Artists: Biography Aaron Watson  

Born in Amarillo, Texas, and raised on country music, Aaron Watson's first musical influence came from singing old gospel hymns at church, and later down the road, inspiration came from Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and George

Jones. While attending college at Abilene Christian University and playing baseball, he polished his vocal and guitar playing skills while writing continuously with his close friend Neal Lowry and developing a strong following in the local honky-tonk circuit.

In late fall 2001, Watson entered the studio with his band, players from the Robert Earl Keen Band, and Lloyd Maines to record the album Shut Up and Dance. Although still very country, this newest project also shows a wide variety of rootsy styles including swing, bluegrass and rock 'n' roll.

The first single released from the album was "Shut Up and Dance," a slow ballad about focusing on the love of a marriage despite whatever financial turmoil might be present and is the perfect song for a slow waltz. "I Don't Want You to Go (But I Need You to Leave)," released second, was the single that expanded Watson's base to over 60 stations in Texas and featured a music video. It was this single that set the stage for the third and most successful single to date, "Off the Record." Many mainstream country stations in Texas made the song a permanent fixture in their play list rotations, and it is one of their most requested songs.

Watson also signed with Justin Boots to spotlight three of his songs on a national TV campaign. Songs for the ad series include "Something With a Swing to It," "Some Never Will" and "Diesel Driving Daddy," an unreleased tune on his upcoming album, scheduled for a spring 2004 release.