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Born in Germany but raised in Great Falls, Montana, US, Watts grew up with an insatiable appetite for entertaining. At the age of 18, he moved to Seattle to pursue an education in jazz, attending the Cornish College of the Arts. Whilst there, Watts became involved with a number of local outfits, playing keyboards for Wayne Horvitz' 4+1 Ensemble and providing lead vocals for the groove-laden Maktub.
Watts began to perform solo in 2002, initially using looping pedals and delay effects in order to use his voice as the sole instrument. With a penchant for improvisational comedy, Watts began to incorporate these aspects into his show. However, his 2003 debut, "Simplified," was still a serious musical effort, creating an innovative, neo-soul record.
A move to Brooklyn, New York, US, brought Watts into contact with comedians Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale, who invited Watts to perform in their experimental variety show, "Invite Them Up." For his original standup show, Watts was awarded with the Andy Kaufmann Award in 2006, praising his unique approach, which utilized beatboxing, rapping and his impressive vocal talents, interspersed with his smatterings of comedy.
Watts managed huge crossover appeal, finding music fans and comedy critics to be in appreciation of his work, with even Brian Eno inviting Watts to play at his Luminous Festival, at the Sydney Opera House, Australia, in 2010. After several appearances on Comedy Central, as well as Saturday Night Live, Watts saw the release of his CD/DVD "Why $#!+ So Crazy" that same year, which captured his live special on Comedy Central.
More live specials followed, most notably "A Live in Central Park" in 2012, which was also released on CD/DVD. Watts also began starring in the IFC series, "Comedy Bang! Bang!" in 2012, continuing to do so until he was offered the job of leading "The Late Late Show's" band in 2015.
Reggie Watts is probably one of the most unique and talented performers currently touring today. He blends comedy, both verbal and physical, with singing, rapping and beatboxing so seamlessly that it makes complete sense but it’s unlikely that anyone else could pull it off. The man himself just oozes funny. He walks out on stage with his huge fro, beard, and generally dressed in some kind of ridiculous sweater that often has some kind of animal on it. But then he starts his show and you realize you will definitely get your moneys worth. Interweaving observational stand-up comedy with musical breaks, he even goes on tangents in other languages like Spanish and French. And not only is he funny, but the guy can also sing. He uses a loop pedal to build beats and tunes on top of one another, using just his vocal chords and then he sings soulfully on top of them. The lyrics are typically nonsense or completely improvised but his vocal range is impressive. The great thing about a Reggie Watts show is that you will never be bored and you will also never see the exact same show twice, no matter how many times you see him.
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