Melvin "Wah-WahWatson" Ragin played wah-wah on some notable singles by The Temptations in the early-'70s, as well as with Martha Reeves and the Pointer Sisters.
There are two types of wah pedals: one that lets the player control the effect via a foot pedal manually, and one that adjusts the effect automatically according to the amplitude of the signal from the guitar (auto-wah, or envelope follower).
The electronic version, which sweeps the peak response of a filter up and down in frequency to create the sound, was first heard in 1945 on a pedal steel guitar created by Leo Fender and in the early-'60s on Vox amplifiers (under the name Wah-Wah) and Thomas electronic organs (as the Crybaby).
Melvin Herbert Evans (August 7, 1917 - November 27, 1984) was a Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives.
Melvin H. Evans - Encyclopedia Glossary Meaning Explanation Melvin H. Evans.
Evans, Melvin H. Evans, Melvin H. Category:Governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands
The broad brass arrangements, wahwah guitar (Melvin 'WahWahWatson' Ragin is all over this album) and chanted vocals on songs like Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (a minor hit from the album) owe much to the music of Kool and The Gang, the Fatback Band and the Ohio Players.
When that intro starts with the distinctive hand claps and wahwah guitar, that's the signal.
It doesn't matter how incapable of dancing you are, its time to get on the floor and boogie.
The band includes Maupin, Mason, and Jackson, plus Louis Johnson on bass, Motown session man Melvin "WahWahWatson" Ragin and future FunkadelicBlackbird McKnight on guitar.
Other guests include the return of WahWahWatson and Bennie Maupin from the Sextet, but they're only here in a supporting role.
Carlos Santana, Parker, WahWah and Jimi Hendrix imitator Randy Hansen.
Alphonze Mouzon is wasted on drums, and guitarist WahWahWatson has a field day on his eponymous specialty.
The rock element is supposedly supplied by Hancock on the newly-developed Clavitar, where, try as he might to articulate like a guitarist, the sound is still that of a mutated synthesizer.
Dennis Coffey and Melvin (WahWahWatson) Ragin made valuable contributions after Motown's soul got psychedelicized.
Coffey was responsible for the bulk of the inspired wah-wah work.
Guitar: Certain groups had their own guitarists -- Marv Tarplin with the Miracles and Cornelius Grant with the Temptations -- but most sessions were cut with the Oreo guitar section, so called because white Joe Messina sat between his black colleagues Robert White and Eddie Willis.
on drums, Chuck Rainey or James Jamerson on bass, Melvin "WahWahWatson" Ragin on guitar, Jerry Peters on piano and Stephanie Spruill on percussion.
At the end of the seventies, the Mizell Brothers discovered A Taste Of Honey and produced their first two albums, including the hit single "Boogie Oogie Oogie".
Most albums featured the same musicians, including Harvey Mason, Sr.
When Herbie had a minor hit with this album, he moved into a more commercial feel and started using guitar players like Ray Parker Jr and other musicians who came from the funk and Motown schools, like MelvinRagin ('WahWah' Watson), and I believe one or both are on this album.
It's also amazing to hear these great musicians doing their best to realize Herbie's vision, even though it's not really what they were used to playing.
Just keep an open mind, remembering that Herbie is an explorer, and here he's expressing something that he never quite repeated.
- Dean Parks - Greg Phillinganes - Steve Porcaro - Billy Preston - Melvin "WahWahWatson" Ragin - Leon Russell - Benmont Tench - Waddy Wachtel
There are an awful lot of successful musicians out there who aren't substantial songwriters, don't produce, don't perform in public much, and never formally join a band - namely, session players.
- Dean Parks - Greg Phillinganes - Steve Porcaro - Billy Preston - Melvin "WahWahWatson" Ragin - Leon Russell - Benmont Tench - Waddy Wachtel
There are an awful lot of successful musicians out there who aren't substantial songwriters, don't produce, don't perform in public much, and never formally join a band - namely, session players.
