Texas country singer-songwriter Aaron Watson has announced he will release a new live album next month.
The record, titled Live At The World’s Biggest Rodeo Show, was recorded on the opening night of the 2017 Rodeo Houston in front of 65,000 fans. It’s Watson’s 14th album and his first live album in almost a decade.
The album is due for release on 24th August, marking the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey’s devastating landfall on the south Texas coast. The Category 4 storm caused $125 billion worth of damage and affected 13 million people in the state. A portion of the album’s sales will be donated to the Rebuild Texas Fund, which supports rebuilding efforts by organisation in communities affected by Hurricane Harvey.
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“We had planned on releasing this album in the second half of 2017, but after the storm it just didn’t feel right,” Watson says. “I’ve always wanted my music to do good in the world and it became clear that there was a real opportunity to hold onto this project and release it on the one year anniversary of the hurricane. So much of my home state of Texas was affected. Hopefully by bringing the recovery efforts back to the forefront, it will remind people that there is still so much work left to do. I’m also extremely proud to partner with the Rebuild Texas Fund, which makes sure every dollar goes back into the local communities, and help them raise money by donating a portion of the live album sales.”
Live At The World’s Biggest Rodeo Show includes 13 tracks from across Watson’s 18-year career. It also features the bonus acoustic track Higher Ground, available to stream now and to fans who pre-order the album. Watson says the song was inspired by watching the effect of the hurricane on local communities on television, as well as a personal connection.
“I was out of state touring when Harvey hit. I felt helpless being so far away,” Watson adds. “This storm is personal to me. My grandparents lived in, and are buried in, an area that was devastated. Seeing that on the news and the people there struggling to escape, rescue each other and recover was the inspiration for writing Higher Ground.”
The tracklisting for Live At The World’s Biggest Rodeo Show is:
- These Old Boots Have Roots (Aaron Watson)
- Freight Train (Aaron Watson, Troy Olsen, Tim Nichols)
- Real Good Time (Aaron Watson)
- Raise Your Bottle (Aaron Watson)
- That’s Why God Loves Cowboys (Aaron Watson, Troy Olsen, Sarah Buxton)
- That Look (Aaron Watson)
- Outta Style (Aaron Watson)
- Bluebonnets (Julia’s Song) (Aaron Watson)
- They Don’t Make Em Like They Use To (Aaron Watson)
- Fence Post (Aaron Watson)
- Wildfire (John Mayer)
- Getaway Truck (Aaron Watson)
- July in Cheyenne (Song for Lane’s Momma) (Aaron Watson)
- Higher Ground (Acoustic Bonus Track) (Aaron Watson)
Watson’s latest studio album, Vaquero, was released in 2017 and reached the top 10 on Billboard’s 200 Albums chart, as well as number 2 on Top Country Albums. His current single, Run Wild Horses, was recently named as one of Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Country Songs of the Week, is currently climbing national radio charts and has been featured on playlists by Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify. Later this year he’ll be touring in the UK, including making his UK festival debut at The Long Road in Leicestershire.
Pre-order Aaron Watson’s new album Live At The World’s Biggest Rodeo Show on Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/album/live-at-the-worlds-biggest-rodeo-show/1410877544?ls=1&app=iTunes
See Aaron on tour in the UK this September:
5th September – Oran Mor, Glasgow
6th September – Band On The Wall, Manchester
7th September – The Dome, London
8th September – The Long Road Festival (with Carrie Underwood), Lutterworth
