Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer. Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s, during the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and new wave era of rock music as the bass player for

Ian Dury and the Blockheads Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

. He had previously been a member of the Greatest Show on Earth. In addition to his work with the Blockheads, Watt-Roy has been a session musician and has released one solo album.

Early life

Norman Joseph Watt-Roy was born into an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The '' Oxford English ...

family on 15 February 1951, in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, India. In November 1954, the Watt-Roy family, including Norman, his older brother Garth Watt-Roy (born Garth Philip Watt-Roy, December 1947, Bombay, India), and his sister moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. They settled in

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was sit ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, where Norman went to St. Joan of Arc Primary School, Blackstock Road. When Norman was 8, the family moved to Harlow,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. At the age of 8, he learned a few guitar chords from his father, and played in high school bands with his older brother Garth, who started playing the lead guitar in 1961. Norman left high school at the age of 15, and briefly studied art at Harlow Technical College, and then moved back to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Early band work

In early 1967, Norman Watt-Roy formed the band the Living Daylights with his brother Garth and released a single on the

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

label titled "Let's Live for Today" (April 1967) and did regular gigs in venues such as the Angel Blues Rooms in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, London. In 1968 Norman and Garth Watt-Roy formed a nine-piece soul band and toured

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

military bases in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, backing American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singers such as

Sonny Burke Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader and producer. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University, where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke ...

and played a summer residency at the Maddocks Club in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. By this time the band was known as the Greatest Show on Earth and by 1969 had won a recording contract with Harvest. This led to the release, in February 1970, of the single "Real Cool World", which was a hit in Europe, reaching number-one in Switzerland. The band's debut album ''Horizons'' was followed by a second album ''The Going's Easy'', both issued in 1970 and another single "Tell the Story". In 1970 Garth joined the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

/ hard rock band

Fuzzy Duck Fuzzy duck is a drinking game where players sit in a circle and take turns to say the words "''fuzzy duck''". A player may also opt to say, "does he?", in which case play resumes in the opposite direction with players instead saying "''ducky fuzz' ...

Pre-Blockheads

In 1972, Watt-Roy joined the band Glencoe, and met guitarist John Turnbull. The quartet released two albums, ''Glencoe'', and ''The Spirit of Glencoe'', along with three singles, and four recorded John Peel radio sessions before breaking up, and in 1974 they got together with keyboardist

Mick Gallagher Michael William Gallagher (born 29 October 1945) is an English Hammond organ player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as ''Extremes ...

to form the nucleus of a band which, with the addition of drummer Charlie Charles, would become Loving Awareness (managed by

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly ...

guru

Ronan O'Rahilly Aodogán Ronan O'Rahilly (21 May 1940 – 20 April 2020) was an Irish businessman best known for the creation of the offshore radio station, Radio Caroline and the band Sheep On Drugs. He also became manager of George Lazenby, who played James ...

). It was during a session with Charles for a friend in 1976 that they met both

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads ...

and

Chaz Jankel Charles Jeremy "Chaz" Jankel (born 16 April 1952) is an English musician. In a music career spanning more than 40 years, he came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Ian Dury and the Blockheads. With ...

and went on to play on the album ''

New Boots and Panties!! ''New Boots and Panties!!'' is the debut studio album by Ian Dury, released in the UK on Stiff Records on 30 September 1977. The record covers a diverse range of musical styles which reflect Dury's influences and background in pub rock, taking i ...

'', which was released in 1977 on the Stiff label.

Ian Dury and the Blockheads

The Loving Awareness quartet were later to join up with Dury and Jankel for the first Stiff Tour of UK and became known as

. Under the management of Andrew King and

Peter Jenner Peter Julian Jenner (born 3 March 1943) is a British music manager and a record producer. Jenner, Andrew King and the original four members of Pink Floyd were partners in Blackhill Enterprises. Early career Peter Jenner is the son of Willia ...

, the original managers of Pink Floyd, Ian Dury and the Blockheads quickly gained a reputation as one of the top live acts of

new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...

. They released two more albums on Stiff and several singles, achieving a UK number one in 1979 with "

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, first released as a single on Stiff Records in the UK on 23 November 1978 and credited to "Ian & the Blockheads". Written by Dury and the Blockheads' multi-instrumentalist C ...

". In 1980,

Wilko Johnson John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...

replaced Jankel for a while, which led to a rapport between Johnson and Watt-Roy. This resulted in Watt-Roy becoming a regular member of Johnson's own band by 1985.

Other work

During the 1970s and 1980s, Watt-Roy did session work, appearing on albums such as

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Jesus of Cool'',

Rachel Sweet Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962)
accessed May 2, 2014. is an American singer, television writer and actres ...

's ''

Fool Around ''Fool Around'' is the debut album by American singer Rachel Sweet. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 13, 1978 by Stiff Records. The album was released in the United States in July 1979, by Stiff and Columbia Records, with a ...

'' and

Jona Lewie Jona Lewie (born John Lewis, 14 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his 1980 UK hits "You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties" and " Stop the Cavalry". Career Lewie was born on 14 March ...

's single " You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties". He also made an appearance on

the Selecter The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979. The Selecter featured a diverse line-up, both in terms of race and gender, initially consisting of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson and Pauline Black on lead ...

's 1981 album ''Celebrate the Bullet'' and played on

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

's '' Sandinista!'' album along with fellow Blockhead

on keyboards. Watt-Roy performed on the ''Sandinista!'' tracks recorded at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, including "

The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay by William Roberts is a remake – in an Old West–style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film ''Seven Samurai'' (itself initially relea ...

", " Hitsville UK", and others. Watt-Roy also played bass on their ''

Cut the Crap ''Cut the Crap'' is the sixth and final studio album by English punk band the Clash, released on 4 November 1985 by CBS Records. It was recorded in early 1985 at Weryton Studios, Munich, following a turbulent period: co-founder, lead guitar ...

'' recordings. Their drummer

Topper Headon Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955) is an English drummer, best known as the drummer of punk rock band the Clash. Known for his instrumental contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...

said in a recent interview that it was Watt-Roy who played bass on " Rock the Casbah" which featured on the album '' Combat Rock''. In 1983, Watt-Roy provided basslines for the

Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...

single "

Relax Relax may refer to: Aviation * Roland Z-120 Relax, a German ultralight aircraft design for the 120 kg class Music Albums * ''Relax'' (Blank & Jones album), 2003 * ''Relax'' (Das Racist album), 2011 Songs * "Relax" (song), a 1983 song by Fran ...

" during a session which included Blockheads John Turnbull,

and Charlie Charles. This version however, was not used for the final release of the song. In 1984, he teamed up with Gallagher again for

Wreckless Eric Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock/ new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single " Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two decades after its release, the song was included in ''M ...

Captains of Industry Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

's 1985 album ''A Roomful of Monkeys''. In 1984, he provided bass on all tracks to

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

's solo album, '' Parting Should Be Painless''. The album had one minor hit single, "

Walking in My Sleep "Walking in My Sleep" is a song written by Leslie Adey and Jack Green and recorded by English singer Roger Daltrey for his fifth solo studio album ''Parting Should Be Painless'' (1984). The single was produced by Mike Thorne, with executive pr ...

", which featured Watt-Roy and

in its

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

. In 2001, Watt-Roy completed sessions with members of Madness and also joined them sporadically for live work. He also worked with the ex-producer of Depeche Mode, who had recorded him jamming with drummer Steve Monti meaning to sample the results. Since then, he has found work with Nick Cave on Cave's solo shows, without the Bad Seeds, and continued as bass player for

. Watt-Roy guested on

Viv Albertine Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954) is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the punk band the Slits from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio ...

's ''The Vermillion Border'' (Cadiz Music) in 2012, and in 2013 released a solo album, ''Faith & Grace'', also on Cadiz Music, with guests including former Blockheads drummer

Dylan Howe Dylan Lee Howe (born 4 August 1969) is an English drummer, bandleader, session musician and composer. The son of guitarist Steve Howe with whom he has sometimes collaborated, Dylan is also noted for his work with rock band the Blockheads ( ...

Discography

The Greatest Show on Earth

*''Horizons'' (1970) * ''The Going's Easy'' (1970) * ''The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1975)

The Blockheads

* ''

'' (1977) * '' Do It Yourself'' (1979) * '' Laughter'' (1980) * ''Live! Warts 'n' Audience'' (1990) * ''The Bus Driver's Prayer and other Stories'' (1994) * '' Mr. Love Pants'' (1998) * '' Straight from the Desk'' (2001) * '' Ten More Turnips from the Tip'' (2002) * ''Where's the Party?'' (2004) * ''30 – Live at The Electric Ballroom'' (2008) * ''Staring Down the Barrel'' (2009) * ''Same Horse Different Jockey'' (2013) * ''Beyond the Call of Dury'' (2017)

References

External links

* * *
The Blockheads/Biographies/Norman Watt-Roy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watt-Roy, Norman 1951 births 20th-century bass guitarists 21st-century bass guitarists English rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists English session musicians Living people British rhythm and blues boom musicians Decca Records artists Polydor Records artists Atlantic Records artists Atco Records artists Musicians from Mumbai Alumni of Harlow College The Blockheads members 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians Anglo-Indian people