Doug Watkins

Douglas Watkins (March 2, 1934 – February 5, 1962) was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.

Biography
Watkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's quintet and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Phil Woods among others.

Some of Watkins' best-known work can be heard, when as a 22-year-old, he appeared on the 1956 album Saxophone Colossus by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, with Max Roach and Tommy Flanagan.

According to Horace Silver's autobiography, Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty, Watkins, along with Silver, later left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers because the other members of the band at the time (Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Blakey) had serious drug problems, whereas Watkins and Silver were tired of being harassed and searched by the police every time they went to a gig in a new city and club.

When Charles Mingus briefly ventured over to the piano stool in 1961, he hired Watkins to take over the bass part; Oh Yeah and Tonight at Noon were the results.

Watkins recorded only two albums as leader: Watkins at Large for Transition; and Soulnik for New Jazz. The latter, recorded in 1960, with Yusef Lateef, features Watkins on cello with Herman Wright backing him on bass. The cello was an instrument he had started to play only a few days before the recording session.

Watkins died in an automobile accident near Holbrook, Arizona, on February 5, 1962, while traveling from Arizona to San Francisco to meet drummer Philly Joe Jones for a gig.

As leader

 * 1956: Watkins at Large (Transition)
 * 1960: Soulnik (New Jazz)

As sideman
With Pepper Adams With Gene Ammons With Art Blakey With Tina Brooks With Kenny Burrell With Donald Byrd With John Coltrane With Tommy Flanagan With Curtis Fuller With Red Garland With Benny Golson With Bill Hardman With Wilbur Harden With Thad Jones With Yusef Lateef With Jackie McLean With Charles Mingus With Hank Mobley With Lee Morgan With The Prestige All Stars With Paul Quinichette With Dizzy Reece With Rita Reys With Sonny Rollins With Horace Silver With Louis Smith With Idrees Sulieman With Billy Taylor With Phil Woods
 * Baritones and French Horns (Prestige, 1957)
 * Critic's Choice (World Pacific, 1957)
 * The Pepper-Knepper Quintet (MetroJazz, 1958) with Jimmy Knepper
 * 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (Riverside, 1958)
 * Jammin' with Gene (Prestige, 1956)
 * Funky (Prestige, 1957)
 * Blue Gene (Prestige, 1958)
 * Boss Tenor (Prestige, 1960)
 * Velvet Soul (Prestige, 1960 [1964])
 * Angel Eyes (Prestige, 1960 [1965])
 * Nice an' Cool (Moodsville, 1961)
 * Jug (Prestige, 1961)
 * At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 (Blue Note, 1955)
 * At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1955)
 * Originally (Columbia, 1956 [1982])
 * Minor Move (Blue Note, 1958)
 * All Night Long (Prestige, 1956)
 * All Day Long (Prestige, 1957)
 * Kenny Burrell (Prestige, 1957)
 * K. B. Blues (Blue Note, 1957 [1979])
 * 2 Guitars - with Jimmy Raney (Prestige, 1957)
 * Byrd's Eye View (Transition, 1955)
 * Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (Transition, 1956)
 * 2 Trumpets (Prestige, 1956) - with Art Farmer
 * Jazz Eyes (Regent, 1957) - with John Jenkins
 * Byrd in Paris (Brunswick, 1958)
 * Parisian Thoroughfare (Brunswick, 1958)
 * Fuego (Blue Note, 1959)
 * Byrd in Flight (Blue Note, 1960)
 * Chant (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Dakar (Prestige, 1957 [1963])
 * The Cats (Prestige, 1957)
 * New Trombone (Prestige, 1957)
 * Coleman Hawkins with the Red Garland Trio (Swingville, 1959)
 * Satin Doll (Prestige, 1959 [1971])
 * Rediscovered Masters (Prestige, 1959 [1977])
 * Gettin' with It (New Jazz, 1959)
 * Saying Something (Savoy 1961)
 * Mainstream 1958 (Savoy, 1958)
 * Mad Thad (Period, 1957)
 * Olio (Prestige, 1957)
 * Jazz for the Thinker (Savoy, 1957)
 * Jazz Mood (Savoy, 1957)
 * Presenting... Jackie McLean (Ad Lib, 1955)
 * Lights Out! (Prestige, 1956)
 * 4, 5 and 6 (Prestige, 1956)
 * Jackie McLean & Co. (Prestige, 1957)
 * Alto Madness (Prestige, 1957) - with John Jenkins
 * Bluesnik (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Oh Yeah (Atlantic, 1961)
 * Tonight at Noon (Atlantic, 1961)
 * Hank Mobley Quartet (Blue Note, 1955)
 * The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956)
 * Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956)
 * Mobley's 2nd Message (Prestige, 1956)
 * Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1956)
 * Hank Mobley and his All Stars (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Hank Mobley Quintet (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Introducing Lee Morgan (Savoy, 1956)
 * Candy (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Wheelin' & Dealin' (Prestige, 1957)
 * On the Sunny Side (Prestige, 1957)
 * Soundin' Off (Blue Note, 1960)
 * The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (Columbia, 1956)
 * Saxophone Colossus (Prestige, 1956)
 * Newk's Time (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (Blue Note, 1955)
 * Silver's Blue (Columbia, 1956)
 * 6 Pieces of Silver (Blue Note, 1956)
 * Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note, 1957)
 * Roots (New Jazz, 1958) with the Prestige All Stars
 * Interlude (Moodsville, 1961)
 * Pairing Off (Prestige, 1956)