Wah Wah Watson  

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Melvin M. Ragin (December 8, 1950 – October 24, 2018), known professionally as "Wah Wah Watson", was an American guitarist who was a member of The Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records. He can be heard on "Smiling Faces Sometimes" (1971), "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972) and on "Let's Get It On" (1973).

Career

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Melvin Ragin moved to Detroit and became a member of the Motown Records studio band The Funk Brothers, where he recorded with artists like The Temptations (his guitar work on "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is particularly notable), The Jackson 5, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Supremes. He played on numerous sessions in the 1970s and 1980s for many top soul, funk and disco acts, including Herbie Hancock; he both recorded and composed songs with the Pointer Sisters.

In 1977, Watson released his first solo album, Elementary, on Columbia Records. The album was co-produced by Watson and David Rubinson.

In 1994, Watson appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time magazine.

In the 2000s, Watson appeared on the albums of Maxwell, Angie Stone, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys.

Death

Watson died on October 24, 2018, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica.

Discography

As leader

• Elementary (1976), featuring tracks such as "Goo Goo Wah Wah"

As sideman

With Herbie Hancock

• Man-Child (1975)
• Secrets (1976)
• VSOP (1977)
• Feets, Don't Fail Me Now (1979)
• Monster (1980)
• Mr. Hands (1980)
• Dis Is Da Drum (1994)

With others

• The Beach Boys, L.A. (Light Album) (1979)
• George Benson, Love Remembers (1993)
• George Benson, Songs and Stories (2009)
• Yung Berg, Look What You Made Me (2008)
• Blondie, Autoamerican (1980)
• Donald Byrd, Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (Elektra, 1978)
• Cher, Take Me Home (1979)
• Four Tops, Nature Planned It (1972)
• Marvin Gaye, Let's Get It On (1973)
• Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive (1978)
• Dizzy Gillespie, Free Ride (1977)
• John Lee Hooker, Free Beer and Chicken (1974)
• Thelma Houston, Ride to the Rainbow (1979)
• Bobbi Humphrey, Satin Doll (1974)
• Janet Jackson, Damita Jo (2004)
• Michael Jackson, Off the Wall (1979)
• Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
• The Jackson 5, ABC (1970)
• Quincy Jones, Body Heat (1974)
• Quincy Jones, Q's Jook Joint (1995)
• Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas, Versus (1997)
• Labelle, Chameleon (1976)
• Maysa Leak, Out of the Blue (2002)
• Love Unlimited, Under the Influence of... (1973)
• The Love Unlimited Orchestra, Rhapsody in White (1974)
• Maxwell, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1994)
• Maxwell, Now (2001)
• Brian McKnight, Brian McKnight (1992)
• Brian McKnight, I Remember You (1995)
• Meshell Ndegeocello, Plantation Lullabies (1993)
• Meshell Ndegeocello, Peace Beyond Passion (1996)
• Pointer Sisters, Steppin' (1975)
• Martha Reeves, Martha Reeves (1974)
• Rose Royce, Car Wash (1976)
• Boz Scaggs, Slow Dancer (1974)
• The Temptations, All Directions (1972)
• The Temptations, Masterpiece (1973)
• Tyrese, Black Rose (2015)
• The Undisputed Truth, The Undisputed Truth (1971)
• Vanessa L. Williams The Comfort Zone (1991)
• Stevie Wonder, Conversation Peace (1995)

Pages linking in as of Dec 2021

1950, 2 Hot, A House Full of Love: Music from The Cosby Show, A Song for You (The Temptations album), All Directions, All in Love Is Fair (album), All Nite (Don't Stop), Autoamerican, Big Time (soundtrack), Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days, Billy Preston & Syreeta, Black Diamond (Angie Stone album), Body Heat (Quincy Jones album), Boney M. discography, Boogie Down!, 'Bout Love, Brian McKnight (album), Bruce Fisher, Burnin' (Patti LaBelle album), Butterfly (Kimiko Kasai album), Can't Stop Dreaming, Car Wash (soundtrack), Chameleon (Labelle album), Check It Out (album), Close Encounters (Gene Page album), Come a Little Closer (album), Come Get to This (album), Conversation Peace, Damita Jo (album), David Rubinson, Daylight (Bobby Womack song), Death Wish (soundtrack), Dee Dee Bridgewater (1976 album), Desire (Pharoahe Monch album), Different Style!, Directstep, Dis Is da Drum, Don't Let Go (George Duke album), Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive (England Dan & John Ford Coley album), Dukey Treats, El Niño (Def Squad album), Elementary, Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1, Essar (album), Feets, Don't Fail Me Now, Flirt (album), Flirt (album), Flood (Herbie Hancock album), Free Beer and Chicken, Free Ride (album), Gambler's Life, Gary Bartz, Gentle Thoughts, Girlfriend (Paul McCartney song), Greatest Hits (N.W.A album), Having a Party (Pointer Sisters album), Headlights (album), Heart, Mind and Soul (El DeBarge album), High Energy (The Supremes album), Hits! (Boz Scaggs album), Hold On (High Inergy album), Hot City, House band, I Had to Fall in Love, I Have a Right, I Remember You (Brian McKnight album), I Want You (Marvin Gaye album), I Will Survive, I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby, In Full Bloom, In the Night (Cheryl Lynn album), In the Pocket (Stanley Turrentine album), Inside Is Love, It's the Falling in Love, James Jamerson, Joy of Cooking (band), Law of the Land (album), Let's Get It On, Lisa Stansfield (album), List of guitarists, List of songs about Los Angeles, List of songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Love Breeze, Love Remembers (album), Love Tracks (Gloria Gaynor album), Love, Music and Life, Lovelock! (album), Magic Windows, Making Music (Bill Withers album), Man-Child, Man-Child, Mary Wilson (album), Masterpiece (The Temptations album), Maxwell (musician), Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, Me 'n Rock 'n Roll Are Here to Stay, Mellow Madness, Melvin, Migration (Creative Source album), Mizell Brothers, Monster (Herbie Hancock album), Mr. Hands (album), Music Is My Sanctuary, No More Rain (In This Cloud), No One Home, No Reason to Cry, Now (Maxwell album), Number Ones (Janet Jackson album), Off the Wall, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, Paul Riser, Paul Tillman Smith, Payne & Pleasure, Peace Beyond Passion, Pizzazz, Plantation Lullabies, Prema (musician), Pure Smokey, Ragin, Rainbow Connection IV, Raydio (album), Ready to Roll, Reasonable Doubt (album), Reunion (The Temptations album), Rux Revue, Safety Zone (album), Satin Doll (Bobbi Humphrey album), Scorpion (Drake album), Secrets (Herbie Hancock album), Shame (Tyrese song), Sharp (Angela Winbush album), Shoulda Gone Dancin', Sky (Canadian band), Sky High!, Slow Dancer, Smokin' (Smokey Robinson album), Songs and Stories, Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!, Steppin', Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, Stone Rollin', Strikes Again, Stuart Matthewman, Sunlight (Herbie Hancock album), Tasty (Patti LaBelle album), Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life), That's What Friends Are For (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams album), The Automatt, The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge, The Comfort Zone (album), The Element of Freedom, The Funk Brothers, The Funk Brothers, The Game (Chico DeBarge album), The Headhunters, The Heart of a Woman (album), The Hit Man, The Love Unlimited Orchestra, The Right Night & Barry White, The Vault Playlist, Vol. 1, The Way I Am (Billy Preston album), The Way Love Goes (Brian McKnight song), The Woman I Am, This Is Your Life (Norman Connors album), Unplugged (Alicia Keys album), VSOP (album), Wah-wah pedal, Warm Thoughts, Wax Poetics, When Love Comes Calling (Deniece Williams album), Where There's Smoke..., Windstorm (album)

See also

• Session musician