Dale Watson

Dale Watson is a singer/guitarist who writes and plays original material in the tradition of 1950s and '60s honky tonk - which makes him something of an outsider in the 1990s and 2000s country music market. Watson began writing songs at age 12, and recorded his first at age 14. By the time he graduated from high school, he was performing locally. He spent the next seven years playing the clubs and honky tonks around Pasadena. In 1988, Watson moved to L.A., seeking the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, two of his major inspirations. Watson recorded two singles for Curb, "One Tear at a Time" and "You Pour It On," which were released in 1990. He also contributed one track to volume three of the L.A. country compilation A Town South of Bakersfield, released in 1992. That same year he moved to Nashville, where he worked as a staff writer for Gary Morris Music. Eventually, however, he settled in Austin, TX. He landed a recording deal with HighTone Records, who released Watson's debut album, Cheatin' Heart Attack, in 1995. Watson and his band, Lone Star, released a follow-up, Blessed or Damned, in 1996; The Truckin' Sessions appeared two years later.