Noble Watts dies

[brownie]

From AP:

Noble Watts

DELAND, Fla. (AP) - Noble Watts, the blues and jazz saxophonist who led the house band at Sugar Ray Robinson's club in Harlem and played on rock 'n' roll tours with Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, died Tuesday, close friends said. He was 78.

Also known as "Thin Man," Watts had been in a nursing home for months struggling with emphysema and pneumonia.

Watts released a series of singles on Baton Records, including the instrumental hits "Hard Times (the Slop)" in 1957 and "Jookin'" in 1961.

Watts established his professional reputation in New York in the 1950s, where he played with the house band at Sugar Ray Robinson's club in Harlem. He also played with Lionel Hampton's orchestra and on rock 'n' roll package tours with Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and others.

Saxophonists from King Curtis to Bruce Springsteen sideman Clarence Clemons were influenced by his booming tenor sound.

Born in DeLand, Watts attended Florida A&M University, where played in the marching band with future jazz legends Cannonball and Nat Adderley.

Recently, Watts had been recognized as a musical icon. The African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand dedicated an amphitheater named after Watts in May. And Stetson University, where he raked leaves as a boy to pay for music lessons, gave him an honorary doctorate in 2000.

[Harold_Z]

Sorry to see "The Thin Man" go.

When I was a kid one of the Newark or maybe NYC disc jockeys used to use HARD TIMES as a theme. I heard it countless times and always enjoyed it.

[paul secor]

Noble Watts was one of the great r&b tenor sax cats in the 1950's - early 60's.

Rest in peace. Thank you for sharing your music.

[BruceH]

Sad news. RIP