{{short description|American jazz musician and vocalese singer (1898–1950)}}
{{for|the New Zealand cricketer|Leo Watson (cricketer)}} {{One source|date=October 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Leo Watson | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = | alias = | birth_place = Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | birth_date = February 27, 1898 | death_place = | death_date = {{death date and age|1950|5|2|1898|2|27}} | origin = | instrument = Vocalist, trombone, tiple, drums | genre = Jazz | occupation = | years_active = | label = | website = }}
'''Leo Watson''' (February 27, 1898 – May 2, 1950)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2639}}</ref> was an American jazz vocalese singer, drummer, trombonist and tiple player. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> and is probably best remembered as a member of The Spirits of Rhythm small group, which included guitarist Teddy Bunn.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Watson also worked briefly with a variety of big bands, including those of Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw and Jimmy Mundy.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
Watson also provided the (uncredited) voice for Prince Chawmin' in the cartoon ''Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs'' (directed by Bob Clampett, 1943), one of the racially objectionable Censored Eleven; primary voice artist Mel Blanc's contract only allowed for his solo credit. In a 1969 ''Funnyworld'' interview conducted by Michael Barrier and Milton Gray, Bob Clampett recalled Watson's name erroneously as ''Zoot Watson''; thus, Leo Watson himself went uncredited for his work in the cartoon for almost forty more years. Finally, Australian voice artist and animation historian Keith Scott discovered his name correctly in the Warner Bros. Archives.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000252326|pure_url=yes}} Leo Watson] at AllMusic
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Leo}} Category:1898 births Category:1950 deaths Category:American jazz singers Category:American jazz drummers Category:Vocalese singers Category:Swing drummers Category:Swing trombonists Category:Scat singers Category:American jazz ensembles Category:20th-century American male actors Category:20th-century American singers Category:20th-century American drummers Category:American male drummers Category:20th-century American trombonists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American male jazz musicians Category:Spirits of Rhythm members Category:The Washboard Rhythm Kings members Category:American jazz trombonists Category:Drummers from Missouri
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