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Geraint Watkins | |
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 Watkins in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Geraint Meurig Vaughan Watkins |
| Born | (1951-02-05)5 February 1951 (age 74) Swansea, Wales |
| Origin | Abertridwr, Wales |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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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 andaccordionist. He has backed many notable artists, includingNick Lowe,Dave Edmunds,Van Morrison,Mark Knopfler,Paul McCartney,Roy St. John,Shakin' Stevens and most recentlyStatus 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 inAbertridwr, nearCaerphilly, South Wales.[2][3]
After time in the early 1970s atPortsmouth Art College, he returned toCardiff and played with Red Beans & Rice and Juice on the Loose. The band Red Beans and Rice, attracted attention and moved toLondon to further their career.[4] When they disbanded, Watkins played solo performances in London'spubs and with various bands, such as Southside United (with which he recorded an album),[5] the Cable Layers, Klondike Pete and the Huskies, and the band ofSouthend'sMicky Jupp on the 'Be Stiff Route 78' tour.[4] He went on torecord an album,Geraint Watkins & the Dominators (1979), produced byAndy Fairweather Low.Session work followed: producerStuart Colman recruited him for what became hit records forShakin' Stevens; also he was recording and/or performing withDr. 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, andEric Clapton amongst others. He was a member of the star-studded Willie & the Poor Boys alongsideBill Wyman and otherRolling Stones members, taking lead vocals on two numbers. In 1980, he released a solo single onStiff Records under the pseudonym Otis Watkins.[6]
In between sessions, the 1980s and beyond found Watkins playing accordion and piano withthe Balham Alligators, a band, of which he was a founding member, that has helped to keep the music ofLouisiana alive in London's pubs.[4] Throughout the 1980s, he also was a mainstay inDave 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 albumSome of the Fellers and appears as Lightning Wanson G, on their 2010 albumWho Axed You. In recent years, Watkins has found time to work withBill Wyman's Rhythm Kings; contributing toNick Lowe's albumsThe Impossible Bird (1994),Dig My Mood (1998),The Convincer (2001),Untouched Takeaway (2004) andAt My Age (2007); and toVan Morrison's albumsBack on Top (1999),Down the Road (2002),Pay the Devil (2006) andKeep It Simple (2008).
As well as the earlyvinyl 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) andRush of Blood (2019).AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewine said ofDial 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 ofExclaim! called it "an unassuming but delightful effort."[8]Jason MacNeil ofPopMatters suggested that Watkins' proficiency in a multitude of music genres "is what makes this album so bloody special."[9]
Billboard contributor Paul Sexton wrote thatIn a Bad Mood "displays Watkins' love for vintageR&B but also has more surprising sorties intochanson andcajun."[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 withBill Wyman's Rhythm Kings as keyboard and accordion player and singer. He toured withPeter Green & Friends as a keyboard player in 2010. Watkins also toured with, and opened forNick Lowe, as a keyboardist.[12]
In 2014, he played accordion onStatus Quo'sAquostic (Stripped Bare) album. This was also featured, on 22 October 2014, as a live concert from theRoundhouse onBBC 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'sLive in Hyde Park fromHyde Park, London.[13]
As a songwriter, Geraint had his compositions covered byDon McLean,Pokey LaFarge,[14]Dave Edmunds,[15]NRBQ,Pearl Harbor,[16] and theHolmes Brothers[17] amongst others.
Watkins maintains his ownFacebook page, where he frequently posts intimate musical performances.[18]
A solo studio album,Rush of Blood, recorded in collaboration withBasement Jaxx's Simon Ratcliffe as producer, was released in 2019.[19]
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