An independent-minded singer/songwriter from the Lone Star State, Aaron Watson began his career in the early 2000s playing country music with a classic feel in the Texas honky tonk tradition. He quickly became a staple of the state's honky tonk circuit and enjoyed regional success on radio as well. Having more or less established himself as a purely Texas artist, Watson shifted slightly toward a more contemporary sound at the start of the next decade. The results spoke for themselves when he began to find a mainstream audience and to chart nationally with releases like 2012's Real Good Time and 2015's breakout The Underdog, which hit number one on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Even more impressive is that he achieved all of this without a record label. Rather than sign on with a major, Watson continued to work independently, issuing albums like 2019's Red Bandana, 2021's American Soul, and 2022's Unwanted Man.

Born in Amarillo, Texas, Watson's earliest musical influences were the gospel hymns he sang in church with his family and classic country records by George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson his folks played around the house. Watson began writing and singing his own songs while he was a student at Abilene Christian University, and after graduating he became a regular fixture on the Texas honky tonk circuit.

In 2002 Watson released his first album, Shutupanddance, which was a major success in Texas, spawning the hit singles "Off the Record," "I Don't Want You to Go (But I Need You to Leave)," and the title tune. The album also earned him airplay and media attention nationwide, and Watson followed up his debut in 2004 with The Honky Tonk Kid, which was produced by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel and featured guest vocals from Watson's hero, Willie Nelson. Watson and his band the Orphans of the Brazos captured their energetic live set on tape with their 2005 release Live at the Texas Hall of Fame, and he returned to the studio solo in 2006 for his fourth album, San Angelo.

In 2008, Watson began transforming his sound -- albeit subtly and without leaving his Texas roots behind -- toward a more contemporary country, radio-friendly approach on the reflective Angels Outlaws. In 2010 he released The Road the Rodeo, returning to more uptempo material while smoothing his edges further. The result was more airplay, higher-profile touring engagements, and charting inside Billboard's Top 200. Watson's success continued to grow with 2012's Real Good Time, which rose to number nine on the Billboard Country Albums chart and cracked the Top 20 of the Independent Albums survey. Watson scored a major breakthrough with 2015's The Underdog. Belying the album's title, The Underdog (produced by Keith Stegall, who'd also worked with George Jones and Alan Jackson) made its debut on the Billboard Country Albums chart at number one, the first time a male artist on an independent label had topped the chart in his first week. "That Look," a single drawn from the album, also hit the Country Airplay chart, topping out at 47, and another, "Getaway Truck," was a radio hit in Watson's native Texas. The hard-working musician did plenty of touring in support of the album, playing 148 shows in 2015. After regrouping in 2016 he returned early the next year with Vaquero, notching another hit in "Outta Style" and rising to number two on the Top Country Albums Chart. Maintaining a high profile, Watson issued his second live album, 2018's Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show, then followed it up a year later with the holiday release An Aaron Watson Family Christmas. His next studio album, Red Bandana, appeared in 2019 and topped Billboard's Independent chart, while notching a modest hit with "Kiss That Girl Goodbye." American Soul appeared two years later, again on his own Big Label imprint, and in 2022 he issued Unwanted Man. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi