Bad luck and trouble - born in the North Mississippi Delta after the Civil War in the United States, the Blues had significantly changed by the time Muddy Waters came up from Memphis and into Chicago. The Chicago Blues - it swept over the landscape, changing everything.
Douglas Watson was born into the Chicago blues scene on June 20, 1958 - the seventh of eight children. His mother, Claudia Watson, was a superb gospel singer in her church, while his father, Eddie Lee Watson, better known by his stage name Lovie Lee, was the last pianist in the legendary, Muddy Water's Band. Lovie Lee was well known on the Chicago club circuit and whenever a big show was imminent in Chicago, Lovie would hold rehearsals at his home on the south side of Chicago. These rehearsals included some of the greatest names in blues history - performers like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Johnny Lee Hooker, Harlem Wolfe, Energy Eaves, KoKo Taylor and Willie Dixon, who played the upright bass and who was also a superb writer of hit tunes for Muddy Waters like, I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man, Just Make Love to Me, and I'm Ready. As a kid Douglas didn't know who these famous people were. "I just liked hanging around listening. I would fetch things, like food and drink and cigarettes - anything they wanted. They were good people, gentlemen - all of them happy going," Douglas said. "So when I told a few people in the neighbourhood what was happening at my house, word got out and pretty soon there were 200 to 300 people circling around my house and filling the parking lot nearby, trying to catch a glimpse of these famous people, or at least hear their music."
Douglas started playing drums at the age of five. He later studied other instruments such as piano, guitar, harmonica and bass. Through years of practice and performing Douglas has become one of North America's leading bass guitarists. His first love is the Church where he learned to cherish the soulful sounds of Gospel music. He later branched out into the world of Rhythm and Blues, encouraged and inspired by his father and stepbrother Carry Bell.
Born in Macon, Mississippi, Carey Bell was playing the harp at 8 years of age when he met Lovie Lee, his godfather who then adopted him. When Carey was 13, he began working professionally with Lee and also joined Muddy Waters' band in the 70's. Lovie Lee recorded the material for his 1992 release Good Candy with tunes cut with Carey Bell. Carey went on to achieve legendary status as a blues harmonica player. His son, Lurrie Bell was born on December 13, 1958, the same year as Douglas, bringing the total number of children in the family to 10. Lurrie became an extraordinary lead guitar player, and a rising star as early as the 80's.
The first band in which Douglas performed was Vance Kelly & The Treacherous Wind Band. He was about 16 years of age at that time. His dad tried to stop him from going on these gigs, but it was a losing battle. Vance Kelly was a very talented guitar player and lead vocalist, around 30 years of age at the time, and he taught Douglas about the music business. While not a big man, this south side bluesman was big in the Chicago blues scene, performing regularly at Rosa's Lounge and The Firken, popularizing the south side sound to a mainstream audience. His sound a mix of Chicago-sound blues with soul-blues funk. He and his talented Backstreet Blues Band ranged from Motown to jump blues, all of it good.
Douglas was offered the opportunity to go to college on a football scholarship. He was a great defensive tackle on William Harper High School All City team. At the end of the season he had 7 university and colleges scouting him. His grades were good - all was waiting, but Douglas was consumed by the music, and football became just a memory. His dad needed a bass player to go out of town and said, "Son can you handle a whole night of blues?" To which Douglas replied, "Yes I can Dad." At this point Douglas had been playing mainly R & B & Soul and was more into fusion jazz. He had not been performing the blues - but he knew the blues - so Douglas went to Wisconsin with his dad, adopted brother Carey Bell, and Carey's son, Lurrie. The first show was a packed house and Douglas did very well.
"It was the first time I played that much blues in my life. I was very good at picking up the bass line. Before the start of the song, Lurrie played the bass line for me on his lead guitar, and I picked it up immediately. I was about 18 years old at this time, and I played with my dad for 5 years, when I ran into Maurice John Vaughn and A.C. Reed".
A.C. Reed was a sax-blowing blues bandleader who was born in Missouri. Reed grew up in downstate Illinois. A big-band fan, he loved the sound of Paul Bascome's horn so much that he was inspired to pick up a sax himself. Reed was an active force on the Chicago Blues circuit with his band, The Spark Plugs until his death from cancer in February of 2004. Douglas played and toured with A.C. Reed and the Sparkplugs for nine years. Maurice John Vaughn began his musical career while attending school on Chicago's South Side, playing drums, guitar and clarinet in the school band. He moved on to playing in various top 40 cover bands and in 1968 he concentrated on the saxophone in order to join a local jazz trio. He made his first recording with an R&B group called the Chosen Few in 1976, but soon after that Vaughn turned his attention to the guitar. In 1979 Vaughn entered the blues world. Phil Guy invited him and the band for an upcoming Canadian tour. Soon Vaughn was playing with the top Chicago blues talents: Luther Allison, Sony Seals (with whom he toured Europe), and A.C. Reed,whose Alligator recording, I'm in the Wrong Business, features Vaughan on guitar.
Maurice asked Douglas if he wanted to go on a 1-week tour with A.C. Reed. Douglas said yes and the next thing he was on the road to Atlanta, Georgia." The gig was at The Blues Harboard. "Dad loved this move. We did a lot of recording with dad, and then with A.C. Reed. In Chicago I trained under bass player Willie Kent (1936-2006). Willie was a dynamite bass player and vocalist who played the Chicago main stage blues clubs, especially Blue Chicago and Blue Chicago on Clark with his very tight band, Willie Kent & The Gents. Kent was a long time sideman to Little Walter, Muddy Waters and Junior Wells. Willie Kent died of cancer on March 2, 2006.
Douglas hung around with Willie Kent's son, T.C. "You know, all these guys had such amazing stories of the road to tell and I soaked it all up; I pictured myself being them. The money was good; the clubs paid for our accommodation. I was with A.C. Reed and The Spark Plugs for almost 10 years. We toured all over Europe, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We did all 50 of the states at that time. Hawaii and Alaska had not yet signed up as states. We went across Canada from coast to coast, and as far north as Yellowknife, in The North West Territories."
After leaving A.C. Reed and the Sparkplugs Douglas decided to go out on his own in hopes of advancing his career. He moved to Canada in 1990, settling in London, Ontario and establishing his own band Douglas Watson and The Hot Flames. Through their hard work and dedication they have rekindled the spirit of Rhythm and Blues in the city of London. In the summer of 1997, Douglas was invited to join Jordan Patterson and the D.C. Hurricane. The group ventured out on tour to the west coast of Canada. There they received tremendous acclaim and recognition for their high energy, crowd-pleasing performance.
At this point in his life, Douglas needed a break. He wanted to write the music he was hearing in his heart. He was getting weary of life on the road. In London, Ontario he met his wife and began to travel back and forth over the next 5 years to see her. Douglas liked Canada, liked the 'small big city' feel of it all. Canada knew how to have fun and Douglas was welcomed in London, playing regularly at a club called, The Other Side of Five. He put a band together called Douglas Watson and The Hot Flames and played at this club every weekend for the next 4 years packing the house every weekend.
"I used to do back up vocals for A.C. Reed, but I started singing lead when I came to Canada. Denise Pelly was rehearsing with us; she didn't like the band and spoke to the manager and got her own band. Douglas Watson and The Hot Flames were now out of a job and this motivated to me to start singing. Denise motivated me. I started practising singing and playing bass at the same time. J. W. & The Allstars in Chicago is a bass player vocalist who sings like an angel. I thought about him and watched him until I got it right."
I got married to Mary Rita Watson in 1991 and my son Dakota Conrad Bailey Merrylees (Cody) was born 1995. At that time I was practising every day often falling asleep with the bass in my hands, papers and tapes all over the place. I'd practice from 12 noon to midnight. My wife understood, or at least I thought she did.
I was still very upset about losing the gig at The Other Side of Five, however, Denise Pelly only lasted for 5 weeks and then suddenly, we got our job back. Denise and I later became best friends, and we did an R&B show with Chris Murphy.
Eventually I left The Other Side of Five and played for Old Chicago's in London, Ontario for the next 3 years with Chris Murphy and the Old Chicago Blues Band, John Napp and Chris Trial. We played around London at places like Sue's Blues House. I booked different acts for Sue and eventually my gigging took me to Kitchener. Then, out of the blue I met a young lady, Shannon McBride, and I fell wildly in love. Together we had two of the most beautiful children in the universe, my son Cyrell Xavier and a daughter, Celina Cheyanne. Life was perfect.
"Tragedy struck my family. My little two-year-old son, Cyrell died of E Coli on April 6, 2005. My beloved sister had died the year before in May 2004. The grief was unendurable and I felt myself sliding into a dark place. Coming back has been a struggle. I've been doing this music a long time and the music called me, but it was hard to find people to help. Liz and Peter Temple put me back on my feet again. They supported me through my trials, standing by my side all through my terrible grief, and they took control of my music career. If it wasn't for their faith in me, I don't know what would have happened."
Douglas began writing and working very hard, doing everything possible and trying not to fall into another deep depression. He began attending the International Gospel on Charles Street in Kitchener, and learned two things from one of the sermons: obedience and forgiveness. "It made me decide, I'm not going to let anything bring me down."
Performances of Note:
Grand Ole Oprey, Nashville, Tennessee with AC Reed and the Sparkplugs
The Hollywood Bowl - opened for John Lee Hooker and played with him
New York City - We were playing for Ruth Brown a well-known Blues/Jazz singer - I remember the club - it looked like a great big red Greyhound bus.
European Tour
Bruce Iglaur of Alligator Recordings arranged a 7 week Tour of Europe for AC Reed and the Sparkplugs. Our first stop was Barcelona, Spain, then Paris, France, L'Orange, France and Tour, France. After that we went on to Brussels, Belgium, Munich, Germany, Geneva, Switzerland and Pistoria, Italy. At Pistoria we opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan playing in the courtyard of this castle. In Amsterdam, The Netherlands we played with Larry David and Byther Smith and "The Bull Dog", big names in the Blues world. We played in a 3 balcony level facility located in the Center in the Square. Mike McGee was the regular drummer for The Sparkplugs. He was from Chicago but eventually moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. He had a family and a job so he couldn't come on tour. However, we got Julian Vaughan from New York City as our drummer. He had been living in Spain and it was easy for him to join us for the whole tour. We also had Maurice John Vaughan, as guitarist and vocalist, whose album "Generic Blues" was a big hit. We also did Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. "It was a whirlwind tour, with very little time to explore these cities and countries, so I couldn't tell you which one I liked best even."
"Back home we played the Chicago Blues Festival opening for Koko Taylor a female singer and also Little Milton. We were soon on the road again with Buddy Guy's brother Phil Guy playing guitar; he replaced Vance Kelly who stayed in Chicago and formed his own group. They're doing really good right now. I trained under Vance Kelly."
"I started writing my own music when I was just a teenager, but it was at the club in London, The Other Side of Five that I started playing and singing my own compositions. My band was called The Hot Flames. Dean Harrison was on keyboards, David Testalin on guitar, Steve Hudson on drums, Teresa Burns as vocalist. My music went over very well; in fact we packed the place every weekend. One of my favourite compositions was Please don't Let a Good Thing End! People were always asking me to perform this one and Riding On A Midnight Train and Troubles Always Around Me, which is in the R & B Funk genre. I am currently considering all of these tunes for my new album."
Douglas Watson describes himself as a Blues, R & B-Soul Singer. "I've experienced all three of these genres. Gospel is my first love. It gets me closer and keeps me closer to the good Lord. It gives so much joy. With me Church comes first and I am definitely a Baptist Christian. You know, my dad was twenty years older than my mother; he took care of our family. My mother was 58 when she died. She had Diabetes with all the complications, and in the end, she simply told me that she was very tired. Dad was 89 years old at that time and I swear, with Mom gone, he just lost his direction and reason for living.
I want to be very comfortable with my music, creatively and financially. I want to take care of my family so that nobody wants for anything. The world tour taught me what people wanted in the music. In '87 or '88, we opened for B. B. King. I listened to the audience respond to his music over 3 nights in Lafayette and Jackson, Mississippi.
You know, blues music is constantly changing, but there are four main kinds of blues: Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, Chicago and Texas Blues. I've played all of these styles. My favourite is the Chicago Blues. It's more of a gospel style-soulful blues and it's what I'm doing now. Stevie Ray Vaughan plays Texas style blues. A. C. Reed and The Sparkplugs did a recording, I'm In The Wrong Business that was in the Mississippi lump de lump style. It featured Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I was on bass, Freddie Dixon, also played bass, and Maurice John Vaughan was on guitar and vocals. My dad, Lovie Lee Watson was more of a Mississippi Delta-Boogie Woogie bluesman and I guess, his music is part of my soul.
My plans for the future include touring as much as I can, doing blues and jazz festivals across Canada, the United States and Europe. I also plan to perform in Chicago and travel the U.S. circuit as well as theatres. Any I'll jam as often as possible with great blues musician's to keep learning.
Douglas is noted for his "full throated vocal style. His "sweet harmonies" make it a pleasure for all that sing with Douglas. His full range and style have brought him acclaim from some of the most respected blues vocalists in the industry. "Douglas is one of the finest blues vocalist and front men on the Canadian Scene."
At one time Douglas opened for James Brown in Kitchener, Ontario receiving great reviews from the Godfather of Soul himself. James Brown said to Douglas, "I heard you out there . . . You're Good, real good!" Another accolade was achieved when Douglas headline a show called ‘Blues On The East Side’ in Cambridge, where he did his set as a frontman, and then backed up Hubert Sumlin (of Howlin Wolf fame) and did such a great job, that Hubert thought that the Wolf must have been reincarnated in the soul of Douglas Watson. All of this was captured on a DVD which is already a collectors item.
Currently, Douglas is extremely busy performing with his own band, ‘The R&B Revue’ band. This new band features ‘Mississippi Pete’ Temple on harmonica, Chris ‘Mr Sweetness’ Latta on guitar, and Maciej Lucasiewicz on drums. In Dec 2006 the band recorded ‘Voodoo Healin’, a live CD which showed the bands great potential. Because of the excellence of this record, the band was invited to compete in, and won, the Toronto Blues Society best new talent in Canada, during a playdown at the Toronto Jazz Festival in June 2007. This win has opened up many doors and another CD is already in the works. Currently he plays South Western Ontario and Quebec, from Windsor to the Ottawa Montreal area. Major festival appearances include the Kitchener Blues Festival, The Southside Shuffle, The Canal Bank Shuffle and more. It would appear that the sky is the limit for the rising star which is, ‘The Douglas Watson R&B Revue.
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