Reggie Watts

Born in Germany but raised in Great Falls, Montana, US, Watts grew up with an insatiable appetite for entertaining. At the age of 18, he moved to Seattle to pursue an education in jazz, attending the Cornish College of the Arts. Whilst there, Watts became involved with a number of local outfits, playing keyboards for Wayne Horvitz' 4+1 Ensemble and providing lead vocals for the groove-laden Maktub.

Watts began to perform solo in 2002, initially using looping pedals and delay effects in order to use his voice as the sole instrument. With a penchant for improvisational comedy, Watts began to incorporate these aspects into his show. However, his 2003 debut, "Simplified," was still a serious musical effort, creating an innovative, neo-soul record.

A move to Brooklyn, New York, US, brought Watts into contact with comedians Eugene Mirman and Bobby Tisdale, who invited Watts to perform in their experimental variety show, "Invite Them Up." For his original standup show, Watts was awarded with the Andy Kaufmann Award in 2006, praising his unique approach, which utilized beatboxing, rapping and his impressive vocal talents, interspersed with his smatterings of comedy.

Watts managed huge crossover appeal, finding music fans and comedy critics to be in appreciation of his work, with even Brian Eno inviting Watts to play at his Luminous Festival, at the Sydney Opera House, Australia, in 2010. After several appearances on Comedy Central, as well as Saturday Night Live, Watts saw the release of his CD/DVD "Why $#!+ So Crazy" that same year, which captured his live special on Comedy Central.

More live specials followed, most notably "A Live in Central Park" in 2012, which was also released on CD/DVD. Watts also began starring in the IFC series, "Comedy Bang! Bang!" in 2012, continuing to do so until he was offered the job of leading "The Late Late Show's" band in 2015.