Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century. He was a child prodigy that turned into a full fledged legend during the course of his career.
He gave us some of the most popular hits of this century, while he also helped other artists reach a whole new level of popularity using nothing but his creative mind.
However, Stevie Wonder is just one guy. No matter how much of a musical genius he is, Wonder needs a band in order to express his music in a way it’s meant to be played.
One of the most memorable and notable members of his band is his bass player. This guy joined Stevie Wonder back in the ’70s, and has since remained by his side. Today we are going to talk about this man, and how his contribution to Stevie Wonder’s music has made it better in his own way. Let’s talk about Stevie Wonder bass player.
Nathan Watts
The person we are talking about is Nathan Watts. He joined Stevie Wonder as a session bass player, and remained on his roster ever since. But, Watts never stopped being a session musician. In his own words, he was all about Stevie Wonder at night, but he looked forward to being a session bass player during the day.
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Throughout his career, he played with a lot of incredible artists. This includes Michael Jackson among others. Today this awesome bassist plays with a lot of people, famous or not. In his core, he is just a humble man whose love for music transcends the material realm.
Nathan Watts is all about playing bass guitar. If you go and watch one of his gigs, you will see an artist who is just exploding with energy during the performance. Watts simply feels the music, and isn’t afraid to let other people know this through his gesticulation and overall mood on stage.
Just how important he became to Stevie Wonder over the years can be seen from the fact that Nathan Watts is Stevie Wonder’s musical director, a position he first took 15 years ago. Being a musical director for a literal musical prodigy speaks volumes of his skill, knowledge and experience.
For a celebrity of his caliber, Nathan Lamar Watts is an incredibly down to earth guy. He doesn’t mind being in the spot light, but he isn’t the type of person to seek attention where ever he goes.
This former foundry worker is pretty much the same person he was when he walked out of that same foundry one day, and decided that there has got to be more to life than what he was doing at the moment.
One of the things that defines his style is that he isn’t afraid to use simple bass lines. You will often hear him driving the rhythm with a bass line that is just the several tones played in a slow and easy tempo. He understands the bass guitar as an instrument, and the role it plays in different genres of music he plays.
In terms of bass guitars that Watts likes to use, you will see a whole lot of Fender’s Jazz basses along with Precision series and similar models. His guitar collection is pretty extensive though, and includes a whole bunch of models.
You will see Nathan Watts at numerous bass guitar workshops in United States and abroad. If you ever have the opportunity to visit one of these, we strongly suggest you do so. You will have the opportunity to meet a great man who has a lot of knowledge to share, and a lot of wisdom to give to those just starting in the music business. Whether you are a bass player, or not, this man is definitely worth your time.
In closing
When it comes to legends of modern music, it’s always good to remember that there are numerous talented musicians in the background who make everything happen. Sure, we see one person in the spot light, but best performances require a whole group of people to come together and do their thing.
Nathan Watts is one such little known legend that is every bit as spectacular as Stevie Wonder for whom he plays.
