Paula Watson

Paula Watson (September 9, 1927 – October 19, 2003)[1] was an American jazz and R&B singer and pianist.

Paula Watson
Background information
Born(1927-09-09)September 9, 1927
Mobile, Alabama, United States
DiedOctober 19, 2003(2003-10-19) (aged 76)
Malmö, Sweden
GenresRhythm and blues, jazz
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsPiano
Years activec.1948–1970s
LabelsSupreme, Decca

Biography

She was born in Mobile, Alabama.[1] After moving to California, she recorded for the Supreme label in Los Angeles, and her first single, "A Little Bird Told Me", written by jazz pianist Harvey Brooks and featuring guitarist Tiny Webb,[2] reached number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart (then called the "Race Records" chart), and number 6 on the pop chart.[3] The song was covered by Evelyn Knight for Decca Records, with a similar musical arrangement, and Supreme sued Decca for damages. In the meantime, Watson had a second R&B chart hit with "You Broke Your Promise", which reached number 13. However, Supreme lost their case against Decca, and the company went out of business soon afterwards.[2]

She performed as a "rowdy vocalist...[and] vigorous pianist who could lay down a mean boogie-woogie blues".[2] In late 1949 she began recording for Decca in a style similar to Nellie Lutcher and Julia Lee, backed by saxophonist Jerry Jerome's orchestra and the vocal group Four Hits & A Miss. However, her more conservative records were not hits and she moved in 1953 to MGM Records, where her recordings were described as "significantly hipper" and featured saxophonist Sam "The Man" Taylor and bassist Milt Hinton.[2]

In the early 1960s, she left the US, and worked in cabaret in London, England through the 1960s and early 1970s. By the 1990s, she was based in Hamburg, Germany. She died in Malmö, Sweden, in 2003, aged 76.[1]

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References
  1. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 319. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. Review of The Chronological Paula Watson 1948-1953 by arwulf arwulf , Allmusic.com. Retrieved 7 November 2016
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 472.
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