Courtesy Mott The Hoople Com

“They said I looked like a card carrier in drag!”

Renowned for his outrageous platforms, silver tinged locks, flashy haberdashery, and mighty Gibson Thunderbird which he painted a lustrous shade of white, the late Peter Overend Watts joyfully embodied the raucous, extravagant character of Mott the Hoople.

Akin to his sartorial splendor, Watts exuded a canny instinct for embellishing the Ian Hunter’s compositions with catchy, simple bass melodies as found in the Hoople’s rendition of Lou’s “Sweet Jane,” and such Ian Hunter – Mick Ralphs gems as “Drivin’ Sister,” “I’m a Cadillac,” “Whiskey Woman,” “Alice,” and “Sucker.”

Watts also excelled in-the-pocket as evidenced by his passages which underpin “Ballad of Mott the Hoople,” “I Wish I Was Your Mother,” and “Angel of Eighth Avenue.”

The Birmingham born bassist composed one of the Mott’s finest tracks “Born Late ’58,” and penned enjoyable rockers aplenty for the truncated Mott ensemble, most notably “By Tonight,” “Shouting and Pointing,” and “Stiff Upper Lip.”

Watts officially left the music business in 1980 following the British Lions endeavor with Mott Messrs. Buffin and Morgan Fisher.

And despite his not playing professionally for over thirty years – Pete’s skills were impressive on Mott’s reunion shows in 2009 and 2013. 

I interviewed Pete for Huffington Post Books upon the publication of his tome The Man Who Hated Walking https://bit.ly/2ScEdaX in 2014.

They don’t make rock stars like Overend Watts anymore…

Peter Overend Watts Sound & Vision…

“Born Late ‘58” https://youtu.be/FqkrkEMTXMA

“Sweet Jane” https://youtu.be/GPa8GZAZJFc

“Drivin’ Sister” https://youtu.be/7uTLEPkbl7M

“Angel of Eighth Avenue” https://youtu.be/yJMHCm9swU4

“Stiff Upper Lip” https://youtu.be/tTMw11n3dDE

“Golden Age of Rock and Roll” https://youtu.be/YNmC-ZT-Eak