Kenneth L. Watkins

Kenneth L. Watkins January 18, 1948 – July 2, 2025

Today we gather to celebrate one who’s life was a testament to the power of music, creativity, and connection.

Kenneth Watkins was born in Atlanta, Ga., and was a long-time resident of Avondale Estates before moving to Snellville in 2004. He attended Avondale High School and graduated from Dekalb Technical College in Clarkston, Ga. in 1969.

He had an early love for engines and guitars, beginning to play the latter at the age of five, and building the former all along the way. To say he loved guitars would be a serious understatement. To him, each was more than the sum of its parts, and whether it was old or new, each had its own story to tell. In his mind, they all required his special touch to bring out their own unique voice. His home was filled with dozens of guitars – some rough players, others pristine, museum quality models.

A consummate guitar player, Kenneth was a fixture on the Atlanta music scene for decades, and was a member of the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. Along with top local artists, he also backed a wide variety of well-known rock and country artists over the years including Nat Stuckey, Vern Gosdin, Percy Sledge, and The Platters. No matter who Kenneth was playing with, his own distinctive style would shine through. It was said that during Atlanta’s popular club days, one could stand out in the parking lot and listen, and could tell whether Kenneth Watkins was inside playing.

He was professionally associated with Jerry Lee Lewis’s original bassist J. W. Brown and Gene Vincent’s Blue Cap Paul Peek. He was the best of friends with both of these early rock pioneers. Kenneth spent many fruitful years bringing the greatest of memories to untold numbers of listeners through his music.

It is hard to fathom a life absent that was so full of melody, yet in this silence we hear echoes – the whispered refrains of their favorite tune, the faint hum of strings still being strummed in another room.

So, as we gather our memories like notes of a beloved melody echoing on, let us celebrate the music that was, and continues to be, their everlasting gift. And Kenneth, rest easy, the music lives on. Go ahead and ride that Mystery Train.

He is survived by wife Valerie, his niece Amy (Mark) Cyphers, sister-in-law Shirley Watkins, grand-niece Teresa (David) Dean, several great-grand- nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins.