Former AC/DC Drummer Chris Slade Announces His Retirement

Chris Slade, the Welsh drummer who formerly performed with AC/DC, David Gilmour, and others, is retiring. The musician cited his age and health issues following a “small stroke” he had a few years back.

He made the announcement in a video posted to his Facebook page for his solo band, the Chris Slade Timeline, over the weekend. “Hello everybody. It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing my retirement from drumming,” he said. “I’m near enough 80 years old. I’ve been drumming professionally since I was 16 with Tom Jones. I’ve had good innings.”

He thanked fans for supporting his band at shows and thanked the band as well, and encouraged folks to follow his Facebook page where he said they’d continue to post “now and again.”

“I had a stroke, as you probably know, about seven years ago,” he said. “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 and Paul McCartney, who are going well into their eighties, and I wanted to do that, but looks like I can’t,” he continued. “So as I say, with a heavy heart, it’s bye for now.”

Last month, Slade shared on Facebook that the band had to bow out of their performance at Brudstock Festival after he “fell over” and hurt his ribs “badly,” which required a visit to the hospital.

Slade is best known for joining AC/DC in 1989, and played on their comeback LP, The Razor’s Edge. He left the group in 1994 when they reteamed with their classic-era drummer Phil Rudd. He then rejoined in 2015 when legal issues forced Rudd to take an extended leave of absence.

In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2020, Slade reflected on the various bands and projects he’s been involved in, including his own Chris Slade Timeline. “We play for like two hours. I can only do this because the band is so good,” he said. “They are world-standard. It’s James Cornford on guitar, Andy Crosby on bass, Michael Clark on keyboards and guitar. He plays rhythm guitar. I’ve known him as a keyboard player. I said, ‘We’ve got to get a rhythm player’ and he goes, ‘Oh, I play guitar. And I cut my teeth on AC/DC. That’s the first things I’ve learned.’ I had no idea when I put this band together that that was the case.“