Geraint Watkins

Geraint Watkins

Geraint Watkins is a Welsh rock and roll pianist and accordionist from Abertridwr, near Caerphilly in South Wales. Born in 1951, he moves to London after studying art and spends much of his career working as a backing musician and collaborator for major artists in popular music.

Career

Watkins plays with and backs artists including Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney, Shakin’ Stevens, Bill Wyman and Bob Dylan. His playing also appears on Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour. He is known for a style that combines blues, jazz, folk and rock, and for turning simple musical ideas into memorable live performances.

He also works as a songwriter, and several of his songs are used in film soundtracks. His public profile remains relatively modest compared with the number of well-known musicians he plays with, but he builds a loyal audience through his own records and live work.

Solo recordings

Watkins releases several albums under his own name. These include Watkins Bold As Love in 1997 on Bluefive, Dial 'W' For Watkins in 2004 on Proper, and In A Bad Mood, which is recorded at Goldtop Studios and produced by Watkins with Neil Brockbank. That album is issued as the launch release for Goldtop Recordings in partnership with Jungle.

Associated acts

He is associated with Geraint Watkins & The Dominators, Willie and the Poor Boys, The Balham Alligators, and Geraint Watkins and the Mosquitoes.

Performance and reputation

Watkins is widely regarded by other musicians as a distinctive performer and an accomplished accompanist. His work is heard alongside artists such as Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Bill Wyman and Nick Lowe, and he continues to be identified with rock and roll, blues and acoustic material.