One of the most highly regarded R&B guitarists of the 1960s, Johnny 'Guitar'
Watson went on to define funk's swaggering groove and embrace the disco craze of
the 1970s. A naturally flamboyant showman, Watson was inspired by the likes of
T-Bone Walker and Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and started out by performing in
juke joints in Los Angeles and on the West Coast in the 1950s. He was renowned
in his early days for the sound of his "space guitar", created by using
distorted feedback and heavy reverb, but went on to score the R&B hits Those
Lonely, Lonely Nights, Cuttin' In and Mercy...