Johnny “Guitar” Watson

Johnny “Guitar” Watson – Rocks

Bear Family BCD BCD17764
Hot Little Mama – Motor Head Baby – Looking Back – She Moves Me – Too Tired – Gettin’ Drunk – You Better Love Me – Gangster Of Love – Sweet Lovin’ Mama – I Say, I Love You – Deana Baby – Highway 60 – Oh Baby – Posin’ – Love Me Baby – Broke And Lonely – Ruben – Johnny Guitar – Space Guitar – The Bear – One Room Country Shack – I Got Eyes – Half Pint Of Whiskey – One More Kiss – Untouchable – Rat Now – Those Lonely, Lonely Nights – What’s Going On – Wait A Minute, Baby – Cuttin’ In

It’s almost tiresome to hear, but every release from the German label, regardless of the series (That’ll Flat Git It, Rocks, Gonna Shake This Shack, The Brits Are Rocking, etc.), is guaranteed to be impeccable on every level (sound, selection, booklet, iconography).
This new volume in the Rocks series, dedicated to the excellent and eclectic Johnny Guitar Watson, is no exception.
Watson’s career began in 1953 (under the name Young John Watson) and ended in 1996 with his death on stage in Japan.
Over the course of his forty-year career, Watson was a true jack-of-all-trades, starting out playing blues and rhythm ‘n’ blues, then branching out in the 1960s into soul, then funk, disco, and even rap, influencing generations of guitarists from Jimi Hendrix to the Vaughan brothers, and from Frank Zappa to Nick Curran.
This compilation focuses on the rich first ten years of his career. Watson initially plays piano for a few tracks, influenced by Amos Milburn. But it was when he truly devoted himself fully to the guitar (gaining his nickname from Nicholas Ray’s movie along the way) that he truly found and established his style. Drawing inspiration from Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Fulson, and T-Bone Walker, he developed a flamboyant and unique style with crisp, precise attacks, as demonstrated by his first masterpiece, the instrumental Space Guitar, which truly deserves its stratospheric description.
But Watson isn’t just a fabulous guitarist; he’s also a gifted singer in the vein of Ray Charles, his main avowed influence, as demonstrated by You Better Love Me and I Say I Love You.
As I mentioned in the intro, the selection is perfect, showcasing the full extent of Watson’s talent. Alongside blues and rhythm ‘n’ blues tunes, we find the mellow One More Kiss (with smooth harmonies), Those Lonely Nights with its New Orleans groove, Posin, a rocker tinged with a twist, Cuttin’ In with its superb string arrangements, and Deana Baby, a rocker worthy of Eddie Cochran, to name but a few.
A little gem that will keep company to your Gatemouth Brown album, released in the same series a few years ago.