Five Iconic Moments to Remember the Legendary Beverly “Guitar” Watkins
She Shreds looks back on some of the most unforgettable moments of Beverly “Guitar” Watkins—a pioneer not to be forgotten.
Today we lost one of the greats.
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, the legendary blues guitarist, passed away at 80 years old. From her beginnings with Piano Red to her work with James Brown and Aretha Franklin, Watkins was a pioneer of women guitarists. She never slowed down despite health issues, or the ever-disheartening music industry of the 20th century—and in 2016, she spoke to us about these experiences in an interview detailing her past and future.
Below we’ve gathered our top five favorite iconic moments of Watkins career, to honor her perseverance and unparalleled shredding.
The iconic album cover of her 1999 full length release, Back In Business. (Seriously though, it’s perfect.)
When she told CNN in a 2015 interview that she had suffered a heart attack after a performance, and then learned that she had lung cancer. She beat both and was soon back on stage.
“[I’ll keep playing] until I can’t play no more. Something happens, they’ll have to put me in a wheelchair and roll me up on stage, because I’m a dedicated musician.”
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“[I’ll keep playing] until I can’t play no more. Something happens, they’ll have to put me in a wheelchair and roll me up on stage, because I’m a dedicated musician.”
Beverly was true to her word.
I saw her at the Bluesberry and Beer Festival in June, about five weeks before she went into the hospital. She performed sitting down, which I had never seen her do before, and she did not play behind her head, which I had never seen her skip. She must not have been feeling as strong as usual, but she showed up and rocked the crowd from that chair.
Comment by Benjy T. on October 2, 2019 at 1:58 pm