Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin

Wah - Wah Watson (actually Melvin Ragin ) (c. 1951 in Detroit, Michigan ) is an American jazz and funk guitarist. Because of the similarity in name, he is often confused with the blues and funk guitarist Johnny Guitar Watson.

Life and work

His career began in 1967 as Watson about the age of sixteen with the Motown studio band The Funk Brothers. In the Motown studios, he was involved among other things, the introduction of the wah wah pedal in the Motown sound. He was also involved as a studio musician on many significant soul, disco and funk sessions, plays and albums - among other things, Papa Was A Rolling Stone by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, Rare Earths album Ma as well as to Edwin Starr's album Stop the War Now. He played also with Quincy Jones Body Heat and was represented at Off the Wall by Michael Jackson. During the second half of the seventies he was one of Herbie Hancock's fusion bands and is on the albums Man-Child (1975 ), Secrets (1976 ), VSOP (1977 ), Feets Do not Fail Me Now (1979) and Mr. Hands ( 1980) to hear.

The total number of albums sold, on which Wah Wah Watson starred, is estimated at over 100 million copies sold. The Motown Historical Museum in Detroit awarded him in 2003 the title of The Man of Motown.

Discography (selection)

  • Blondie: Live It Up
  • Herbie Hancock: V.S.O.P
  • Labelle: Chameleon
  • Martha Reeves Martha Reeves
  • Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On
  • Michael Jackson: Off The Wall
  • Quincy Jones: Body Heat
  • Rose Royce: Car Wash
  • Stevie Wonder: Conversation Peace
Rare Earth (band) Jazz fusion V.S.O.P. (Album) Integrated Authority File
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