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Tom Watson

Born and raised in the scrubby Dutch section of south St. Louis. Began playing guitar and bass professionally at 14 (1966) with large R&B and soul bands thanks to having good equipment and the ability to show up on time. Five years later, woke up in a motel room full of passed out strangers (again) and reconsidered career choices. Got a degree in philosophy from a Sacred Heart college. Went to a Jesuit grad school, translated Medieval Latin manuscripts, and received a doctorate. Missed motel room parties and moved to Hollywood. Spent decades as a script reader, doctor, and ghost writer for a foreign production company. Created hard to pronounce pen names and lived in Asia. Now reside in a farming village in northern Portugal where I stay home, raise our daughter, pick grapes, and write about guitar-centric music and musicians for ezine Modern Guitars.

8 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

A Fender Custom Shop Master Built Experience

Special Feature by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 10 January 2004

EVERYONE WHO grew up with "rock 'n' roll" during the 50s and 60s in the United States understood its message. Rebellion. The music served as ...

State of the Vintage Strat 2004: Four U.S. Experts Share Their Opinions

Overview by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 14 February 2004

WHILE AUTOMOBILES were designed to be driven, coins designed to be spent, and stamps designed for licking, such items have come to be valued and ...

How to Buy a Fender Stratocaster, Part One

Guide by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 23 February 2004

THE ARTICLE BELOW is not about collectible Stratocasters, vintage or otherwise. The information is provided in response to a frequently asked question: How in the ...

Eric Clapton Turns 59

Profile by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 30 March 2004

I see myself as kind of being like a lone guy on a quest.– Eric Clapton1 ...

How to Buy a Fender Stratocaster Part Two: New Instruments

Guide by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 20 April 2004

THE THRESHOLD questions considered in Part One of How to Buy a Fender Stratocaster were: What is your budget? and What purpose will the instrument ...

Eric Clapton Stratocaster "Blackie" Becomes Most Expensive Guitar Sold at Auction

Report by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 25 June 2004

ERIC CLAPTON'S prized Stratocaster "Blackie", brought $959,500 in the Christie's Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Auction, becoming the most expensive guitar ever to have been sold ...

Jimi Hendrix: Seven Fender Stratocaster Models That Pay Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

Special Feature by Tom Watson, Modern Guitars, 13 November 2004

OVER THE 34 years since his untimely death in 1970 at the age of 27, the music of Jimi Hendrix has inspired legions of budding ...

The Stratocaster Chronicles by Tom Wheeler

Book Review by Tom Watson, Strat Collector, 11 February 2005

Apart from the weight of its own history, the Strat abides.– Tom Wheeler, The Stratocaster Chronicles ...

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