For the last twelve years he has been playing saxophone with James Brown, but Jeff Watkins' journey into the funk has been going on for a lot longer than that.

Growing up in rural Missouri, Jeff took up the instrument at a young age, inspired by a chance encounter with yakety saxman Boots Randolph. Grade school meant bands and Band, and by the time he had spent three years in the jazz program at the University of Missouri, Watkins was thoroughly grounded in the standards, familiar with the legacies of his axe from Hawkins to Coltrane. His midwestern roots gave him a strong foundation in swinging blues and his favorite stylists became soul-jazz artists like King Curtis and Gene "The Jug" Ammons. Working in R&B bar bands, his repertoire grew to include the whole canon of funky sax music. His dues account had been opened.

In 1985, Jeff headed to the University of Miami, where he studied jazz and audio engineering and jammed with countless groups in the hot tropical nightclubs of South Florida. His exposure to styles from reggae to salsa was deep and some of it even took. In a rite of passage for all serious players in the region, he signed on for a couple of years playing in cruise ship show bands, hitting ports of call throughout the Caribbean and developing the discipline needed for the rigorous gigs destined in his future. Coming ashore back in Florida around 1988, Watkins sought a berth within a blues-based act that was going places. First he signed on with Miami's rootsy swamp rockers Iko-Iko, and then in 1989 Jeff became part of Groove Thangs, a funk-rock band that had just completed a demo deal with Epic Records. Not only did "Mega" Watkins' amazing mature tone and catalog of riffs add a much-needed component to the Thangs' original music, he built the group's live sound system and recording studio too. Going the independent route, Jeff recorded and helped write, produce and arrange several releases by the band, including Uppression, which won Jam Magazine's Jammy Award for Best Independent Release of 1991.

Groove Thangs toured relentlessly in the Southeast, playing enough dates to earn sponsorship as part of Miller's rather exclusive and short-lived Genuine Draft Band Network. When the band went on hiatus in 1993, Watkins relocated to South Carolina. There he worked with various groups, including producing regional funk favorites Uncle Mingo. Jeff also lingered around Aiken and often visited Augusta, GA. His humble goal was to meet the Godfather and his band, jam some and maybe get an audition. In 1994, that dream came true and Jeff Watkins was hired by The Hardest Working Man In Show Business.

Playing with James Brown for the last dozen years has been quite an experience for Jeff. Not only has he learned more about the funk from the man who invented it, he's shared career highlights like JB's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, a Live At The Apollo album, the top-selling "Live At The House Of Blues" DVD and festival appearances from Montreaux to Woodstock to Bonaroo. He's played all over the world, from South America to Europe to Asia and has been seen on Good Morning America, David Letterman and even Jerry Springer. Watkins has become an integral part of the show for James Brown, who introduces his sax player as "the ninth wonder of the world."

Between tours, Jeff has lived in Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore, New Jersey and recently called New Orleans home. His spare moments have been spent as an audio consultant, engineer, session player and producer, working with studios like Funkadero in Florida and artists like Rhode Island's Herbal Nation, New Orleans' Brotherhood of Groove and Dutch funk band OctavePussy. He's been sighted jamming with everyone from jamgrass superstars The Sting Cheese Incident to NOLA's own Papa Grows Funk. Everywhere he goes he lays down the heavy jazz, funk and soul, and slowly but surely has been putting together a release or two of his own. Stay tuned to this web site for the latest from Jeff Watkins!

UPDATE: James Brown passed away Christmas Day, 2006. Jeff is currently performing with Joss Stone.