YOUTUBE IT
This must-see footage showcases Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s uncanny ability to make his guitar sing, sound like Darth Vader,
and even imitate police sirens.
In this 1977 performance of “Gangster
of Love,” Watson gets flashy by playing
cop sirens on his guitar with a drum-
stick, while incorporating rap-style
storytelling into his impressive blues
vocals. Also note his trademark capo.
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Watson - “Gangster of Love”
Watson starts off just manning the mic
on this one, but be patient: He eventually
grabs his Gibson ES-337 to mix tasty blues,
bebop, and funk chops in this footage from
a 1980 concert in Paris. Ever the creative
performer, he even finds a way to keep
playing while tying his shoe (5: 10).
You Tube search term: Johnny Guitar Watson
Live 1980 Part 1 of 2 - Booty Ooty
Playing a slow blues tune on a Gibson
SG just months before his death, Watson
makes the guitar talk with his thumb, and
then plays behind his back and between
his legs. For all the showmanship, Watson’s
picking is always clean and tasteful.
You Tube search term: Johnny Guitar Watson
- Doin’ Wrong Woman (part 1 of 2) 1996.avi
friend get a deal with Fantasy Records in
Berkeley, California.
142 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
models. He also owned Fender Telecasters
and Jazzmasters, as well as a Vega acoustic.
Fantasy’s promotion of Listen left Watson
wanting, leading him to hire his own independent promoter, who propelled a single
from the record into the Top 20 of the R&B
charts. The momentum helped his next
release, I Don’t Want to Be Alone, Stranger, sell
nearly half a million copies. While at Fantasy,
Watson added guitar to records by trumpeters Nat Adderly and Freddie Hubbard, and
used the studio time afforded him there to
hone his production skills. He even got gigs
producing records for Percy Mayfield and
Betty Everett. By 1975, Watson was label-less
again. But he was still productive, partnering with singer Lenny Williams to compose
“Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of the
Stream)” for Tower of Power.
The James Gang
If English publisher Dick James’ name
sounds familiar, it is because his company,
DJM, handled copyrights for the Beatles
and Elton John in the ’60s. In 1976, legend-
ary British blues producer Mike Vernon
(Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) introduced
Watson to James, who promptly signed the
guitarist and gave him complete creative con-
trol. For his DJM debut, Watson overdubbed
most of the instruments himself, save for
co-producer Emry Thomas’ drumming. The
result, Ain’t That a Bitch, went gold, and the
second stage of Watson’s career took off.
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