John Watson, Jr. was born February 3, 1935 in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But young Watson was immediately attracted to the sound of the guitar, in particular the electric guitar as practiced by the "axe men" of Texas: T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.
His grandfather, a preacher, was also musical. "My grandfather used to sing while he'd play guitar in church, man," Watson reflected many years later. When Johnny was 11, his grandfather offered to give him a guitar if, and only if, the boy didn't play any of the "devil's music"--blues. Watson agreed, but "that was the first thing I did." A musical prodigy, Watson played with Texas bluesmen Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland.
His parents separated in 1950, when he was 15. His mother moved to Los Angeles, and took Johnny with her.
In his new city, Watson won several local talent shows. This led to his employment, while still a teenager, with Jump blues style bands such as Chuck Higgins's Mellotones and Amos Milburn. He worked as a vocalist, pianist, and guitarist.
He quickly made a name for himself in the African-American juke joints of the West Coast, where he was billed as "Young John Watson" until 1954. That year, he saw the Sterling Hayden film "Johnny Guitar," and a new handle was born.
He affected a swaggering, yet humorous personality, indulging a taste for flashy clothes and wild showmanship on stage. His attack resulted in him often needing to change the strings on his guitar once or twice a show, because he "stressified on them" so much, as he put it.
His seminal blues album "Gangster of Love" was recorded in 1953 or 54, and first released on Sam Cooke's Keen Records in 1957. It was not especially heralded at the time--the title song in particular was too fast, too raw, and too witty, especially compared to the likes of the then-kingpins of blues Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Watson's ferocious "Space Guitar" of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. (He played it without a pick.) Watson would later influence a subsequent generation of white pop musicians, especially guitarists, who struggled to master the Hendrix-like complexity of Watson's technique.
He toured and recorded with good friend Larry Williams, as well as Little Richard, Don & Dewey, The Olympics, and Johnny Otis. He also played with Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert and George Duke. But as the fortunes of blues declined and the era of soul music ascended in the 1960s, Watson in his inimicable style transformed himself from a southern blues singer with a pompadour into an urban soul singer with a pimp hat. He went all out--gold teeth, broad-brimmed hats, fly suits, designer shades, and bling made him one of the most colorful figures in the West Coast funk circle.
He modified his music accordingly. LPs like "Ain't That a Bitch" and "Real Mother For Ya" were landmark recordings in 70's funk. (Watson appeared on the cover of "Real Mother For Ya" sitting in a soapbox Rolls-Royce pushed by his mother.) "Telephone Bill" (on "Love Jones," 1980) featured complex, rapid-fire lyrics that foreshadowed rap music. His subsequent LPs employed "the computer sound," and popularized it.
In his exhaustively researched book "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke" (2005), Peter Guralnick claims that Watson was an actual pimp, as well as a performer! However, Watson felt "ambivalent" about macking girls, even though it paid better than music.
The shooting death of his friend Larry Williams in 1980 and other personal setbacks led to Watson briefly withdrawing from the spotlight in the Eighties. "I got caught up with the wrong people doing the wrong things," he was quoted as saying by the New York Times. Nevertheless, a series of summer appearances in France resulted in his becoming known there as the "Godfather of Funk."
The release of his album "Bow Wow" in 1994 brought Watson more visibility and chart success than he had ever known. The album received a Grammy nomination, and retrospective releases of his work showered him with critical acclaim.
In a 1994 interview with David Ritz for liner notes to "The Funk Anthology," Watson was asked if his 1980 song "Telephone Bill" anticipated rap music. "Anticipated?" Watson replied. "I damn well invented it!... And I wasn't the only one. Talking rhyming lyrics to a groove is something you'd hear in the clubs everywhere from Macon to Memphis. Man, talking has always been the name of the game. When I sing, I'm talking in melody. When I play, I'm talking with my guitar. I may be talking trash, baby, but I'm talking."
In 1995, he was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in a presentation and performance ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium.
His international bookings soared. Back home, his music was sampled by Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige. He sometimes would enter the studio with rappers, at their request. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre borrowed P-Funk's adaptation of Watson's catchphrase "Bow Wow Wow yippi-yo yippi-yay" for Snoop's hit "What's My Name."
"Johnny was always aware of what was going on around him," recalled Susan Maier Watson (later to become the musician's wife) in an interview printed in the liner notes to the Collectables album "The Very Best of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson." "He was proud that he could change with the times and not get stuck in the past."
Watson died on stage May 17, 1996, while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. His remains were brought home for internment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Hot Little Mama
Johnny 'Guitar' Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Send those heat waves up and down my spine
Got a small waistline and her hips set way out
And the whole fire department can't put her out
She's my hot hot little mama
Hot hot little mama
Hot little mama
And she really sets me afire
Every time I kiss her she sets me afire
She's my hot hot little mama
Hot hot little mama
Hot little mama
And she really sets me afire
Well now my hot little mama makes me alarmed
She can do more damage than the whole H-bomb
She's my hot hot little mama
Hot hot little mama
Hot little mama
And she really sets me afire
Set me afire, baby
Well now Mary Jo melt the snow -
That was all she could do
But my baby boiled the water
After Mary got through
She's my hot hot little mama
Hot hot little mama
Hot little mama
And she really sets me afire
Yeah she's my hot little mama
And she really sets me afire
In Hot Little Mama, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson tells us about his hot, fiery lover who melts everything in her path. He describes her as having a small waistline and hips set way out, sending heat waves up and down his spine, every time he kisses her. He compares her to an electric wire, causing him to feel like he's been set on fire. He also compares her to an H-bomb, causing more damage than usual. Mary Jo, a character in the song, could only melt the snow, but Johnny’s hot little mama boiled water.
The lyrics describe the physical attributes of Johnny’s hot little mama as well as the intensity of their relationship. The metaphorical comparisons to hotter things, such as an electric wire, H-bomb and boiling water, emphasize the intensity of their relationship. It seems as though the song is a tribute to his lover's fierce personality and physical beauty that he cannot resist.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a hot little mama, child, she's so fine
I have a highly attractive baby, she's remarkable
Send those heat waves up and down my spine
She influences me into feeling a pleasant warmth that I feel in my entire body
Got a small waistline and her hips set way out
She has a petite waistline and highly curved hips
And the whole fire department can't put her out
She's very fiery and passionate that people can't stop her
She's my hot hot little mama
She's hot and she's my baby
Well my hot little mama, like an electric wire
My baby is just like an electrical wire in that every time I touch her, I feel a buzzing sensation
Every time I kiss her she sets me afire
Always when I kiss her, she lights me up
Well now my hot little mama makes me alarmed
My baby worries me due to the extent of her abilities
She can do more damage than the whole H-bomb
She has the potential to cause more destruction than a nuclear weapon
Set me afire, baby
Light me up, my dear
Well now Mary Jo melt the snow -
Mary Jo accomplished the easily achievable task by melting the snow
That was all she could do
That's definitely all Mary Jo was capable of doing
But my baby boiled the water
My baby accomplished far more by boiling the water
After Mary got through
Mary's effort pale in comparison to what my baby achieved
Yeah she's my hot little mama
Yes, she's my baby and she's fiery
And she really sets me afire
She certainly kindles a lot of flames within me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MAXWELL DAVIS, JULES TAUB, JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mdelahoussaye25
The guitar tone on this version is HANDS DOWN the best. SO much feeling in the tone, raspy bluesy awesomeness!!!!
@TheSoftMachineisaMan
I also like how it's not played super clean, it gives it more flavor I think
@TkRhythmandBlues
They sounded a lot like a hybrid of Fairport Convention and Jefferson Airplane. I used to see them play at Fort Reno in DC. They were great!
@rtblues
Some of da best blues ever laid down
@russellmakar579
This is a cool song to play along with, so easy to improvise
@coravisser727
fantastic played great song
@margaretsullivan721
Groovilly flavolicious !!!!
@mitchellt.andthekingbs9418
The Ultimate Version đź’™
@barrycooke9249
Aaah...  Alternate Take...   Cool To Hear The Different Vocals And Phrasing And Guitar Fills And Solo.. Also A Maxwell Davis Sax Solo Not On The Released Version... Taking At A Slightly Slower Tempo Too... With A Little Edit Near The End...... Very Cool...
@grosper
Great!