Oakland’s Richard G. Watson, formerly a vocal performance major at Oakland School for the Arts and Class of 2021 graduate of the nation’s premiere high school arts program, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, where he was a songwriting major, has been named a 2021 Great American Songbook Academy finalist.

The Songbook Academy is a world-class summer intensive that connects only the most talented high school students interested in professional singing careers and who are at the top of the talent pool celebrating the timeless standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood, otherwise known as the “Great American Songbook.”

As a Songbook finalist Watson joins the elite group of 2021 ‘Top 40 Teens’ after competing against hundreds of applicants nationwide. He will perform “Wave,” an Antonio Carlos Jobim cover, streaming from August 6-8, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (Register  at www.thesongbook.org/sashowcase21 for free streaming access). 

Jobim is one of many major 20^th century songwriters, composers, and performers of the “Great American Songbook.” Among them are bandleader Duke Ellington, and singers Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby are some of the artists widely recognized for their performances and recordings which defined the genre. 

There are countless others who are widely recognized for their performances of the music from the “Great American Songbook” and Watson is one of the very few African American teenagers who has such incredible talent and an interest in this genre to be able to join such a coveted group of emerging young artists. 

The Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is housed at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Ind., and was founded in 2007 by five-time Grammy® Award nominee Michael Feinstein. 

The “Great American Songbook” is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20^th century that have stood the test of time in their life and legacy. 

Watson is also a semi-finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) for his single, original hit track “Done” streaming on all platforms.  ISC received more than 26,000 entries and semi-finalists make up only 9% of all entries, so this is a remarkable achievement, especially for one so young as Watson. ISC is an annual song contest whose mission is to provide opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. 

A certified artist on various platforms including Amazon, AppleMusic and Spotify, Watson will soon add to his single releases the titles “Insomnia,” “Phoenix,” and “Writings on the Wall.”   Watson will attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., in the Fall on a Global Tour Tuition Scholarship. Berklee is the No. 1, contemporary music college program in the world.

 Learn more about Watson at www.richardgwatson.com.

Christy Price

Posts by Christy Price