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.
Tarzan
Johnny 'Guitar' Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a girl and she's so fine (yeah)
Make me want to swing from a grapevine
(ain't that strange?)
she doesn't know what a thing she's causing
Got me running round, wanna holler like Tarzan
Here's what I say
So fine
Get on down baby
She's got a cheat, you know you can't beat her
She ain't worrying about there being no cheater
She walks the streets, all the cars start pausing
And all the fellas that are driving start hollering like Tarzan
Owaowhaowhaohwa outlaw
So fine
Get on, get on baby
Get crazy
Get out of the way
Wanna holler like Tarzan
She's got a cheat, you know you can't beat her
She ain't worrying about there being no cheater
When she starts walking, all the fellas start pausing
And all get together and start hollering like Tarzan
Owaowhaowhaohwa outlaw
So fine
At first glance, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson's song Tarzan appears to be a simple tune about a girl who drives men crazy with her beauty. However, upon closer inspection, the song speaks to the concept of objectifying women and the animalistic behavior it inspires in men. The lyrics depict the singer as a man so enraptured by this woman that he compares himself to Tarzan, a fictional character known for his brute strength and primal instincts. In this context, the "cheat" the woman possesses is her beauty, which she wields with such power that it reduces men to their primal instincts, resulting in them hollering like animals. The chorus, consisting of the repeated phrase "Owaowhaowhaohwa outlaw, So fine," reinforces the idea that the woman is both desirable and unattainable, as an outlaw would be.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh let me swing down on this grapevine here
I'm so captivated by my girl that I want to relive Tarzan's jungle adventures and show off my love to her.
I got a girl and she's so fine (yeah)
I have found a beautiful girl who is the center of my world and makes me happy.
Make me want to swing from a grapevine (ain't that strange?)
I am so smitten by my girl that I'm willing to do anything for her, even if it means acting like Tarzan and swinging from vines.
she doesn't know what a thing she's causing
My girl doesn't realize the great impact she has on me or how much I adore her.
Got me running round, wanna holler like Tarzan
I am so overwhelmed and enamored by her that I feel like Tarzan, shouting my love for her to the world.
She's got a cheat, you know you can't beat her
My girl is so perfect and amazing that no one can rival her. She is unmatched.
She ain't worrying about there being no cheater
My girl is not concerned about any potential threats or infidelities because she is confident in our love and trust for each other.
She walks the streets, all the cars start pausing
My girl is so stunning and charismatic that she stops traffic and turns heads everywhere she goes.
And all the fellas that are driving start hollering like Tarzan
All the men who see her can't help but shout and holler like Tarzan in amazement of her beauty.
Get on down baby
Come on over here, my love. Let's enjoy each other's company.
Owaowhaowhaohwa outlaw
An exclamation of excitement and passion, expressing the singer's adoration for his girl.
So fine
My girl is truly amazing and wonderful; nothing can compare to her beauty and charm.
Get on, get on baby
Don't be shy or hesitant; come closer to me, my love.
Get crazy
Let's have fun and live in the moment, enjoying each other's company and the love we share.
Get out of the way
We're so focused on our love for each other that nothing else matters. Everyone else can move aside.
Wanna holler like Tarzan
I am so overcome with love and passion that I want to shout and express my feelings like Tarzan does in the jungle.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind