A night on the town with friends and Bobby Watson’s music, has been a Peterborough tradition for years – and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Bobby’s musical roots run deep, and are typical of Peterborough’s entertainment story. Starting with a Sears catalogue guitar, purchased with paper route money, Bobby went on to become part of the seminal bands in Peterborough Rock & Roll.
First came ‘The Outcrowd,’ later becoming ‘The Hangmen.’ Then there was ‘Sumac and Bacon,’ well before he expanded his horizons with non-Peterborough bands such as Ensemble and Coyote, after which he returned home to be part of ‘Max Mouse & The Gorillas.’
Bobby then cemented his credentials, as many great musicians do, by serving an apprenticeship with Ronnie Hawkins.
A 10-year sojourn in the Blues Capital of Memphis furthered his musical pedigree, teaching him a lot about Canadians competing in tough markets and learning to believe in their talents. It might sound over-simplified to say that you have to go away in order to come back again – however, in Bobby’s case the years in Memphis led him back to Peterborough.
Reestablishing himself here, he’s become a vital, and respected part of the Peterborough entertainment scene. The Peterborough Examiner Centennial Edition listed him as one of the Performing Arts Top 100 of the Past 100 years. A recent tribute to Bobby Watson included testimonials from no fewer than 30 prominent musicians who’ve been touched by the Watson magic.