André Watts
A piano prodigy who broke racial barriers in classical music, captivating audiences for six decades with his volcanic Romantic interpretations.
1946–2023 (age 77)·American pianist·Birthday: June 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
André Watts exploded onto the classical scene at sixteen, stepping in for an ailing Glenn Gould with the New York Philharmonic in a televised concert that made him an instant sensation. His career was a testament to both his formidable technique, honed under the guidance of Leon Fleisher, and his charismatic stage presence, which made the grand Romantic works of Liszt and Chopin feel newly alive. For decades, he was a fixture on the world's great stages, from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonic, his name synonymous with a powerful and poetic approach to the piano. Beyond performance, he dedicated himself to teaching at Indiana University, shaping the next generation of musicians until his death in 2023, leaving behind a legacy that redefined what was possible for Black artists in a traditionally white field.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
André was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When André Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
André's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2023Died at 77
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
Key Achievements
- Won a Grammy Award for Best New Classical Artist in 1964 following his landmark debut.
- Performed as soloist with virtually every major American orchestra and leading international ensembles over a sixty-year career.
- Was the first American pianist to give a solo recital on national television, on the program 'The Young People's Concert' in 1956.
- Elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2020, a rare honor for a performing artist.
- Held a long-term professorship at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, mentoring numerous students.
Did You Know?
His mother was a Hungarian refugee and his father was an African American sergeant he met during World War II.
He made his professional debut at age nine, performing a Haydn concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra's children's concerts.
He was an avid fan of professional wrestling and would often watch it before his own concerts.
Watts survived a serious bout with septic shock in the 1990s that required the amputation of part of his intestine.
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