Aaron Watson with special guest Chancey Williams will be performing at Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon in Iowa City, Iowa on Thursday, January 20th, 2022.

DOORS: 6:00 PM //  SHOW: 7:00 PM

About Aaron Watson

Aaron Watson’s career is perhaps summed up best by Forbes, who says he’s "one of country music’s biggest DIY success stories." 

For the past 20 years, Watson has achieved success on his own terms, hand-building a lauded career through songwriting, relentless touring and more than a dozen self released albums. His independent Texas spirit and strong work ethic are emblematic of the western lifestyle; virtues which have taken him from humble honky-tonks of Texas to multiple sold-out tours around the world. 

In 2019 he released Red Bandana  — "his most ambitious album yet" (Taste of Country) —whose 20 songs were hailed by The Boot as "a pure expression of his traditional country ethos.” 

This unprecedented acclaim follows Watson's previous album, Vaquero, whose Top 10 hit "Outta Style" earned a BMI Millionaire award, and The Underdog, the first independent album in the history of country music to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. 

With a dozen additional records under his belt, Watson is exceeding major-label-sized metrics while maintaining his independence, further galvanizing his "Texas country's reigning indie underdog" (Rolling Stone) brand.  "There may be no more genuine singer-songwriter at the moment than Watson," says Texas Monthly, pointing to a self-made businessman, chart-topper, and road warrior whose authenticity has made him a country music staple.

About Chancey Williams

“Authentic Cowboy,” is the way most people would describe Wyoming neo-traditional artist Chancey Williams.  The charismatic singer / songwriter grew up on a ranch in the northeastern corner of Wyoming, one of the least populated areas of the United States.  Rodeo, wrestling and academic talents took him first to Casper College and then to the University of Wyoming.  Chancey earned several degrees, including a Master’s in Public Administration, but it was music and the camaraderie of the road that has found a sound at once familiar and his alone.

In May of last year, Williams released the critically acclaimed 3rd Street.  Chancey and his “best friends” were able to find a way to promote their new material, and even tour, during a time of crowd restrictions that often limited shows to online or outdoors and to maximum capacities of just a fraction of what the band was accustomed to.  From 3rd Street came “The World Needs More Cowboys,” an anthem for the University of Wyoming and a song Chancey reminds us isn’t just about cowboys in the traditional sense, but about being a person of character who knows how to treat others, remembers where they came from, who their friends are and who thinks maybe some people need to stop pushing others around.  

2021 brought a sense of “near normalcy” back on the road in many areas of the country, including a tour sponsored by CINCH, a series of spring and fall dates with Toby Keith and an especially memorable concert as direct support for another of his idols, Alan Jackson.  The National Finals Rodeo returned to Las Vegas and Chancey Williams headlined the main showroom at South Point, “ground zero” at the most important rodeo event in the world.   The WME Artist has recently inked a new development deal with radio programming legend John Marks, who also led Sirius/XM “The Highway,” and then the Nashville office at Spotify.  

Now comes new music! Chancey Williams released “Blame it on the Rain” in November, written with long-time producer and songwriting soulmate Trent Willmon.   Williams and Willmon, who also produces Cody Johnson, penned the new song about how Cowboys never cry, they just find a way to say it must have been something else. “The Saint,” released during the 2021 National Finals Rodeo, is an old school justice and revenge song I wrote with Trent Willmon.  I was inspired by an old western I like.  This is eye-for-an-eye, old west style.  Is he a sinner or a saint?  Is he justified or just a killer?  You decide.  “Blame it on the Rain” and “The Saint” are available wherever music is streamed and downloaded.  The 2022 tour will launch at the MusicFest Steamboat in the Colorado mountains and then carry Chancey Williams across the country.

Show pictured above: Young The Giant at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, Iowa on February 16th, 2019. (Photo taken by Josh Hewitt)