Born Michael Watson, he is regarded as an influential West Coast blues guitarist. He was a founding member of the blues band The Mighty Flyers and, starting in the early 1980s, he performed with the band for a decade. He also performed with Canned Heat throughout the 1990s. Watson has performed as a backing musician in performances and recordings for a number of blues musicians, including Big Mama Thornton, George Smith, Jimmy Rogers, Luther Tucker