Talented Crosshill musician dies aged 97
Published 4 Nov 2010 08:30
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A CROSSHILL man whose musical skills were to make him known throughout Fife has died aged 97.
Ken Watson (below) was born in the village’s Park Street and was brought up in a family of seven.
He was educated at St Kenneth’s Primary School, in Lochore, and St Columba’s High School, in Cowdenbeath, but he had to leave school at the tender age of 13 to work in Glencraig Colliery to earn wages to help support his widowed mother in the harsh days of the early 1920s.
He married Catherine Sinclair, from Cowdenbeath, at St Kenneth’s Chapel, in Crosshill, in February 1935 aged 22 and their son James was born later that year.
Their first home was a single end house in Mungall Street, Lumphinnans, and they went on to live in Broad Street, Cowdenbeath, before settling in the town’s Pilkham Court.
After leaving mining Ken worked as a van driver for Fife Council for 18 years before retiring in October 1977.
His main pleasure in life, after looking after his family, was always music.
He was to become an accomplished self taught musician and played the saxaphone, clarinet and piano among other instruments and formed a band which played all over Fife and Scotland.
Indeed, the Ken Watson Band was resident at Cowdenbeath Palais for a decade.
And Ken was very proud of the fact that world famous saxaphone player Joe Temperley, from Lumphinnans, started his musical career with his band when he was only 18.
Joe went on to play with several top bands in the United Kingdom before going to the United States.
There he was equally successful and was even asked to play at the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama.
Ken was always proud of Joe’s progress and the legendary sax player would always take the time to visit him when in Scotland.
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