John Watson, Jr., born on February 3, 1935, was an R&B, soul and funk singer/songwriter/musician who began recording in 1952 as Young John Watson. In 1954, after seeing the Joan Crawford film Johnny Guitar, he adopted his new stage name.

His highest charting hit was the 1977 “A Real Mother for Ya”. His best known song is a 1978 re-recording of a song he originally did in 1957, “Gangster of Love”. Watson died on May 17, 1996.