Johnny "Guitar" Watson
by Don Erickson
As reported in last month's Blues Crier, Johnny
"Guitar" Watson died during a concert in Japan on May 17,
1996. Apparently struck down from a heart attack, he was doing what he
loved to do - playing guitar and performing for his fans.
He was a sensational performer. Influenced by the showmanship of T-Bone
Walker and Guitar Slim, he in turn influenced other guitarists, most
notably Jimi Hendrix. In fact, even though he may not have been as well
known as other guitar legends, there have been several times I have read
quotes from popular musicians mentioning him as an influence.
He was born on February 3, 1935 in Houston, Texas. He grew up in Houston
with fellow Blues greats Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland. In 1950, at
the age of fifteen, he left for Los Angeles where he found work playing
piano with Chuck Higgins and the Mellowtones. By the next year Johnny
was fronting his own band as a guitar player. In 1953 he landed a
recording contract with the Federal label, billing himself as Young John
Watson. He started calling himself Johnny "Guitar" Watson in
1955 when he switched to the Modern label. He worked with the Maxwell
Davis Orchestra and they released one of his signature songs,
"Those Lonely, Lonely Nights." It reached number ten on the R
& B charts. In 1962 his single, "Cuttin' In" made it to
number six, this time on the King label. He later recorded with singer
Larry Williams and they had hits in 1967 with "Mercy, Mercy,Mercy,"
and with "Nobody" in 1968.
Moving away from the Blues in the '70s, he found success with funk and
yes, even disco. (A man's got to eat!) Between 1974 and 1985 he actually
landed a total of fourteen singles on the charts! His biggest hit,
"A Real Mother for Ya" made it all the way to number five in
1977.
He retired from performing for a while, but recently was asked to play
on Bo Diddley's forthcoming release. He's in good company...other guest
artists on Bo's album include Stevie Ray Vaughn's brother, Jimmie, Keith
Richards & Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, and Bo's original harp
player, Billy Boy Arnold.
Recently at The Grand in Des Moines, Fast Johnny Ricker paid tribute by
performing Watson's song "Johnny's Guitar." (Johnny Winter
played this tune on his album Hey, Where's my Brother?)
Johnny "Guitar" Watson - we'll miss this dynamic performer.
Reprinted with permission from the July 1996 issue of the Blues Crier
