I grew up in Detroit, the west side, went to Northwestern, which is where a lot of the Motown people came from, like the Temptations, Four Tops, all those cats went to Northwestern [High School]. I was younger so I didn’t go to school with them. I started paying music when I was about eight. I played trumpet all the way through school, and I started playing bass after I graduated.

How did you end up with the bass as your instrument of choice?

I had a band in elementary [school]. Me and two partners had a band in elementary. My two partners were Ray Parker and Ollie Brown. We got written up in the school paper: The youngest band doing original tunes. Then when I got to high school, I played all trumpet in the marching band. I quit because my friends, those same two people, said, “Man, you should play bass and we’d have a three piece like Hendrix.” So after I graduated, I picked up a bass, and they left me! They went onto bigger and better things.

What players inspired you in those early years?

One of the cats was [James] Jamerson. Lucky [Scott] with Curtis Mayfield. And [Chuck] Rainey. Rainey was playing all the stuff with Aretha. What rock players interested me? Jack Bruce.

Detroit had a pretty heady music scene back in those days.

Yeah, it was a really heady music scene. We didn’t just grow up with Motown like a lot of people think. A lot of rock and roll was in the ghetto, too. I actually started playing jazz first. And then I went from jazz to playing colleges, rock and roll with another three-piece band, playing Hendrix stuff. And then I was influenced by Motown.

Is there any particular performance that you saw growing up that stands out in your mind?

Oh, man… One of the best shows I saw was Edgar Winter. Edgar Winter was one of them. This is besides the Motown Revues. Motown Revues were part of Detroit when we were growing up. But as I got to be a teenager… Edgar Winter, and then I remember seeing Hendrix at Olympia Theater. It was incredible.

How old were you then?

14, I think.

That must have made a pretty big impression on you.

It made a great impression on me. You know, I played trumpet, but to go see these guys do this rock and roll thing was like “What??!!” [laughs]. When [we were] getting together, who wanted to play Lee Morgan? You know what I mean? I was learning trumpet. My idol was Lee Morgan on trumpet, and I got frustrated because I couldn’t [play] all this stuff. I never got hired as second chair in a band. Some say you better choose your instrument wisely. Thank God I chose bass!

How did you hook up with Stevie Wonder?

The same guys I was talking about. When the guys left me, Ray Parker went to Marvin Gaye then he went to Stevie Wonder. And Ray recommended me when the position came open. He recommended me for this gig.

You’re also Stevie’s music director. What does that role involve?

I’m in charge of rehearsing the band, and getting them together. Because we have no charts, right? I mean we have charts for “Natural Wonder,” which has strings and stuff, but you know it’s hard to get charts. If you were doing charts for Stevie Wonder, you’d be crazy. Because he’s got so many songs, and he goes through them. You might start the show off with one song and have a [set] list and then he ventures off where he wants to go. So it’s picking the right musicians and making sure they go over all the material. I give them the signals. Tell them when Stevie is ready to end the song.

How does Stevie work? What’s his process like?

In the studio, when he comes in, he has the song. So it depends on if he’s using a band. He would rehearse the band. And if he’s doing just overdubs, he lets you hear it, and then he says, “Well, I want you to play something like this…” And then you embellish it with what you want to do. He’ll tell you yes or no because he’s always the producer. He’s always in charge.

Who else have you played with?

Oh my god! Well, here’s my claim to fame: I played on a Paul McCartney album. As a bass player! That’s saying something, baby. He’s one of the most melodic bass players in history. Growing up with the Beatles, the stuff he played was very innovative and very much unique. For him to allow me to play on his album, that was great.

How did that come about?

I did a lot of the Jacksons’ stuff, too. If you go to allmusic.com you can see everything that I did. I did a lot. But I was doing stuff with Michael [Jackson], and Michael said, “Man, they don’t want you to play on this demo I got. Me and Paul are [supposed] to do it. Now I don’t know if we’re going to keep the bass because Paul is a bass player, but I want you to play on it. So I did the bass. [Michael] went over to England to do the vocals and finish it up with Paul. When he got over there, Paul tried to replace it, but he said, “Man, the feel is just so great, I’m just going to leave it.” When [Michael] came back, he said, “Nate, you wouldn’t believe it. Paul kept your bass part!” I said, “What??!!” That was “Say, Say, Say.”

You travel a lot touring with Stevie. Do you have a favorite a road story.

This is my favorite story. In 1977 we did the Human Kindness Day. I think it was ’77. It might have been ’75. I can’t remember. So we’re in New York, and we’re getting ready to go do Human Kindness Day, which was a whole bunch of acts for mankind. It was at the Washington Monument. And so we’re in the cab, me, Steve, and Steve’s brother. And we’re getting out of the cab to go into the hotel. And I’m a young cat, so I get out on the street side. And I said, “Steve, get out on the other side.” He said, “What’s wrong with you? You think I can’t get out on this side?” I said, “Steve, there’s cars coming. Get out on the other side.” So I’m holding the door. He said, “I’m getting out on your side.” I said, “That’s the street side. Get out on the other side.” So he started getting out on my side. I’m holding the door all the time. He hears a car coming and slams the door. On my finger. Slams the door on my finger. I’m sitting there with my finger busted, my middle finger, the one that plays the bass on my right hand. So they rushed me to the hospital. I had to get three stitches. And we got this gig later on that night. He said, “You gonna be able to play?” I said, “We’re going to make this gig.” And that’s why I started playing with three fingers. That’s what made me start. It gave me a whole new technique. We go to the gig. We do the gig. And it comes off great. After the show, [Sly Stone bassist] Larry Graham said, “Man, you sound good, young man. Keep playing.” From Larry Graham that was incredible. He came up to me and said it. I think I was about 21.

Then we were on the road, I think it was ’85 or ’83, going around the United States. I think altogether we did 150 different cities. We went around the states twice, and North America. One night Stevie was so sick. He caught a cold on the road, and the most amazing thing to me was that he did the show and still sounded great. That was the most amazing thing to me. We had been on the road that long. It must have been six months. He gets sick, and he still comes to do the show. Out of all the shows, he never missed one show. That’s amazing on his part. I mean I didn’t miss them either, but you know he sings and plays.

How did you discover Elixir® Strings?

I discovered Elixir Strings from Bossa Bass. The head guy from Bossa made me a bass in Japan, Toshio [Setuzaki]. He made me a bass and the strings were on it. He had Elixir Strings on it. And I asked him, “What kind of strings are these? I like the way they sound. I like the way feel. They last a long time.” It’s just amazing, you know? And that’s how I started using them. I was using Rotosounds before that. Then I tried GHS Boomers. But when I found Elixirs, that was it. I like the resonance and the strength of them. Because I tune a half-step down. My wavelength is slower. They hold my tone a lot longer without giving me a lot of fret noise.

How would you describe your style of playing?

It’s an adaptation, a cross between Motown and Jamerson’s influence. But then I added my own style. I have my own style because a lot of stuff I do now, the songs are different than Jamerson’s songs. So I think I have a style that’s me. I was self taught. I didn’t take any lessons. I taught myself in the basement with records. Everybody would holler, “Man, you’re playing the wrong part!” That’s the way I heard it, man. It makes you sharp. I took two lessons at Grinnell’s. Grinnell’s was a music store in Detroit back in the 70s. It’s now defunct. I took two lessons, and they gave me a book to read. I could read it because I played trumpet so all I had to do was change clefs. So when I went to the first lesson they gave me the book, and when I came back I’d gone straight through the book. And the guy said, “Well come back. We’re going to go through it again.” When he said that, I said, “Well, there’s no need for me to be here.” He was just making money off me.

What elements do you think a perfect bass line should embrace?
What kind of role should a bass part have in a song?

My whole opinion of bass playing and what bass actually is, I look at it this way: If you’re building a house, a house cannot stand without a foundation. And the foundation is the bass and the drums. They have to be solid. They have to be melodic. They have to hold everything else together. That’s my whole outlook on bass playing. I’m the foundation. I’m the one that has to hold everybody together.

Who are some of your favorite bass players today?

Jaco [Pastorius] is one of my favorites. I love him. Jamerson is passed. I have to give all credit to him and Rainey. Today, you know I like Stanley [Clarke]. I went and saw him about three years ago. He plays an upright. I never played an upright. I can play an upright, but I never learned how to bow. He did a flamenco thing on the upright that totally amazed me. I had never seen anyone do a flamenco on an upright. The other guy is Marcus, Marcus Miller. He and I, we’ve known each other for a long time. He calls me “Godfather.” When I saw him pop “Teen Town,” he really impressed me. I’ve done adaptations of popping, but to hear him pop ‘Teen Town…”

What are some of your favorite bass lines?

One is Jamerson’s “I Was Made to Love Her.” One is Willy Weeks’ “Everything is Everything,” the solo in there. Believe it or not, one of my favorite bass lines is from the guy I was telling you about with Curtis Mayfield, Lucky Scott, and that’s “Superfly.”

What basses are you playing these days.

Well, I’m playing Bossas. I got a Copolla bass. I usually don’t take my Fenders on the road anymore. I just use them for recording. They’re so rough on them. They started breaking them in the 80s. I just don’t take them out any more. I’m in love with the Copolla. And I got a Cruise. Cruise, Copolla, and Bossa. Those are the ones you’ve been seeing me with with most of the stuff I’ve been doing.

What’s next for Nate Watts?

[Stevie] says he’s going on tour this year. So we’re waiting on him. Probably be the latter part of this year. So working with Stevie. And I’m probably going to do some side projects. I got some projects that I’m producing. I can’t mention what they are, but they’re coming up, and it’s going to be very different.

Any solo projects in the future?

One of them is going to be my project. Everybody’s saying, “Man, you better do an album. You better do an album.” So I’m supposed to do one. But I enjoy playing bass no matter what.