Johnny "Guitar" Watson: R&B guitarist
1935-1996

One of the most influential rhythm-and-blues guitarists, Johnny "Guitar" Watson collapsed and died on stage at the Yokohama Blues Cafe outside Tokyo May 17. Watson had suffered a heart attack, and was pronounced dead at a hospital. He was 61.

Watson was born in Texas, moved to Los Angeles as a teen-ager and began his musical career in small jazz and blues clubs. He later toured with such artists as Sam Cooke, Herb Alpert and George Duke. Watson's often sexually oriented recordings include "The Gangster of Love," which became his nickname; "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights;" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy."

In 1993, his comeback album "Bow Wow" -- his first album in 13 years -- earned him a Grammy nomination for contemporary blues. Some of popular music's best-known guitarists, including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, said they were influenced by Watson's music. More recently, Watson's guitar riffs have been used in songs by rap musicians Snoop Doggy Dogg and Ice Cube.

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