Aaron Watson
| Aaron Watson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Aaron Watson |
| Born |
August 20, 1977 Amarillo, TX |
| Origin | Abilene, Texas, USA |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Labels | BIG Label Records |
| Website | http://www.aaronwatson.com |
James Aaron Watson[1] is an American Texas country music singer (born August 20, 1977) from Amarillo, TX. Watson's earliest musical influences were the classic country records by George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson his parents listened to and the gospel hymns he sang with his family in church.[2] He writes songs with his best friend, Jason Carter.
He released his first album, Shutupanddance, in 2002 gaining Watson radio airplay and attention nationwide. Following the record's success, Aaron Watson released The Honky Tonk Kid, produced by Ray Benson and featured Willie Nelson on guest vocals.
Having collaborated with other notable musicians (including Dale Watson, Jack Ingram, and Bill Joe Shaver), Watson has performed hundreds of shows a year - touring nationally and internationally.
In February 2015, Aaron Watson made history when he released The Underdog (Aaron Watson album), making him the first solo male artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with a self-released and independently distributed and promoted album.[3] The record sold more than 26,000 units in the first week.
By the end of 2014, the lead single from The Underdog "That Look," which Watson wrote for his wife Kimberly, debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Country Digital Songs Chart and was one of the most successful-selling independent singles.
Musical career
Early Life and Musical Beginnings Watson was born in Amarillo, Texas and graduated from Randall High School in Amarillo, Texas following his graduation he attended Abilene Christian University, where he began learning guitar, after playing junior college baseball in New Mexico.[4] He gigged around Texas before releasing his debut album, A Texas Cafe; the follow-up, Shuttupanddance, was a regional sales success.[4] His 2004 album, The Honky Tonk Kid, was produced by Ray Benson and features an appearance from Willie Nelson. Watson's band is called the Orphans of the Brazos; they appear on his 2005 album, Live at the Texas Hall of Fame. In 2006, his San Angelo release hit No. 60 on the U.S. Billboard country charts and No. 50 on its Heatseekers chart.[5]
2007 - 2009
On March 20, 2007, Watson released his seventh studio album, a collection of gospel songs entitled Barbed Wire Halo which includes readings by Billy Joe Shaver. On April 1, 2008, Watson's 8th album, Angels & Outlaws, reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers chart, No. 28 on its Country Albums chart, and landed in the Billboard Top 200. The album's debut single, "Hearts Are Breaking Across Texas", reached the No. 1 spot on the Texas Music Chart. "Love Makin' Song" was released later that year, and "Rollercoaster Ride" followed in 2009.
September 15, 2009, Watson released Aaron Watson LIVE: Deep in the Heart of Texas, a dual disc CD/DVD set recorded live at the Hog Creek Ice House in Waco, TX on June 27, 2009.[6]
On July 7, 2009, Watson performed at the 81st Texas FFA Convention in Dallas, Texas.
2010 - 2011
Watson's 10th studio album The Road & The Rodeo was released in October 2010. His first record released under the independent record label, Big Label Records, the album peaked at No. 25 on the U.S. Billboard Country Albums and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseeksers.
2012 - 2013
October 9, 2012, Aaron Watson released Real Good Time. Again, achieving national attention, the album was the best performing album for Watson to date, peaking at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard Country Albums. It also was his first to break into the top twenty for independent albums. The album has sold 32,000 copies as of February 2015.[7]
2014 - 2015
In 2014, Aaron Watson released the lead single from his album The Underdog "That Look," which Watson wrote for his wife Kimberly. The single debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Country Digital Songs Chart and went on to become one of the most successful-selling independent singles by the end of the year.
In February 2015, Aaron Watson made history when he released The Underdog (Aaron Watson album), making him the first solo male artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with a self-released and independently distributed and promoted album.[3] The record sold more than 26,000 units in the first week.
Following the success of the record, Watson went on to perform 148 shows across the United States in 2015 alone.
Personal life
Watson and his wife Kimberly married in 2003. Together, they have two sons and two daughters: Jacob, born in 2006, Jack, born in 2007, Jolee Kate, born in 2009, and a daughter Julia Grace, who died in infancy in 2011.
Aaron Watson is a not only a family man, but a man of deep faith - prominently displayed with the crosses decorating the top of his guitar. He is a Ted Cruz for president supporter in the 2016 election.[8]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [9] |
US [10] |
US Heat [11] |
US Indie [12] | ||
| Aaron Watson |
|
— | — | — | — |
| A Texas Café |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Shutupanddance |
|
— | — | — | — |
| The Honky Tonk Kid |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Live at the Texas Hall of Fame |
|
— | — | — | — |
| San Angelo |
|
60 | — | 50 | 43 |
| Barbed Wire Halo |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Angels & Outlaws |
|
28 | 175 | 4 | 25 |
| Deep in the Heart of Texas: Aaron Watson Live |
|
47 | — | 24 | — |
| The Road & The Rodeo |
|
25 | 150 | 4 | 28 |
| Real Good Time |
|
9 | 81 | — | 19 |
| The Underdog |
|
1 | 14 | — | 1 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [13] |
US Country Airplay [14] | |||
| 2004 | "If You're Not in Love" | — | — | The Honky Tonk Kid |
| 2006 | "Heyday Tonight" | — | — | San Angelo |
| 2008 | "Hearts Are Breaking Across Texas" | — | — | Angels & Outlaws |
| "Love Makin' Song" | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Rollercoaster Ride" | — | — | |
| "The Road" | — | — | The Road & The Rodeo | |
| 2010 | "Walls" | — | — | |
| 2011 | "Best for Last" | — | — | |
| "Fast Cars Slow Kisses" | — | — | ||
| 2012 | "Leather & Lace" (with Elizabeth Cook) | — | — | Hearts Across Texas |
| "Raise Your Bottle" | — | — | Real Good Time | |
| 2013 | "Lips" | — | — | |
| "Summertime Girl" | — | — | ||
| "July in Cheyenne" | — | — | ||
| 2014 | "That Look" | 41 | 47 | The Underdog |
| 2015 | "Freight Train" | — | — | |
| "Getaway Truck" | — | — | ||
| 2016 | "Bluebonnets (Julia's Song)" | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "I Don't Want You to Go" | |
| 2012 | "Raise Your Bottle" | Zack Morris/Benjamin Ranzinger |
| 2013 | "Lips"[15] | Paul De La Cerda |
| 2014 | "July in Cheyenne"[16] | Timothy Allen/Benjamin Ranzinger |
References
- ↑ Watson, James Aaron. "Songwriter/Composer: WATSON JAMES AARON". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Biography".
- 1 2 Thompson, Gayle. "Aaron Watson Makes History". The Boot.
- 1 2 Aaron Watson at Allmusic
- ↑ Billboard, Allmusic.com
- ↑ , AaronWatson.com
- ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on February 11, 2015.
- ↑ "Ted Cruz finds new allies in GOP establishment he rails against".
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Aaron Watson Album & Song Chart History - Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Aaron Watson : Lips". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Aaron Watson : July in Cheyenne". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
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