-With Johnny 'Guitar' Watson we present an exceptionally inventive and style-defining musician in the 'Rocks' series on Bear Family Records®.
-As 'Young' John Watson, he enjoyed his first triumphs as a teenager and pianist, before coaxing never-before-heard sounds from his Fender® guitar and amplifier with Space Guitar in 1954 and henceforth being celebrated as Johnny 'Guitar' Watson!
-We follow his career from 1953 to '64 with a focus on the uptempo numbers driven by his razor-sharp guitar tone.
-Including Hot Little Mamma, Too Tired, the great Gangster Of Love, Johnny Guitar, Untouchable and Cuttin' In, his biggest hit to date (1961).
-Extensive liner notes by Chicago music historian Bill Dahl, plus discographical details and illustrations in the comprehensive booklet.

To earn the right to nickname yourself after your chosen instrument, you certainly have to be exceptional on it - and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson most definitely was. The Houston native could have just as accurately been called Johnny 'Piano' Watson, since he was every bit as talented on the ivories. Bear Family's Watson entry in its 'Rocks' CD-series showcases Johnny working out on both of his main instruments, gathering his early blazing triumphs on the Combo, Federal and RPM labels as well as lesser known but equally sizzling follow-ups for a variety of Los Angeles concerns. Johnny took blues guitar into aggressive new directions on his jumping Half Pint-A-Whiskey, Hot Little Mamma, and Too Tired, and his eye-popping 1954 instrumental Space Guitar was so far ahead of its time that we still haven't fully caught up with it. What's more, his hip, super-cool vocal delivery was highly influential to Etta James. All of those aforementioned classics are here, along with Looking Back, the introductory Johnny Guitar, and his first swaggering released version of Gangster Of Love. Find out for yourself why Johnny earned the right to refer to himself as 'Guitar!'

Track Listing

• 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 Stack
• 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

Additional Details

Label: Bear Family Records

Genre: Pop/Rock

Run Time: 79:00 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 12/06/24

UPC: 4000127177643