Dominick Knowles

is a doctoral student in the Department of English at Brandeis University. His Twitter handle is @pastelcathedral.

Somethin’ Slick Goin’ On: The Proletarian Funk of Johnny “Guitar” Watson

Somethin’ Slick Goin’ On: The Proletarian Funk of Johnny “Guitar” Watson

Johnny “Guitar” Watson was a fascinating contradiction: a man dressed like an icon of fame and wealth whose lyrics depict the struggle of working people trying to make ends meet in an era of looming economic destitution. Though he dons a funky getup, Watson’s bleak expression of working life under economic and social oppression derives from the long blues tradition dating back to slavery and the Reconstruction era.