Legendary R&B and disco guitarist Wah Wah Watson dies

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    (October 25, 2018) We are extremely sad to report the death of one of the truly legendary R&B guitarists of the half century, the great Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin, at age 67 in Santa Monica, California. Wah Wah Watson was a staple on many of the greatest songs of the R&B and disco eras, noted for his wah wah pedal sound on his guitar.

    The Virginia native first made his mark working on several Motown projects, including the funk opus “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” with the Temptations. He became a regular on the label’s biggest recordings, working with such musical legends as The Supremes and The Four Tops.

    (October 25, 2018) We are extremely sad to report the death of one of the truly legendary R&B guitarists of the half century, the great Melvin “Wah Wah Watson” Ragin, at age 67 in Santa Monica, California. Wah Wah Watson was a staple on many of the greatest songs of the R&B and disco eras, noted for his wah wah pedal sound on his guitar.

    The Virginia native first made his mark working on several Motown projects, including the funk opus “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” with the Temptations. He became a regular on the label’s biggest recordings, working with such musical legends as The Supremes and The Four Tops.

    The disco era brought even more work, and Wah Wah could be heard on such classics as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Rose Royce’s “Car Wash,” and even Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall album. That presaged another three decades of work with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Maxwell and a “who’s who” of popular artists, with his most recent notable recordings being Tyrese’s 2015 smash Black Rose and Marcus Miller’s critically acclaimed Afrodeezia.

    Wah Wah was also a recording artist on his own right, having issued the late 70s album Elementary.

    Wah Wah Watson was truly a musical giant, and we’ll be listening to his work (even when we don’t realize it) for decades to come.

    By Chris Rizik

    Thanks to Gary Van den Bussche of DSG for letting us know