Wah Wah Watson

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wah Wah Watson
Birth nameMelvin M. Ragin
Born(1950-12-08)December 8, 1950
R&B, soul, funk
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1968–2018
Websitewahwah.com

Melvin M. Ragin (December 8, 1950 – October 24, 2018), known professionally as "Wah Wah Watson," was an American guitarist who was a member of the

Motown Records. He also worked extensively as a session musician in a variety of genres from jazz and pop to R&B
.

Career

Ragin was a native of Richmond, Virginia. His father, Robert Ragin, was a minister, and his mother, Cora (Brown) Ragin was an evangelist. She bought him his first guitar when he was 15.[1]

He moved to

wah-wah pedal to alter the sound of his electric guitar; he bought his first pedal after hearing Motown studio guitarist Dennis Coffey use one.[1]

When Motown relocated to Los Angeles, so did Ragin.[1] In 1976, Watson released his first solo album, Elementary, on Columbia Records. The album was co-produced by Watson and David Rubinson.[4]

In 1994, Watson appeared on the

AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time magazine.[citation needed] In the 2000s, Watson appeared on the albums Maxwell's Now (2001), Black Diamond (2000) by Angie Stone, the soundtrack to the film Shaft (2000), Damita Jo (2004) by Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys' Unplugged (2005), and The Element of Freedom (2009).[citation needed
]

Death

Watson died on October 24, 2018, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica.[5] He was 67. He was survived by two sisters, two brothers, and his wife, Itsuko Aono. In a statement, Aono said, "Wherever he is, he’s groovin’.”[1]

Discography

As leader

  • Elementary (1976)

As sideman

With Herbie Hancock

With others

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Pareles, Jon (November 1, 2018). "Wah Wah Watson, Guitarist Whose Sound Was Everywhere, Dies at 67". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  2. All Media Network
    . Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ Leight, Elias (25 October 2018). "Wah Wah Watson, Guitarist for Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, Dead at 67". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. ^ "Wah Wah Watson* – Elementary". Discogs. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "In Memoriam: Motown guitarist Wah Wah Watson (1950-2018)". Digital Journal. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.

External links

Stub icon

This article about a United States guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wah_Wah_Watson&oldid=1213927306"