Eighteen years and twelve albums later, Aaron Watson has made an impact on national radio with his current album ‘Vaquero.’ ‘Vaquero,’ peaked at #2 on the US Country Charts and his current single, ‘Outta Style,’ has made its own way into the Top 10 on the Mediabase Country singles chart.
Influenced by his Texas roots and his parent’s love of music, Watson remembers his father playing the classic country records by George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson as well as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys. He is committed to staying true to those Texas roots even though he was told he was only successful as a regional act. “We have been to 41 states and 10 countries. The fans go crazy in Europe. I have been around the world but there is still no place like home.”
Watson’s faith has a big influence on songs that he writes as well as his courage and energy on stage. It helps him to bring light to his music and to shine when he performs. “I can bring joy to the fans and give off a positive vibe.” He not only feels he brings joy to his fans but hope and healing as well. On Watson’s Facebook page is a video clip bio of his musical life. It has been viewed over 7.2 million times and shared over 50,000 times. “I want my fans to know why I do what I do, for my family, my wife and my kids. God blessed me with the best fans.”
Watson’s latest album, ‘Vaquero’ which means cowboy in Spanish, was written entirely by Aaron and was co-produced by Marshall Altman. It is the follow up to his 2015 release of ‘The Underdog,’ which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart making him the first independent, male county music artist to debut in the top spot. Watson is very proud his current album. “I am very proud of how this album turned out. I was able to take my time when writing the album. There wasn’t a race against the clock to turn out a certain type of music and because of that I was able to write all the songs on it. I put in a lot of hard work, staying up late and rising early to write songs.”
Coming up with fresh ideas for songs has never been an issue for Aaron. Life keeps him on his toes and there is always something that he can write about. He always keeps his eyes and ears open to what is going on around him. “Music,” Aaron says, “is very therapeutic for me.”
‘Outta Style,’ the current single from ‘Vaquero,’ is Watson’s most popular song to date. “It is a fun, upbeat, light-hearted song with a cool fiddle in it. This one is about my life with my family and my career.” The video for ‘Outta Style’ was premiered via CMT’s 24/7 digital music channel, CMT Music, and Cowboys & Indians and can now be seen on CMT, GAC and the Country Network. It was filmed at the RodeoHouston earlier this year in which Watson was headlining, for an enthusiastic crowd exceeding 50,000 people. “It was very frightening to play in front of 50,000 people. I turned that fear into energy and once we got going it was like any other show we played. It was surreal for this Texas boy to play the Houston Rodeo. Getting the custom buckle as a performer is equal to a golfer getting a green jacket.”
With 16 tracks on ‘Vaquero,’ it would be difficult for Watson to choose just one favorite. There were two songs however that he thought were worth mentioning. ‘I Love Wild Horses,’ Aaron explains as a Texas lullaby that has a Guy Clark kind of sound to it. The second song, ‘They Don’t Make Em Like They Used To,’ is the one that he says has a very powerful message. It is a song of the days of his childhood, growing up and the influence his parents and grandparents had on who he became. “In this day and age, everyone has strong opinions. The same people who demand respect don’t respect others. We should all remember where we came from. Look around you. There are places where people don’t have anything, then you will realize that you are blessed. You would have a new perspective on our country then.”
Watson’s career has a lot of numbers in it. ‘Vaquero’ opened at #1 on iTunes Digital Country and All Album chart, #1 on iTunes all genre, #1 Amazon Physical & Digital and #1 on Google Play, to name just a few. To Aaron, these numbers mean all his hard work has paid off. He has been blessed with the best fans that he treats like family and his new fans are treated like old friends. He has a strong work ethic when he goes on stage and goes above and beyond for them. Every time Aaron goes on stage to perform his goal is to use his music as an instrument to bring others joy. “A lot of people are chasing hits, we are chasing hearts.”
Watson does not plan on stopping the momentum as 2017 is nearing it’s end. In January 2018, he is going on a big west coast tour and will be going back into the studio to write new songs for his next record. “I am going to grow my business, my franchise, and my brand, one show at a time.”
We have no doubt that Aaron Watson will continue his amazing career for many years to come as he reaches more fans all over the country and the world.
You can visit Aaron’s website where you can purchase or download ‘Vaquero.’
Follow Aaron on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Interview conducted and written by Lorraine Frigoletto, contributing writer for NECM. You can follow me on Twitter.
Main photo credit: Joseph Llanes