Honky-tonk, vintage country
Dale Watson was born in, fed on, and raised with real country. He's never had to go back for it, because he brought it with him all along. "This isn't retro-minded," Watson asserts frankly. "It's hopefully a natural progression of what country music would have been if it hadn't been polluted by the '80s and '90s." Although born in Alabama, Dale considers Texas his home state, having moved to Pasadena, Texas with his family in his early teens. Steeped in the classic country music played by his singer/guitarist father, Don, and his brother, Jim, Dale wrote his first song at age 12 and cut his first recording at 14. After playing area beer joints and honky-tonks, Dale decided to try his hand in Los Angeles and Nashville - experiences, which mostly taught him what he didn't want to be. Unimpressed by the glitz of the "new country" scene, Watson returned to Texas to settle in Austin, where he was enthusiastically received by audiences who appreciated his dedication to vintage country sounds. Dale Watson's albums echo with references to Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Hank Snow, but he is quick to emphasize that he is not merely paying homage to a bygone era. With his uncompromising approach, he creates new music in a defiantly old style, and his soulful tunes have a timeless quality that appeals to purists and neophytes alike. Watson and his Lone Stars are firmly in the here and now, but they're determined to keep the true country flame burning.
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Music Sampler: "I Gotta Go Home to My Baby"