[CMT] Aaron Watson: “You Should Be Proud of Who You Are”

Texas storyteller and musician Aaron Watson is blessed with the gift of gab that attracts congregations of loyal fans every time he speaks.

Listening to him talk over the phone during our CMT.com interview, you might think he’s an ordained minister. Ask him one question about the idea behind his latest album Vaquero, and he’ll go on a passionate nine-minute sermon chronicling his two-year journey following the No. 1 success of his previous project, The Underdog.

In February 2015, the Texas musician and father of four made history by becoming the first solo male artist to debut at No. 1 on Billboard‘s country albums chart with a self-released and independently-distributed album.

“I’ve always tried to stay focused on trusting my heart on the things that have gotten me this far like my faith and my family,” he said. “And when the last album came out, I had a lot of people within the mainstream music community that are friends and allies of mine who said, ‘Hey, if you’re ever going to break out of this mold of being a Texas regional artist, you’ve got to get away from the Texas thing.’ And I was kind of like, ‘Man, I don’t agree with you. At all.’

“Why would we change now? My thought process on that is this: It doesn’t really matter where you’re from. Wherever you’re from, you should be proud of who you are. It’s not like I’m going around and swiping people in the face with a Texas flag. It’s home. It’s where I raise my babies. It’s where I met my wife. I mean, it’s where my grandparents are buried. I mean, it’s no different than if you’re from Tennessee.”



Read the full interview at cmt.com