Shirley Marie Watts of Nashville, a musician and a longtime librarian for the Blair School’s Anne Potter Wilson Music Library, died Oct. 21, 2024. She was 89.
Watts was a born librarian and true musician with perfect pitch and a love of the art. She enjoyed a wide range of music, from opera to choral to big band and from Bach and Debussy to Elton John.
She was born in North Carolina and started studying piano when she was young, following in the musical footsteps of her father, who sang and played the accordion. She left North Carolina to attend George Peabody College for Teachers and earned three degrees—a bachelor’s and master’s in music and a master’s in library science.
In 1957, Watts began working in the Peabody College music library, which would later become the Wilson Music Library at the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music. There she laid the foundation for a repository of music and information that would help generations of musicians develop their full potential and realize their goals. She retired in 2000.
Watts also was the rehearsal accompanist for the Nashville Opera for 11 years before becoming assistant director. She regularly played for weddings, funerals and events, and she supported the Nashville music community, attending concerts until the end of her life. She never lost her love of music, and after moving to Richland Place retirement center, she delighted everyone by playing the grand piano and singing in the hallways, bringing music to her community, as she had throughout her life.
She leaves behind many beloved friends and cousins and her devoted godchildren, Laurens Glass, Lucie Glass and Brian Glass.
—Staff Reports
