Dale Watson

A connoisseur of traditional honky-tonk, Dale Watson is proof that the spirit of country music's forefathers hasn't been entirely lost to the worlds of arena tours and country pop radio. Watson cites Hank Williams, George Jones and the stoic baritone of Johnny Cash as his influences, which clearly comes through in each of his records. Regular performances on the Grand Ole Opry are pretty much the height of Watson's commercial exposure, as the musician much prefers small, intimate bars in places like his hometown of Austin, Texas to bigger venues. He has, however, managed to tour Europe on a couple of occasions, winning over fans of his no-nonsense, purist approach to the genre along the way.