Grady Watts (June 30, 1908 – January 1986)
["Grady Watts". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, 2004.] was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
trumpeter and composer.
Early life and education
Watts was born in
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census.
...
. He attended the
Allen Academy
Allen Academy is an independent co-educational day school located in Bryan, Texas that was founded in 1886 by John H. and Rivers O. Allen. The campus is located northeast of Texas A&M University and enrolls about 340 students from throughout th ...
and
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
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.
[Warren Vache, ''The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melodies''. Scarecrow Press, 2000, pp. 526-527.]
Career
Watts played in local jazz bands in Louisiana in the late-1920s.
Grady Watts
at Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
In 1931 he joined the Casa Loma Orchestra, where he became a featured soloist and a composer; he recorded copiously with the ensemble and remained with it until 1942. Among his compositions for the Orchestra were "Rhythm Man", "You Ain't Been Livin' Right", "I Remember", and "Touch and Go".
Personal life
Watts was living in Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...
at the time of his death.
References
American jazz trumpeters
Musicians from Texas
1908 births
1986 deaths
{{US-jazz-trumpeter-stub