John Watson
Photo: Unknown photographer / Wikimedia Commons / Unknown — Unknown Wikimedia file page
John Watson was a British musician who played bass guitar in The Manish Boys, one of David Bowie’s most important mid-1960s groups during his decisive move toward rhythm & blues–based rock.
As part of the band’s driving rhythm section, Watson helped establish the heavier, more assertive sound that allowed Bowie (then billed as Davy Jones) to break away from early beat-group conventions.
- Role: Bass guitar
- Band: The Manish Boys
- Active with Bowie: 1965–1966
- Bowie connection: Mid-1960s R&B band member
The Manish Boys and Bowie’s R&B shift
Formed in 1965, The Manish Boys represented a sharp stylistic departure from Bowie’s earlier beat-oriented bands.
The group embraced American rhythm & blues, soul and mod influences, aligning Bowie with a tougher, club-based performance circuit.
John Watson’s role on bass
John Watson provided bass guitar, forming a solid rhythmic foundation that supported the band’s brass-heavy arrangements and aggressive delivery.
His playing anchored the group’s sound, allowing Bowie to experiment more freely with vocal phrasing, attitude and stage presence.
David Bowie as Davy Jones
During The Manish Boys period, Bowie was still performing under the name Davy Jones, refining a more confrontational frontman persona.
The band’s R&B emphasis encouraged a stronger visual and sonic identity than his previous projects.
Shared recordings
The Manish Boys released the single I Pity the Fool in 1965, a recording that captured the group’s raw rhythm & blues direction.
The track is notable for featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar and remains a key document of Bowie’s mid-1960s evolution.
End of the collaboration
Bowie left The Manish Boys in early 1966 as he sought greater creative independence and control over songwriting.
For Watson, the collaboration remains part of an important transitional moment in Bowie’s formative years.
Place within Bowie’s universe
Within David Bowie’s extended creative universe, John Watson represents the moment Bowie embraced a heavier rhythm section as a tool for reinvention.
His role belongs to the essential apprenticeship phase that sharpened Bowie’s musical direction and stage confidence.