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
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 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

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Ragin moved to Detroit and 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.[1] 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"[2] he conjured with the wah wah pedal to alter the sound of his electric guitar.

In 1977, Watson released his first solo album, Elementary, on Columbia Records. The album was co-produced by Watson and David Rubinson.

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.

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).

Death

Watson died on October 24, 2018, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica.[3]

Discography

As leader

  • Elementary (1976)

As sideman

With Herbie Hancock

With others

References

  1. ↑ Wynn, Ron. "Wah-Wah Watson Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. ↑ [Elias Leight (25 October 2018) Wah Wah Watson, Guitarist for Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, Dead at 67 RollingStone.com, accessed 2023-12-17
  3. ↑ "In Memoriam: Motown guitarist Wah Wah Watson (1950-2018)". Digital Journal. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
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