Noble "Thin Man" Watts
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Noble "Thin Man" Watts (born February 17, 1926 in DeLand, Florida; died August 28, 2004) was a blues, jump blues and rhythm and blues saxophonist. He primarily played tenor saxophone.
He showed musical talent at youth studying violent trumpet when he could. He switched to tenor saxophone, and gained training, by attending Florida A&M where he worked with Cannonball Adderley. After college he was hired by The Griffin Brothers starting his professional career. In the 1950s he worked with Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, and others. He also appeared on American Bandstand with Johnny Mathis in 1957.[1] He was managed by Sugar Ray Robinson in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but his career would decline by the mid-1960s. He ended up playing lounge music in parts of Florida before being "rediscovered" by Bob Greenlee. He made something of a comeback after that in 1987 and worked for Greenlee's logo.
In 2004 Mr. Watts died of a combination of pneumonia and emphysema.
