Mitch Watkins

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Mitch Watkins (* 1. August 1952 in McAllen , Texas ) is an American rock and fusion jazz - guitarist and keyboardist.

Live and act

Watkins grew up in Texas near the Mexican border . He took piano lessons at the age of eight and switched to guitar at the age of twelve, only to play in a surf band a year later, which interpreted the hits of the Ventures . Early role models were Jeff Beck , Jimmy Page , Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix . He attended Texas Christian University ; left school after a year and became a member of a rock and roll band. After touring for two years, he returned to college and studied composition at the University of Texas . There he occupied himself more with the jazz guitar and oriented himself towards musicians such as Wes Montgomery , Pat Martino , Jim Hall , Lenny Breau or Joe Pass .

Under the influence of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew band , he founded the fusion formation Passenger with students , with whom he performed around Austin (Texas) . In 1979 they played as a backing band for the singer Leonard Cohen and toured Europe and Australia with him. In the following years Watkins u. a. with Joe Ely , Jennifer Warnes , Bennie Wallace , Jack Walrath , Barbara Dennerlein and Friedrich Gulda . Otherwise he played with local bands in Austin.

Watkins recorded the album Underneath It All under his own name in 1989 for the German Enja label . a. Dennis Chambers , Anthony Cox and Arto Tuncboyaci took part, in 1991 Enja was followed by the album Curves with Chambers, Bob Berg and Jay Anderson . In 1992 Watkins recorded the album Strings with Wings on Strings While gran-pa sings about hot things with a group of musician friends from Texas , which was released on the Tiptoe label. The productions Humhead (Dos, 1995) and In the Time of Long Shadows (Viewpoint, 2006) followed later . He also worked with the Austrian singer / songwriter Bob Schneider ( Underneath the Onion Trees on Shockorama, 2000). Watkins is currently working with his own band. He has his own production studio and works with Lyle Lovett , Jerry Jeff Walker, mandolin player Paul Glasse and bassist John Fremgen.

Watkins guitar style is influenced by Mike Stern , according to Cook / Morton .

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personal data
SURNAME Watkins, Mitch
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH August 1, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH McAllen , Texas