’ attitude, which I loved,” Ward said.
Beyond the musical admiration, Ward shared a touching anecdote about a meeting between the two drummers later in life. He described the encounter as a meeting of kindred spirits that shut out the rest of the world.
“When we met, we couldn’t stop talking to each other. And people would come in and interrupt us and we didn’t hear them; we couldn’t hear other people,” Ward recalled. “We were so embraced in each other’s conversations, and we talked and we talked for approximately one hour nonstop… We covered everything in between, and we talked about the ups and the downs, the tragedies. And it was one of the most intimate backstage conversations that I think I’ve ever had with anybody.”
The conversation took a somber but inspiring turn as Ward discussed Mitchell‘s passing in 2008. Ward admitted he recognized a specific drive in Mitchell—a compulsion to keep performing regardless of physical toll—that he sees in himself today.
“I saw him get up and play and I knew that he was on a road that had to be that way… I also knew intuitively that he might not have been his best, but it’s a force inside which says ‘we have to go back out,'” Ward explained.
Connecting this to his own career longevity, Ward offered a glimpse into his current mindset regarding retirement and creativity.
“I have the same thing. I’m 77 years old, and I have that thing inside that says, ‘We have to go as far as we can go.’ And I can’t stop that. I can’t switch that off. There’s nothing inside that can switch me off from not wanting to do more, write more, be more.”
Ward concluded his tribute by noting that he saw this relentless spirit in Mitchell and many other drumming friends who “simply couldn’t say ‘no'” to the road. “So I love the man.”
