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Geraint Watkins | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins |
Born | Swansea, Wales | 5 February 1951
Origin | Abertridwr, Wales |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1970s–present |
Member of | The Balham Alligators |
Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins (born 5 February 1951) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, rock and roll pianist and accordionist. He has backed many notable artists, including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Roy St. John, Shakin' Stevens and most recently Status Quo. He has also pursued a solo career and issued a number of albums under his own name, the most recent of which, Rush of Blood, was released in September 2019. [1]
Watkins was born in Abertridwr, near Caerphilly, South Wales. [2] [3]
After time in the early 1970s at Portsmouth Art College, he returned to Cardiff and played with Red Beans And Rice and Juice on the Loose. The band, Red Beans And Rice, attracted attention and moved to London to further their career. [4] When they disbanded Watkins played solo performances in London's pubs and with various bands, such as Southside United (with which he recorded an album), [5] the Cable Layers, Klondike Pete and the Huskies, the band of Southend's, Micky Jupp on the 'Be Stiff Route 78' tour. [4] He went on to record an album, Geraint Watkins & The Dominators (1979), produced by Andy Fairweather Low. Session work followed: producer Stuart Colman recruited him for what became hit records for Shakin' Stevens, also he was recording and/or performing with Dr. Feelgood, Rory Gallagher, Andy Fairweather Low, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Blues Band, Box of Frogs, Stray Cats, Carl Perkins, Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers and Eric Clapton amongst others. He was a member of the star-studded Willie & the Poor Boys alongside Bill Wyman and other Rolling Stones, taking lead vocals on two numbers. In 1980, he also released a solo single on Stiff Records under the pseudonym Otis Watkins. [6]
In between sessions, the 1980s and beyond found Watkins playing accordion and piano with The Balham Alligators, a band, of which he was a founding member, that has helped to keep the music of Louisiana alive in London's pubs. [4] Throughout the 1980s he also was a mainstay in Dave Edmunds's band, both recording and touring with him. Between 1984 and 1989 Watkins played piano and accordion on five records of the Dutch band Normaal. He contributed vocals, piano and accordion to Klondike Pete and the Huskies' 1981 album "Some of the Fellers" and appears, as Lightning Wanson G, on their 2010 album "Who Axed You". In recent years Watkins has found time to work with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings; contributing to Nick Lowe albums, The Impossible Bird (1994), Dig My Mood (1998), The Convincer (2001), Untouched Takeaway (2004) and At My Age (2007); and to Van Morrison albums, Back on Top (1999), Down the Road (2002), Pay the Devil (2006) and Keep It Simple (2008).
As well as the early vinyl LP with The Dominators, Watkins has released five solo albums: Watkins - Bold As Love (1997), Dial W For Watkins (2004), In A Bad Mood (2008), Moustique (2014) and Rush of Blood (2019). AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said of Dial W For Watkins, "It's slight on the surface – the love songs are sweet and short, there are lots of ragged edges and lots of jokes – but that's its appeal: it's warm, friendly, engaging music, perfect for a relaxing evening at home with old friends." [7] Kerry Doole of Exclaim! called it "an unassuming but delightful effort." [8] Jason MacNeil of PopMatters suggested that Watkins' proficiency in a multitude of music genres "is what makes this album so bloody special." [9]
Billboard contributor Paul Sexton wrote that In a Bad Mood "displays Watkins' love for vintage R&B but also has more surprising sorties into chanson and cajun." [10] Sexton ranked it as the number one album of 2008 on his year-end list; Billboard deputy global editor Tom Ferguson listed the album at number two. [11]
In 2009 and 2011, Watkins toured with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings as keyboard and accordion player and singer. He toured with Peter Green & Friends as a keyboard player in 2010. Watkins also toured with, and opened for, Nick Lowe, as a keyboardist. [12]
In 2014 he played accordion on Status Quo's Aquostic (Stripped Bare) album. This was also featured, on 22 October 2014, as a live concert from the Roundhouse on BBC Radio 2 and on BBC television via the red button. Watkins played with the band on the subsequent UK tour. In September 2016 he performed, as part of the Aquostic line-up, at BBC Radio 2's Live in Hyde Park from Hyde Park, London. [13]
As a songwriter, Geraint had had his compositions covered by Don McLean, Pokey LaFarge, [14] Dave Edmunds, [15] NRBQ, Pearl Harbor, [16] and the Holmes Brothers [17] amongst others.
Watkins maintains his own Facebook page, where he frequently posts intimate musical performances. [18]
A solo studio album, Rush of Blood, recorded in collaboration with Basement Jaxx's Simon Ratcliffe as producer, was released in 2019. [19]
Dick Lovejoy's Original Southside United Volume 1 | |
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Studio album by Dick Lovejoy's Original Southside United | |
Released | 1998 |
Recorded | 1984 |
Genre | Rhythm & Blues |
Length | 1 hr 17 mins 42 secs |
Label | Ab-Fab |
Producer | Barry Durdant-Hollamby |
Track listing [20]
Personnel
Production credits
Geraint Watkins & the Dominators | |
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Studio album by Geraint Watkins & the Dominators | |
Released | 1979 |
Label | Vertigo Records, reissued 2018 Jungle Records |
Producer | Andy Fairweather-Low |
Track listing
Personnel
Production credits
Bold as Love | |
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Studio album by Geraint Watkins | |
Released | 1997 |
Genre | Blues Pop Rock |
Label | Bluefive, reissued 2018 Jungle Records |
Producer | Neil Brockbank Bobby Irwin |
Track listing
Personnel
Production credits
The Official Bootleg | |
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Live album by Geraint Watkins | |
Released | 2001 |
Recorded | 1988 |
Label | MUSIPA |
Track listing
Personnel
The Bootleg after the Bootleg | |
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Live album by Geraint Watkins | |
Released | 2001 |
Recorded | 1988 |
Genre | Blues Pop Rock |
Label | MUSIPA |
Track listing
Personnel
Dial 'W' For Watkins | ||||
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Studio album by Geraint Watkins | ||||
Released | 2004 | |||
Genre | Blues Rock | |||
Label | Yep Roc Records Proper Records | |||
Producer | Neil Brockbank & Warent Atkins | |||
Geraint Watkins chronology | ||||
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Track listing
Production Credits
Personnel
In a Bad Mood | ||||
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Studio album by Geraint Watkins | ||||
Released | 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2005-2008 | |||
Genre | Blues Rock | |||
Label | Goldtop Recordings | |||
Producer | Neil Brockbank and Geraint Watkins | |||
Geraint Watkins chronology | ||||
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Rush of Blood | ||||
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Studio album by Geraint Watkins | ||||
Released | 2019 | |||
Genre | Blues Rock | |||
Label | The Last Music Company | |||
Producer | Simon Ratcliffe and Geraint Watkins | |||
Geraint Watkins chronology | ||||
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Track listing
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton. The profits from the event went to the Material World Charitable Foundation, an organisation founded by Harrison.
The Convincer is a 2001 studio album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in Europe by Proper Records and by Yep Roc Records in the United States.
Dig My Mood is an album by the British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in the UK in 1998 by Demon Records and elsewhere by Upstart Records.
Untouched Takeaway is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. A live recording produced by Lowe and Neil Brockbank, it was released in 2004 by Yep Roc Records. The name is from the song "Lately I've Let Things Slide" from Lowe's album The Convincer:
Jubilation is the tenth and final studio album by Canadian/American rock group the Band. Recorded in the spring of 1998 in Levon Helm's home studio in Woodstock, New York, it was released on September 15, 1998. For the first time since the group reformed without guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson, there were more originals than covers. Songs include "Last Train to Memphis", featuring guest guitarist Eric Clapton, Garth Hudson's solo instrumental closer "French Girls", Rick Danko's "High Cotton" and the ode to Ronnie Hawkins, "White Cadillac".
Poi Dog Pondering is an American musical group which is noted for its cross-pollination of diverse musical genres, including various forms of acoustic and electronic music. Frank Orrall founded the band in Hawaii in 1984, initially as a solo project. In 1985 Orrall formed the first line-up of PDP to perform its first concert at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The band embarked on a yearlong street performance busking tour across North America. They eventually settled down in Austin, Texas in 1987, where they recorded their first three albums. In 1992, the band relocated to Chicago and they began to incorporate orchestral arrangements and elements of electronic, house music, and soul music into their acoustic rock style. The membership of Poi Dog Pondering has evolved from album to album, with Frank Orrall being a constant player since the inception of the band.
Thousand Roads is the third solo studio album by the rock artist David Crosby, a founding member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was released on May, 4 1993 on Atlantic Records. It was the last solo studio album from Crosby for 21 years until Croz in 2014.
Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods is the seventh album by Bill Kirchen. Bill explores where country music finds its origins in blues and bluegrass, and in the Western Swing of Texas and California honky tonks.
When We Were the New Boys is the eighteenth studio album by Rod Stewart released on 29 May 1998. It was Stewart's last studio album to be released by Warner Bros. Records. It produced the singles "Ooh La La", "Rocks", and "When We Were the New Boys".
At My Age is an album by Nick Lowe released in June 2007 by Proper Records. It was recorded in London and produced by Nick Lowe and Neil Brockbank.
Once in a Blue Moon is the debut solo album by Frankie Miller, using Brinsley Schwarz as his backing band, showcases Miller's skills as a singer and songwriter. The song "I Can’t Change It" was featured in episode 4 of the first series of the drama series Life on Mars. It was covered by Ray Charles on his album Brother Ray Is At It Again. "After All " had already been recorded by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition on their hit album Tell It All Brother in 1970. It later appeared as the closing song in the 2011 Johnny Depp film, The Rum Diary.
Bloom, Red & The Ordinary Girl is an alternative country album by Tres Chicas. Supported by Matt Radford and Geraint Watkins and produced by Nick Lowe collaborators Neil Brockbank and Robert Trehern, who also features on drums. Musically, the album tends to stick to easy tempos and sparse arrangements organized around acoustic guitar, keyboards and the Chicas' twining harmonies.
Numbers is the seventh studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1979. It was the band's first album without Chaka Khan on lead vocals. Instead, band members Tony Maiden and David "Hawk" Wolinski shared lead vocal duties, with additional female leads by Helen Lowe and Maxayne. The album reached #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, #81 on Pop and included the single release "Keep It Together ".
Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe is a 49-track career-spanning collection of songs written by British songwriter Nick Lowe. As well as his solo work, it also features many of his collaborations with the likes of Rockpile, Brinsley Schwarz, Paul Carrack and Little Village. The compilation was released by Proper Records in the UK and Europe and by Yep Roc in the US. The collection was compiled by Gregg Geller.
Pinker and Prouder Than Previous is a 1988 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. It was released by Demon Records in the UK and Europe, and was his final album for Columbia Records in the US.
The Rose of England is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe, released in 1985. It is the second overall and last album by Lowe's band the Cowboy Outfit, credited as 'Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit'. It contains three cover versions; "7 Nights to Rock", "I Knew the Bride" and "Bo Bo Skediddle".
The Old Magic is a 2011 album created by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Publications such as Allmusic have released positive reviews, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine regarding the work as featuring "plenty of charm" and labeling Lowe a "crooner". In addition, Mojo placed the album at number thirty-one on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011."
La Booga Rooga was the second solo album by Andy Fairweather Low, and was released by A&M Records in 1975.
The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a 2018 album of remixed Beach Boys recordings with new orchestral arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman, who conducted similar projects for Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley.
Bobby Irwin was an English drummer, record producer and songwriter. He is known for working in close collaboration with Nick Lowe as co-songwriter and drummer and as a member of Lowe's band the Cowboy Outfit, as well as being the drummer for Van Morrison. Irwin was also a member of the bands Roogalator, the Sinceros and the Balham Alligators.