Born on 25th March 1954 in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, Nathan Watts has laid the foundation for some of the most influential music ever recorded. You’ll find him on albums by the Jacksons, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Herbie Hancock, The Temptations, Sérgio Mendes and Paul McCartney to name just a few. Still, it’s as Stevie Wonder’s long-serving bassist, the man he casually refers to as Steve, that Nate has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most proficient bass players, or as Marcus Miller puts it, “Nate is the Godfather.”
In August 1974 Nate took a call from Stevie Wonder’s office who, following a recommendation from guitarist Ray Parker Jr, wanted to hire him for a gig in Memphis, Tennessee. “I was told to learn as many songs as I could,” said Nate. “There was no rehearsal; we went over a few tunes backstage and we were on. The first two tunes were Superstition and My Cherie Amour, and I was fine. Then they called Contusion, which I’d never heard, and I froze up! I went over and started watching Steve’s left hand and somehow got through it.”
