THE DOUBLE-CROSS

CRISS-CROSS-CROSS

     In 1979 Johnny Watson and I were finishing up what would be my last recording session with him.  We were recording material for our final albums for DJM.  Not only were we working on our recordings, we were also working on material for two singers, Randy Redman and “Flash” Jonathan Wilson.  In my opinion, two hit recording resulted: “Can You Handle It” and “Funkular”.  “Can You Handle It” would have been “Guitar” Watson’s next big hit recording, and “Funkular” would have been mine.  Watson and I co-wrote and produced “Funkular” for my project the Watsonian Institute; it was the title track.  We recorded the Institute project just as we recorded everything else.  The production process never changed.  It was always Watson and me in the studio.  The Watsonian Institute was a production concept designed to compensate me for all the production work I had done for Vir-Jon, but it was still Watson and me recording as always.

     When I recruited all the musicians necessary for this great band however, Watson could not handle it.  He started saying things like “ E.T. I am tired of you “motherfuckers” sounding better than me”, and I should have gotten the hint.  Watson was not going to participate in something that could become bigger than he was.  Vir-Jon was in position to make a major impact on the market.  Even though Watson had done most of the writing and stood to gain the most from our success, he could not bear the thought of the Institute, Randy Redman, or “Flash”  Jonathan Wilson possibly getting more attention.   It is my belief that this fear led Johnny Watson to sabotage everything we had created at Vir-Jon: my project, and all that we had produced to that point.  He was going to see to it, that no one was going to get more attention than Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

     At the end of my session with Watson, I left the studio with my final mixes for the Institute and I awaited the release of my album, Funkular.  When the album was released, I was shocked, I could not believe what Watson had done.  Behind my back, he had taken “Funkular” my title track, and put it in the can.  He told me my hit recording of “Funkular” was not being released because, on the recording I said “Funk”and it sounded like “Fuck”.  At that time I accepted that, but later I realized he also put “Can you Handle It” in the can.  Something was clearly not right.  Watson was not sharing his true feelings, and in fact he had a hidden agenda.  He led me to believe that the idea of going independent raised by Lenny Silver of Amherst Distribution was something he was considering, but he did not share with me his unhappiness with Dick James Music.  Watson did not want DJM to profit from any more of his work, and behind my back, he replaced most of what we had recorded with tracks he had recorded in his bedroom on his eight-track Teac recorder.  Watson held back the best tracks and fulfilled his commitment to DJM with inferior product.

     Johnny Watson went to A&M records alone, the opportunity of a lifetime.  He had gotten there based upon the recording success he and I had achieved with DJM.  Watson and I had a very successful run with DJM.  Dick James Music had gotten Watson two gold recordings, and a company like A&M should have gotten him platinum.  Johnny “Guitar” Watson was so set on proving to the world that he was the sole force behind his recording success that he kept hit recordings in the can and did not use them.  Watson could have given A&M the tracks “Can You Handle It” or “Funkular”.  He would not do it because we had produced them together.

     Watson recorded four albums for A&M records and did not give me a single session.  All of the material Watson produced for A&M was rejected.  He went to A&M records by himself and blew it.  He could not produce anything that A&M was willing to put its name on.  Watson has been dead for over twenty years.  If the material he produced had any worth, A&M would have released it by now.  The first double-cross was Watson holding back our recordings from DJM and replacing them with inferior home recordings.  The criss-cross was Watson taking my recording of “Funkular” and using it as his own.  The Criss-cross-cross was Watson ending our recording relationship and thus ending his ability to remain the independent producer he was.  Just before his death in 1996, Watson apologize to me.  He realized that he had destroyed the chance for his company Vir-Jon to make us both rich.  I thank God that Watson and I were on the same page just before his death.  We talked before he left on his last tour and were very optimistic about the possibility of recording together again.  Unfortunately, Guitar died on that last tour and I had to accept that we would never have that opportunity.  Watson’s legacy of blues and funk will stand the test of time nonetheless.