Adam Watts (musician) - Biography

Biography

Adam Watts was born in Laguna Beach, California. He came from a musical family. His grandmother was a Hawaiian style steel guitar player and teacher, his mother plays accordion and piano, his father plays guitar and sings. His older brother plays guitar and his younger sister is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer. Adam began playing drums at the age of 10, inspired by the drummer in his brother's band which rehearsed in the home. Watts is a devout Christian. His faith is evident in much of his work as a songwriter.

Watts studied drumming throughout his late childhood and teens studying with various drum teachers including Glenn Young, John Hannon, Roy Burns, Evan Stone, Jim Wunderlich and Mike Jackson (in the Mission Viejo High School Drumline 1991-1994), Dave Weckl, Chad Wackerman, Joey Heredia. In 1993 he was the local winner of the Santa Ana Guitar Center Drum-Offs. In 1994 he won the National Will Calhoun Drum Solo Scholarship Contest Sponsored by Sonor Drums. In 1995, Watts attended Saddleback community college where he studied music and philosophy. Opting to leave after only one year to pursue a career in music full-time.

Watts was the drummer of local Orange County band Bulkhead (along with OC Supertones bassist Tony Terusa) from 1994-1997. In 1996 Adam contributed drum tracks to Gannin Arnold's pop/rock indie solo release entitled "One". He played his drums in various funk and top 40 cover bands in the Orange County/L.A. club scene including The Strangers, Stone Jonez and Soul Shaker. It was around this time that he began writing songs, singing, producing his own music. He also began to play live (singing and playing guitar) with various backing musicians and band members including Gannin Arnold, Melvin Davis, Adam Marcello, Drew Hester, Andy Dodd, Bill Mohler, Nate Wood, Luke Agajanian and Derek Frank.

In 2000 he contributed drums to bassist Melvin Davis's jazz/fusion solo album Tomorrow's Yesterday and percussion to Pax217's album TwoSeventeen. In 2001 Adam and his sister Jenn Watts wrote the theme song for the movie Pootie Tang. This kick-started his career as a full-time songwriter and producer. This year also saw the birth of his production company RED DECIBEL with Andy Dodd. Watts and Dodd produced Christian pop/rock artist Jeremy Camp's 6 song indie E.P. which led to Jeremy's signing with BEC Recordings. Watts and Dodd produced and recorded the majority of Jeremy Camp's first two albums Stay and Carried Me in a three month span in Watt's childhood home in Mission Viejo, CA in late 2001. Stay and Carried Me were both eventually RIAA Certified Gold. Watts and Dodd continued working with Camp throughout his career on his albums Restored, Beyond Measure and Live Unplugged. Watts and Dodd also produced various other contemporary Christian albums for 'Jadon Lavik' and 'The OC Supertones and Maranatha Music.

In 2003, Watts and Dodd were connected to pop artist Jesse McCartney through the independent A&R company TAXI. They wrote the songs Take Your Sweet TIme and Beautiful Soul for McCartney which led to his signing with Disney's Hollywood Records. Beautiful Soul became the title track and first single on Jesse's first Hollywood Records release. It went on to become a worldwide smash hit reaching number 5 on the Billboard Pop 100 Charts, number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on Pop 100 Airplay and number 23 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. The "Beautiful Soul" video spent the maximum amount of time (50 days) on MTV's Total Request Live top 10 videos show. The album Beautiful Soul went Platinum in 2004. The song appeared on various compilations and soundtracks including the That's So Raven Soundtrack, A Cinderella Story Soundtrack and Kids Bop 7.

Watts signed a publishing deal with Walt Disney Music Publishing in 2004 and went on the write and/or produce (with Andy Dodd) on Aly and AJ's album Into The Rush, High School Musical 1, 2 and 3, Hannah Montana seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4, Jump In Soundtrack, Go Figure Soundtrack, Everlife's Walt Disney Records self-titled release and Ingram Hill, The Chronicles Of Narnia Prince Caspian end titles song "This Is Home", co written with Switchfoot, Kelly Clarkson's "Can We Go Back", Camp Rock 1 & 2 and The Jonas Brothers among others.

To date, Watts and Dodd's songs and productions have appeared on over 50 million albums sold worldwide.

In partnership with filmmaker Daniel Chesnut, the two began to focus on film projects including music videos and feature films.

In 2011 RED DECIBEL added songwriter, producer, guitarist Gannin Arnold to their team. In addition to writing and recording new artist Joel Piper, they are currently working with new Hollywood Records signing, all girl rock group Cherri Bomb on their debut album.

VISUAL ARTS:

In late 2012 Watts began to more seriously delve into visual arts. A long time interest in photography and graphic design expanded into leather handcrafting and the fine arts. AMW HUMAN DECOR is the brand name surrounding his leather works which include bracelets, bags and wallets with unique designs which often incorporate bison leather, early 20th century WWI and WWII rifle sling leather and antique hardware including vintage camera and clock parts.

Watts' mixed media assemblage fine artwork incorporates objects from the Victorian era through the early 20th century. His highly conceptual work often includes found objects and early medical tools, primitive wood mechanical objects such as gears and pulleys as well as taxidermy and skeletal elements including animal skulls. His work has been shown at Artology, The Paul Williams Gallery, Bunker 1970, Artservatory as well as his own permanent gallery and retail space INTERNAL Gallery & Oddities located in Downtown Fullerton, CA.