BIOGRAPHY
Melvin Ragin, known as Wah Wah Watson, was born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a minister father and an evangelist mother who bought him his first guitar at 15. He moved to Detroit in the 1960s and joined the Funk Brothers, Motown's house band, recording with the Temptations, the Jackson 5, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and the Supremes. His nickname came from the wah-wah pedal sounds he pioneered after hearing fellow Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey use one. When Motown moved to Los Angeles, Watson followed, releasing his solo debut Elementary in 1976 on Columbia. He co-wrote and co-produced several Herbie Hancock albums including Man-Child and V.S.O.P., and later appeared on records by Angie Stone, Janet Jackson, and Alicia Keys. He died in Santa Monica in 2018 at age 67.