Garage Sale Vinyl: Johnny “Guitar” Watson
A Real Mother For Ya / DJM Records / March 1977
by Christopher Long
What did I know from the blues in 1977? Well, at age 14, it wasn’t much. I wouldn’t (knowingly) be exposed to the blues until 1978, when I hit 15 and was introduced to the debut Blues Brothers LP and the chart-busting Foghat record, Stone Blue. As a result, in 1977, I was completely naïve to the early work of Johnny “Guitar” Watson, a musician who had risen to fame in the 1950s with such classic blues singles as “Space Guitar” and “Gangster of Love.”
However, as an ardent fan of the Ohio Players, Parliament, and Rufus, I did know ALL about the funk, and Watson had been rebranding himself as less of a blues artist and more of a funk master. A track that truly stunk from the funk, his single, “A Real Mother For Ya,” was receiving significant airplay on my go-to Cocoa Beach “hits” radio station during the spring and summer of ‘77. And it definitely knew my zip code. Hence, I couldn’t help but notice the full-page, full-color ad in Billboard magazine, boasting Watson’s recent success.
Simply put, Johnny “Guitar” Watson was plain cool. And in that magazine ad, he was meeting and exceeding all of my funk star requirements. Massive ‘fro and pimp-style fedora: check. Elton-worthy shades and plenty of polyester: check. Gold front tooth and diamond-set gold jewelry: check. He was also holding up two framed gold record awards, boasting his back-to-back smash albums: Ain’t That a Bitch (1976) and A Real Mother for Ya (1977).
Truth be told, I thought that the ad was so cool, I carefully tore it out of the magazine and taped it to my bedroom wall, right along with the growing gallery of pouting Paul Stanley pics and posters. I wanted a copy of A Real Mother for Ya SO badly. But, with SO much other need-to-own music on the market, and as a kid of limited means, I never bought the album. And over the years, Johnny “Guitar” Watson fell off my wall, and then off my radar.
Fast forward nearly 50 years (two weeks ago to be exact), and a dear friend gifted me her entire vintage vinyl collection, for FREE! Contained in that massive UPS shipment was an eclectic collection, from Styx and the Stones to Lee Ritenour and Lee Oskar to Leon Russell and Maria Muldaur to Janet Jackson, Dan Hartman, and “Diamond” David Lee Roth. Then, I spotted the real prize buried in this vinyl Cracker Jack box. It didn’t even have a cover, not even an inner paper sleeve. In fact, it was wrapped loosely in a tattered and torn, clear plastic sleeve. What on earth is this? I dove in for a closer look. It was a brutally abused, original pressing of A Real Mother for Ya. My heart actually skipped a beat. After nearly five decades, I finally owned that Johnny “Guitar” Watson record!
To say that the record had been “brutally abused” is no overstatement. In fact, it was barely playable. Heck, the crackling was actually louder than Johnny’s guitar! But it played well enough for me to feel the funk. And it was beautiful, Baby! With the album now fresh on my mind, I hopped over to iTunes lickety split and snatched up a digital copy. Don’t judge me, Man — the vinyl was ravaged!
Produced, arranged, and (primarily) performed by Watson, A Real Mother for Ya, like so many of my beloved records from that era, covered a lot of ground: R&B, blues, funk, and jazz. A timeless Polaroid, the title track captured Watson’s down-and-dirty musical style and unique, working man lyrics. Among my other personal favorites, “Nothing Left To Be Desired” was a sweet-feeling, scat-scattered, six-minute smooth groove, while the talk box-charged “Your Love Is My Love” lived on the stankier side of the tracks. That’s an endorsement, BTW.
Although he was never quite a household name, Johnny “Guitar” Watson influenced an array of varied musicians over the years. Iconic artists, including Etta James, Frank Zappa, and Steve Miller ALL pointed to Watson as having a significant influence on their music. Watson’s stylistic DNA can also be found smeared across records from the likes of Rick James and Lakeside. And from audio to optics, it’s tough to imagine how celebrated hip hop act the Outkast would have been crafted without Johnny “Guitar” Watson to offer the blueprint. Ain’t that cold!
4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Real Mother For Ya Track List
*All songs written by Johnny “Guitar” Watson
SIDE A
1. A Real Mother For Ya (5:00)
2. Nothing Left To Be Desired (5:42)
3. Your Love Is My Love (4:38)
4. The Real Deal (4:53)
SIDE B
1. Tarzan (4:58)
2. I Wanna Thank You (6:05)
3. Lover Jones (5:23)
