Derek Watkins (born Reading, Berkshire 2 March 1945) is a British trumpeter and session musician renowned for his mastery of the trumpet and flugelhorn. He is best-known for his signature high-note "screamers" on the James Bond themes. Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... A trumpeter may be one of several things: A trumpeter is a musician who plays the trumpet. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sideman. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba. ... A standard 3-valved Bb flugelhorn. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond 007 is a fictional British agent [1] created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming, featured in several novels and short stories. ...

Born into a musical family, Watkins' great-grandfather was a brass player in Wales with the Salvation Army, while his grandfather taught brass at Reading University and became a founder member and conductor of the Spring Gardens Brass Band in Reading, until succeeded by Watkins' father. Watkins was initially taught to play the cornet by his father at the age of 4, and went on to play that instrument in the brass band, winning several awards. He also played with his father's dance band until he turned professional at the age of 17. Image of a trumpet. ... This article is about the country. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organization founded in 1865 by one time Methodist minister William Booth. ... The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading. ... Look up conductor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bâ™­ cornet The cornet is a brass instrument that closely resembles the trumpet. ... A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ...

Recording career

Derek rose through the ranks of dance bands to become one of the most sought-after session players in the UK. He has recorded and worked with a wide range of artists, including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Count Basie, John Dankworth, Stan Tracey, the Ted Heath Orchestra, Benny Goodman, Henry Mancini, Maynard Ferguson, Kiri te Kanawa, the London Symphony Orchestra, Oasis, Robbie Williams, James Last, Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, The Beatles, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Eric Clapton, and Kylie Minogue among others. Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Barbra Streisand (born April 24, 1942 as Barbara Joan Streisand), is an Academy Award-winning American singer, theatre and film actress, composer, liberal political activist, film producer and director. ... Sir Tom Jones OBE (born Thomas Jones Woodward, June 7, 1940), is a Welsh singer particularly noted for his powerful voice. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sir John Dankworth CBE Born in London, England, in 1927, was brought up in a musical environment amongst a family of musicians. ... Stanley William Tracey (born in Tooting, London on December 30, 1926) is a UK jazz pianist and composer, most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. ... Ted Heath (30 March 1902–18 November 1969) was the United Kingdoms most famous bandleader of the 40s, 50s and early 60s. ... Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Goodman was born in Chicago, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from Russia who... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... Walter Maynard Ferguson (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpet player and bandleader. ... Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa IPA: ONZ, AC, DBE (born March 6, 1944), is an internationally famous New Zealand opera singer. ... It has been suggested that London (orchestra) be merged into this article or section. ... Oasis are an English rock band, formed in Manchester in 1991. ... Robbie Williams (born Robert Peter Williams on February 13, 1974 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, United Kingdom) is an English singer-songwriter. ... James Last 2006 James Last together with fan Guenter Krueger from Berlin James Last (born Hans Last on April 17, 1929 in Bremen) is a German composer and big band leader with a large fan base in Europe and world-wide. ... Leonard Bernstein (pronounced BERN-styne)[1] (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, and pianist. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. ... The Catalan tenor Josep Carreras (born December 5, 1946) is a famous opera singer much admired for his Verdi and Puccini roles. ... Plácido Domingo (born January 21, 1941) is a world-renowned opera singer, conductor, and general manager. ... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool, comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ... Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE[1][2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Natalie Cole (born Stephanie Natalie Maria Cole on February 6, 1950), is a Grammy Award-winning American singer and songwriter. ... The famous Clapton is God graffiti Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most respected and influential musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and... Kylie Ann Minogue (born May 28, 1968) is a Grammy Award-winning Australian singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ...

Derek became acquainted with Dr Richard Smith - Doctor of Acoustics, at Boosey & Hawkes where Derek had an association with them with regard to the manufacture of their instruments. Following this period, Richard and Derek went on to set up their own manufacturing company, Smith-Watkins Instruments,where they initially manufactured and supplied both trumpets and cornets to the specific requirement and need of each individual. Their association has lasted many years and has resulted in many of the top flight players both in the studio world and also in the Brass Band and Military world using the Smith-Watkins instruments. Derek plays exclusively on his Smith-Watkins trumpet. Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher, the largest classical music publisher in the world. ...

Film scores

Watkins has also played key roles in many film scores, including Mission Impossible, The Mummy, Basic Instinct, Indiana Jones, Gladiator, Johnny English, Superman 1 & 2, Bridget Jones Diary and Chicago, where his trumpet solo opens the movie. The Mummy is the title of: a 1932 movie starring Boris Karloff: see The Mummy (1932 movie) a 1959 movie starring Christopher Lee: see The Mummy (1959 movie) a 1999 movie starring Brendan Fraser: see The Mummy (1999 movie) a novel by Anne Rice: see The Mummy (novel) This is... Basic Instinct (released March 20, 1992) is an American erotic mystery film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. ... Dr. Henry Indiana Jones, Jr. ... Gladiator is a 2000 movie directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. ... Johnny English (2003) is a comic film parodying the James Bond secret agent genre, starring Rowan Atkinson as the incompetent British spy of the title, with John Malkovich, Natalie Imbruglia and Ben Miller. ... Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, Superman Superman, also known as Superman: The Movie, is a 1978 Warner Bros. ... Bridget Joness Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding. ... There have been two movies with the title Chicago: Chicago, the 1927 movie (based on Chicago, the 1926 play) Chicago, the 2002 movie (based on Chicago, the 1975 musical) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

James Bond themes

Watkins has the unique distinction of having played on every one of the James Bond films, his high-note "screamers" being especially notable in Goldfinger (which Watkins recorded at the age of 19). Ian Flemings Goldfinger is the third film in the EON Productions James Bond series, and the third starring Sean Connery as Commander James Bond, British Secret Service agent 007. ...

Compositions and teaching work

Watkins has recently branched out into composition, in collaboration with Colin Sheen and Jamie Talbot, and their work can be heard in the incidential music for the TV series Midsomer Murders and library music for KPM Music. Midsomer Murders is a popular British television series about murders that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer. ...

Watkins is currently Visiting Professor for trumpet to the Royal Academy of Music, and gives master class clinics at music colleges around Europe. The Royal Academy of Music (sometimes abbreviated to RAM) is a music school in London, England and is one of the leading music institutions in the world. ...

External link

• Derek Watkins website