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http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=14-Nov-2014&lang=en&s=9597
http://accordions.com/news.aspx?d=14-Nov-2014&lang=en&s=9597
14-Nov-2014
Charlie Watkins (1923-2014), London – UKby Rob Howard |
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 Charlie Watkins was one of the UK accordion scene’s best known and well-loved characters, a man of many accomplishments, and has even been referred to by some as the music world’s most significant inventor and innovator since Edison invented the phonograph. He was principally an audio engineer, famous internationally for his various amplifiers and the Watkins Copicat Echo unit, the latter being his 1958 invention that revolutionized the music industry worldwide. His company, Watkins Electric Music (WEM), founded in 1949 with his brothers Reg and Syd, designed and manufactured electric guitars (e.g. the ‘Watkins Rapier Guitar’), and was notable in the 1960s and 1970s for pioneering PA systems for outdoor rock festivals. Charlie Watkins was the sound engineer for the Rolling Stones’ famous ‘Stones in the Park’ concert in 1969, and for the Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix concerts at Glastonbury in 1970. WEM products became widely used by the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Byrds, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones, to name but a few. The accordion was Charlie’s first love, however, and he began playing in the 1930s. His favorite tune was always ‘Blaze Away’. When war came in 1939, Charlie and his brother Reg joined the Merchant Navy, and both served during the Battle of the Atlantic, a particularly hazardous theater of war. By the 1980s Charlie Watkins had given up working with pop musicians and henceforward devoted himself to the needs of accordionists, developing and marketing his WEM ‘Songbird’ range of accordion amplifiers and other products. WEM ‘Songbird’ amplifiers are used by most of the UK’s best accordionists and dance bands. He also introduced his own branded accordions, sold a range of accessories, and published his own free magazine, ‘Accordion Today’, through which he advertised his products and also gave his forthright views on matters concerning the accordion world. WEM was part of the trade show at accordion festivals such as Caister and Eastbourne for many years, and Charlie often performed songs and tunes on his beloved Galanti Super Dominator in concerts, and was renowned for his Cockney humour. Charlie and his wife June made substantial contributions to charities via their ongoing ‘Accordion Aid’ Appeal, for such recipients as ‘Medicins Sans Frontieres’ (Haiti Earthquake Appeal) and ‘The Connection’, a homeless charity based at St Martins-in-the-Fields, London. He was a man of great humanity who used much of the wealth he accrued for the benefit of others. Charlie Watkins, a remarkable ‘character’ with a great sense of humor, passed away on October 28th 2014 at the age of 91. He is survived by his wife June. |
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