Biography
The 1950s R&B landscape overflowed with explosive tenor saxophonists, among whom Noble "Thin Man" Watts ranked among the most ferocious. In 1942 he entered Florida A&M University, where fellow members of the school marching band included future jazz standouts Nat and Cannonball Adderly. Immediately after graduation, Watts was engaged by the Griffin Brothers, then among Dot Records’ leading R&B attractions, well before the label became a refuge for pale pop stylists such as Pat Boone and Gale Storm.
Following college, he linked up with baritone saxophonist Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams in 1952. Together they cut sides for Jax, and Watts supplied saxophone solos behind Dinah Washington, Amos Milburn, and Ruth Brown on the pioneering mid-’50s television showcase Showtime at the Apollo, where Williams directed the house band for host Willie Bryant. A later period found him performing with Lionel Hampton.
Watts launched his own recording career in 1954 via a DeLuxe coupling, “Mashing Potatoes” backed with “Pig Ears and Rice.” Shortly before his most fertile stretch on the New York-based Baton imprint, a 1956 Vee-Jay single appeared under Williams’ band name, titled “South Shore Drive.” Between 1957 and 1959, backed by his own group the Rhythm Sparks, Watts unleashed a string of blistering instrumentals for Baton—“Easy Going,” “Blast Off,” “Shakin’,” “Flap Jack,” and others—culminating in the chart success of “Hard Times (The Slop),” which placed him on the pop listings in December 1957. Guitarist Duane Eddy later recorded a version of the grinding shuffle for Jamie. Additional rock-and-roll ties emerged when Watts supported Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and the Everly Brothers on various late-’50s package tours.
During the late ’50s and early ’60s, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson served as Watts’ manager and installed the saxophonist as leader of the house band at Robinson’s Harlem nightclub. Work grew scarce throughout the ’60s and ’70s; 45s issued on Sir, Cub, Enjoy, Peanut, Jell, Clamike, and Brunswick attracted scant attention. A return arrived in 1987 when Bob Greenlee’s Kingsnake label released the album Return of the Thin Man, subsequently licensed to Alligator. King of the Boogie Sax followed in 1993 on Ichiban’s Wild Dog subsidiary. When not leading his own projects, Watts remained active as a session saxophonist for Greenlee.
Following college, he linked up with baritone saxophonist Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams in 1952. Together they cut sides for Jax, and Watts supplied saxophone solos behind Dinah Washington, Amos Milburn, and Ruth Brown on the pioneering mid-’50s television showcase Showtime at the Apollo, where Williams directed the house band for host Willie Bryant. A later period found him performing with Lionel Hampton.
Watts launched his own recording career in 1954 via a DeLuxe coupling, “Mashing Potatoes” backed with “Pig Ears and Rice.” Shortly before his most fertile stretch on the New York-based Baton imprint, a 1956 Vee-Jay single appeared under Williams’ band name, titled “South Shore Drive.” Between 1957 and 1959, backed by his own group the Rhythm Sparks, Watts unleashed a string of blistering instrumentals for Baton—“Easy Going,” “Blast Off,” “Shakin’,” “Flap Jack,” and others—culminating in the chart success of “Hard Times (The Slop),” which placed him on the pop listings in December 1957. Guitarist Duane Eddy later recorded a version of the grinding shuffle for Jamie. Additional rock-and-roll ties emerged when Watts supported Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and the Everly Brothers on various late-’50s package tours.
During the late ’50s and early ’60s, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson served as Watts’ manager and installed the saxophonist as leader of the house band at Robinson’s Harlem nightclub. Work grew scarce throughout the ’60s and ’70s; 45s issued on Sir, Cub, Enjoy, Peanut, Jell, Clamike, and Brunswick attracted scant attention. A return arrived in 1987 when Bob Greenlee’s Kingsnake label released the album Return of the Thin Man, subsequently licensed to Alligator. King of the Boogie Sax followed in 1993 on Ichiban’s Wild Dog subsidiary. When not leading his own projects, Watts remained active as a session saxophonist for Greenlee.