Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

, and

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

's album '' The Grand Wazoo'' he played the "Mystery Horn", a straight-necked C melody saxophone. Watts also played the notable saxophone riff on " The One You Love" from Glenn Frey's album, '' No Fun Aloud''.

Biography

Watts was born in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, Virginia, and began playing saxophone at 13. After a brief period at West Chester University, he attended the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

on a '' Down Beat'' magazine scholarship. He toured with Buddy Rich in the late 1960s, occupying one of the alto saxophone chairs, and visited Africa on a U.S. State Department tour with Oliver Nelson's group. Watts played alto saxophone with The Tonight Show Band under Doc Severinsen for 20 years and was a member of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra. He was a featured soloist on many of

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

's albums on

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

during the 1970s, as well as on many other pop and R&B sessions during his 25 years as a studio musician in Los Angeles. He has won two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s as an instrumentalist. In 1978 Watts provided the saxophone solo for Andrew Gold's hit single " Never Let Her Slip Away''. Watts was added to the lineup of backing musicians on the fifth show of the Rolling Stones American Tour 1981 and was with them until the end of that tour. Throughout the tour, Watts's influence on the Stones' live performance grew significantly, with the Stones jamming longer and longer over tracks such as " Just My Imagination" and " Let Me Go". Watts can be heard on ''

Still Life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

'', the live album recorded during the tour. In the mid 1980s, Watts decided to rededicate himself to jazz. He recorded and toured with German guitarist and composer Torsten de Winkel, drummer Steve Smith, and keyboardist Tom Coster. He was invited to join Charlie Haden's Quartet West; the two met backstage one night after Haden heard Watts play "Nightbird" by Michel Colombier. Watts also played on soundtracks for the movies '' Grease'' and '' The Color Purple'' and on the theme song for the TV show '' Night Court''. In 1982, his version of "Chariots of Fire" was featured in the Season 4 episode of ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' ("The Creation of Venus"). He was featured on one of

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct successor to Windows 2000 for high-end and business users a ...

's sample tracks, "Highway Blues" by New Stories. In 1986, Watts visited South America with the

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Special Quartet alongside Charlie Haden and Paul Wertico, playing at Shams in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2008, his album ''Analog Man'' won the Independent Music Award for Best Jazz Album. He played on Kurt Elling's album '' Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman'', which won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2011. WiKi ErnieWatts20120825

Discography

As leader

* ''Planet Love'' ( Pacific Jazz, 1969) * ''The Wonder Bag'' (Vault, 1972) * ''Look in Your Heart'' ( Elektra, 1980) * ''Chariots of Fire'' ( Qwest, 1982) * ''Musician'' (Qwest, 1985) * ''Sanctuary'' (Qwest, 1986) * ''The Ernie Watts Quartet'' ( JVC, 1987

991 Year 991 (Roman numerals, CMXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events * March 1: In Rouen, Pope John XV ratifies the first Peace and Truce of God, Truce of God, between Æthelred the Unready and Richard I o ...

* ''Afoxe'' with Gilberto Gil ( CTI, 1991) * ''Reaching Up'' (JVC, 1994) * ''Unity'' (JVC, 1995) * ''Long Road Home'' (JVC, 1996) * ''Classic Moods'' (JVC, 1998) * ''Reflections'' with Ron Feuer (Flying Dolphin, 2000) * ''Alive'' (Flying Dolphin, 2004) * ''Spirit Song'' (Flying Dolphin, 2005) * ''Analog Man'' (Flying Dolphin, 2006) * ''To The Point'' (Flying Dolphin, 2007) * ''Four Plus Four'' (Flying Dolphin, 2009) * ''Oasis'' (Flying Dolphin, 2011) * ''A Simple Truth'' (Flying Dolphin, 2014) * ''Wheel of Time'' (Flying Dolphin, 2016) * ''Home Light'' (Flying Dolphin, 2018) With

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

*''Celebration'' (Horizon/A&M, 1976) *''For Everybody'' (Horizon/A&M, 1977)Karma - For Everybody (LP liner notes). Horizon/A&M Records. SP-723

As a member

The GRP All-Star Big Band * '' GRP All-Star Big Band'' (GRP, 1992) * ''Dave Grusin Presents the GRP All-Star Big Band Live!'', (GRP, 1993) * '' All Blues,'' (GRP, 1995) The Super Black Blues Band
(With T-Bone Walker, Otis Spann and Joe Turner) * '' Super Black Blues'' (BluesTime, 1969) Sergio Mendes
Also, he played saxo in album Confetti (1983)

As sideman

With Billy Alessi and Bobby Alessi * ''Words and Music'' ( A&M, 1979) * ''Long Time Friends'' (Qwest, 1982) With Paul Anka * ''The Music Man'' (United Artists, 1977) * ''Walk a Fine Line'' (CBS, 1983) With Patti Austin * '' Patti Austin'' (Qwest, 1984) * '' The Real Me'' (Qwest, 1988) * '' Love Is Gonna Getcha'' (GRP, 1990) With Donald Byrd * '' Caricatures'' ( Blue Note, 1976) * '' Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C.'' (Elektra, 1979) With Christopher Cross * '' Another Page'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * '' Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)'' (Arthur - The Album. Warner Bros., 1981) With

* '' Let's Get It On'' (Tamla, 1973) * '' I Want You'' (Tamla, 1976) With Charlie Haden * '' Quartet West'' ( Verve, 1987) * '' The Private Collection'' ( Naim, 2000) – rec. 1987–88 * '' In Angel City'' (Verve, 1988) * '' The Montreal Tapes: Liberation Music Orchestra'' (Verve, 1999) – rec. 1989 * '' Haunted Heart'' (Verve, 1992) * '' Always Say Goodbye'' (Verve, 1994) * '' Now Is the Hour'' (Verve, 1996) * '' The Art of the Song'' (Verve, 1999) * '' Sophisticated Ladies'' ( EmArcy, 2010) With Bobby Hutcherson * '' Head On'' (Blue Note, 1971) * '' Linger Lane'' (Blue Note, 1975) * '' Montara'' (Blue Note, 1975) With

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

* ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'' (A&M, 1977) * '' The Dude'' (A&M, 1981) With

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

* ''

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

'' (Ode, 1971) * '' Rhymes & Reasons'' (Ode, 1972) * ''

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

'' (Ode, 1973) * '' Wrap Around Joy'' (Ode, 1974) * '' Simple Things'' (Capitol, 1977) * '' Welcome Home'' (Capitol, 1978) With Teena Marie * '' Wild and Peaceful'' (Gordy, 1979) * '' Roobery'' (Epic, 1983) * '' Starchild'' (Epic, 1984) With Lee Ritenour * Captain Fingers 1977 * ''Friendship'' ( JASRAC, 1979) * '' Stolen Moments'' ( GRP, 1989) With Boz Scaggs * '' Slow Dancer'' (Columbia, 1974) * '' Down Two Then Left'' (Columbia, 1977) With

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Music of Latin America, Lati ...

* '' Gypsies'' (Tabu, 1978) * '' No One Home'' (Tabu, 1979) With

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

* '' Valli'' (Private Stock, 1976) * '' Frankie Valli... Is the Word'' (Warner Bros., 1978) With Deniece Williams * '' This Is Niecy'' (Columbia, 1976) * '' I'm So Proud'' (Columbia, 1983) With

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...

* '' Eternal Equinox'' (Pacific Jazz, 1969) * '' Lomelin'' (

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

, 1981) * '' Jessica'' ( Trend, 1982) * '' Calafia'' (Trend, 1985) With Bill Withers * '' Making Music'' (Columbia, 1975) * '' Watching You, Watching Me'' (Columbia, 1985) With Betty Wright * ''Betty Wright'' (Epic, 1981) * ''Wright Back At You'' (Epic, 1983) With others * Gene Ammons, '' Free Again'' ( Prestige, 1971) * David Axelrod, '' Earth Rot'' ( Capitol, 1970) * Willie Bobo, '' Tomorrow Is Here'' (1977) * Brass Fever, '' Time Is Running Out'' ( Impulse!, 1976) * Peabo Bryson and

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

, '' We're the Best of Friends'' (Capitol, 1979) * Kenny Burrell, '' Both Feet on the Ground'' (

, 1973) *

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, '' Take Me Home'' (Casablanca, 1979) * Paul Clark, ''Aim for the Heart'' ( Seed Records, 1980) * Stanley Clarke, '' Time Exposure'' (CBS, 1984) * Joe Cocker, '' Have a Little Faith'' (550 Music, 1994) *

, '' Don't Look Back'' (Capitol, 1980) * Randy Crawford, '' Secret Combination'' (Warner Bros., 1981) * Dion DiMucci, '' Streetheart'' (Warner Bros., 1976) * Kurt Elling, '' Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman'' ( Concord, 2009) *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, '' You'' (Atlantic, 1975) * Michael Franks, '' Burchfield Nines'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * Glenn Frey, '' No Fun Aloud'' (Asylum, 1982) * Gamalon, ''Project: Activation Earth'' (Amherst,1989) *

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

, '' Stories'' (Polydor, 1980) *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

, '' Free Ride'' ( Pablo, 1977) * Benny Golson, '' Killer Joe'' (Columbia, 1977) * Jennifer Holliday, '' Get Close to My Love'' (Geffen, 1987) * Milt Jackson, '' Memphis Jackson'' (Impulse!, 1969) * J. J. Johnson, '' Concepts in Blue'' (Pablo Today, 1981) * Rickie Lee Jones, '' Rickie Lee Jones'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * Charles Kynard, '' Charles Kynard'' ( Mainstream, 1971) * Cheryl Lynn, '' Cheryl Lynn'' (Columbia, 1978) * Eric Martin, ''Eric Martin'' (Capitol, 1985) * John Mayall, ''Moving On'' ( Polydor, 1973) *

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

, '' Pipes of Peace'' (Parlophone, 1983) * Carmen McRae, '' Can't Hide Love'' (Blue Note, 1976) * Jim Messina, ''One More Mile'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * Blue Mitchell, '' Vital Blue'' (Mainstream, 1971) * Maria Muldaur, ''Southern Winds'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * Rob Mullins, ''Tokyo Nights'' (Nova, 1990) * Aaron Neville, ''The Grand Tour'' (A&M, 1993) * New Stories, ''Speakin' Out'' (Origin, 1999) * Randy Newman, '' Trouble in Paradise'' (Reprise, 1983) * Jeffrey Osborne, '' Jeffrey Osborne'' (A&M, 1982) * Jean-Luc Ponty, ''King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'' (World Pacific/Liberty,1970) * Bonnie Raitt, '' Takin' My Time'' (Warner Bros., 1973) * Willis Alan Ramsey, '' Willis Alan Ramsey'' (Shelter, 1972) *

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...

, ''

Reddy Reddy (also Hunterian transliteration, transliterated as Reddi or Raddi; also known as Reddiar or Reddappa) is a Telugu people, Telugu Hindu Caste system in India, caste predominantly found in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in Sou ...

'' (Capitol, 1979) * Rufus and Chaka Khan, '' Stompin' at the Savoy – Live'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * Moacir Santos, '' Carnival of the Spirits'' (Blue Note, 1975) * Bob Seger, '' Like a Rock'' (Capitol, 1986) * Bud Shank, '' Windmills of Your Mind'' ( Pacific Jazz, 1969) * Steely Dan, '' Countdown to Ecstasy'' (ABC, 1973) *

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

, '' Songbird'' (Columbia, 1978) * Donna Summer, '' Donna Summer'' (Geffen, 1982) * England Dan & John Ford Coley, '' Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive'' (Big Tree, 1979) * Gábor Szabó, '' Faces'' ( Mercury, 1977) * Mariya Takeuchi, ''Variety'' (Moon, 1984) * James Taylor, '' In the Pocket'' (Rhino, 1976) * Gino Vannelli, '' Brother to Brother'' (A&M, 1978) * Sarah Vaughan, '' Brazilian Romance'' (CBS, 1987) *

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

, '' Love at First Sight'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * Torsten de Winkel and Hellmut Hattler, ''Mastertouch'' ( EMI, 1985)

References

External links

*
Ernie Watts Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Ernie 1945 births Living people American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz flautists Berklee College of Music alumni Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia Mainstream Records artists Grammy Award winners Qwest Records artists Independent Music Awards winners 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Virginia 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians GRP All-Star Big Band members The Tonight Show Band members Karma (American band) members CTI Records artists Elektra Records artists JVC Records artists The Love Unlimited Orchestra members 21st-century American flautists