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Wah Wah Watson

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Wah Wah Watson
Birth nameMelvin M. Ragin
Born(1950-12-08)December 8, 1950
Richmond, Virginia
DiedOctober 24, 2018(2018-10-24) (aged 67)
Santa Monica, California
GenresR&B, soul, funk
OccupationMusician
InstrumentGuitar
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 Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records. He also worked extensively as a session musician in a variety of genres from jazz and pop to R&B.

Career

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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 Detroit in the 1960s[1] and eventually became a member of the Motown Records studio band the Funk Brothers, where he recorded with artists like The Temptations (his guitar work on "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is particularly notable), the Jackson 5, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and the Supremes.[2] He played on numerous sessions in the 1970s and 1980s for many top soul, funk and disco acts, including Herbie Hancock; he both recorded and composed songs with the Pointer Sisters. His nickname stemmed from "wonderfully textured sounds"[3] he conjured using a 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 Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of 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

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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

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As leader

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  • Elementary (1976)

As sideman

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With Herbie Hancock

With others

References

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  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. ^ Wynn, Ron. "Wah-Wah Watson Biography". AllMusic. 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.
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