FEATURE > JOHNNY “GUITAR” WATSON
JOHNNY “GUITAR” WATSON BY MICHAEL ROSS
It seems odd to call someone whose soulful guitar work and flamboyant
showmanship influenced artists as diverse
(and acclaimed) as Etta James, Frank
Zappa, Prince, and Rick James a “forgotten
hero.” But, unfortunately, Johnny “Guitar”
Watson never achieved the level of fame
that those he inspired did—a point that
is painfully underscored by the fact that
he’s occasionally confused with “
Wah-Wah” Watson (also a wonderful player
who deserves praise). Johnny “Guitar”
Watson had a groundbreaking—if up-and-down—career that spanned five decades
of American popular music. A career that
included everything from a Grammy nomination to having his drug problem spotlighted on VH1’s Behind the Music.
Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty Images
T Is for Texas
On February 3, 1935, Wilma Watson
gave birth to John Watson Jr. in Houston,
Texas. His father, John Sr., played piano as
a part-time job, and ended up teaching the
instrument to his son. At age 11, Watson’s
gospel-playing grandfather offered him an
acoustic guitar if he promised he wouldn’t
play “the devil’s music”—meaning blues
and R&B. Whether or not he ever intended
to keep that promise, under the spell of fel-
low Texans T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson,
and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Watson
soon broke it. In the liner notes for The
Very Best of Johnny “Guitar” Watson, David
Ritz quotes Watson as saying, “T-Bone had
all the flash and fire, which I wanted.”
Unsatisfied with the volume of his flattop,
Watson claimed he stole an early DeArmond
pickup and screwed it under the strings. The
pickup’s cable screwed on to both pickup and
amplifier, hampering his early performance
style. Or, as he put it, “If you try to go any-
where, you better bring everything with you.”
By age 12, Watson secured a record con-
tract, thanks to the help of DJ and R&B
legend Johnny Otis. In what would become
a pattern when it came to label relations,
the tween musician bucked the higher-ups
by refusing to record children’s songs, and
was soon dropped. But Watson remained
Johnny “Guitar” Watson
Born: February 3, 1935
HEAD ONLINE
to hear a musical sample of Johnny
“Guitar” Watson’s soulful style.
Best Known For: A pioneer and
innovator of blues, R&B, and electric
funk guitar, Watson influenced a wide
range of players—from Jimi Hendrix,
Frank Zappa, and Stevie Ray Vaughan to
vocal legends like Etta James.
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