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1921 – He was born October 10, in Detroit Michigan.
1930 – (Age 9) he began playing the French-horn .
1949-52 – He attended the Manhattan School Of Music .
1960/61 – His play won the Down Beat critics poll for a miscellaneous instrument.
1977 – He died April 4, in Short Hills, NJ.
In between the above dates he played with, to name a few, Monk, Miles, Charles Mingus, and Quincy Jones.
"The French horn might be a difficult instrument, but Watkins played it with the warmth of a trombone and nearly the fluidity of a trumpet." – Scott Yanow
"The French-horn's intrinsic fox hunt quality would appear to make it akward for improvisation . . . Watkins set it free, skillfully pouring its mellow tone into jazz forms, and making a seemingly earthbound horn fly gracefully, like a well flung Frisbee ." – Chris Albertson
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