Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
A staunch adherent of old-style honky tonk and Bakersfield country, Dale Watson has positioned himself as a tattooed, stubbornly independent outsider only interested in recording authentic country music. As a result, he has never sold many records, but his music has been championed by numerous critics and alternative country fans.
Watson was born in Alabama in 1962 but spent his teenage years near Houston, and he grew to think of Texas as his true home state. His father and brother were both musically inclined, and he began writing his own songs at age 12, making his first recording two years later. After graduating from high school, he spent seven years playing local clubs and honky tonks. He moved to Los Angeles in 1988 on the advice of Rosie Flores and soon joined the house band at North Hollywood's now-legendary alt-country venue the Palomino Club. He recorded two singles for Curb in 1990, "One Tear at a Time" and "You Pour It On," and appeared on the third volume of the compilation series A Town South of Bakersfield in 1992. Not long after, he moved to Nashville and spent some time writing songs for the Gary Morris publishing company.
Watson didn't find commercial country much to his taste, and he relocated to the more progressive-minded scene in Austin, TX, where he formed a backing band called the Lone Stars. He scored a deal with Hightone and released his debut album, Cheatin' Heart Attack, in 1995. It was greeted with enormous acclaim for the vitality Watson brought to his vintage-style material and performances and also featured a witty dig at mainstream country in "Nashville Rash." Follow-up Blessed or Damned appeared in 1996 and continued in a similar vein, as did 1997's I Hate These Songs. His next release, The Truckin' Sessions, appeared on Koch in 1998 and was devoted entirely to that distinct country subgenre of truck-driving songs.
Unfortunately, it was almost his last. In 2000, Watson's fiancée was killed in an automobile accident; devastated, he attempted to drown his sorrows in booze and drugs and nearly died of an overdose shortly after Christmas. He wound up checking himself into a mental institution to recover and re-emerged later in 2001 with the deeply sorrowful tribute Every Song I Write Is for You, which appeared on Koch's new country imprint Audium. A couple of lower-key releases followed, the holiday album Christmas in Texas (2001) and Live in London, England (2002). In 2004, with his heart still on his sleeve, but a thicker skin, Watson released Dreamland. He also prepared himself for the lead role in Zalman King's forthcoming cowboy drama, Austin Angel.
Watson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame one year later. He took a break from music for the majority of that year, moving to Maryland in order to spend more time with his daughters. He was back playing gigs in Austin by 2006, and a documentary on Watson, Crazy Again, premiered at SXSW that year. Directed by King, the film charted Watson's mental breakdown following the death of his fiancée. A new full-length, From the Cradle to the Grave, came out in 2007, along with a second album, The Little Darlin' Sessions. The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 2 appeared in 2009 from Hyena Records. The following year saw the release of Carryin' On, which featured session players active in the 1950s and 1960s, the era so beloved by Watson.
Wikipedia:
Dale L. Watson is the former Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI, as such he headed the FBI investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Education
Watson is a native of Central Florida. He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1972. After college, Watson was commissioned as a regular U.S. Army Infantry Officer where he served five and one-half years.
Early career
In February 1978, Watson received his appointment as a Special Agent with the FBI. He was first assigned to Birmingham, Alabama and in 1982 he was transferred to New York City. In January, 1985, he was ordered to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He later was assigned a field supervisory desk at the Washington Field Office before returning to FBI Headquarters between 1991 through 1994 as Chief of the Iran Unit, Counterterrorism Section, National Security Division (NSD).
Move to Kansas City
In May 1994, he was selected as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Division, where he served until June 1996. In this position he played a key role in the investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing. Watson was then named as the Deputy Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Couterterrorism Center where he was instrumental in the successful investigation of the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996.
Reassignment
In January 1997, he was reassigned to FBI Headquarters as the Chief of the FBI's International Terrorism Section, NSD, where he served until his appointment in July 1998, as the Inspector Deputy Assistant Director of NSD with responsibility for the FBI's Counterterrorism programs. In this capacity he oversaw the international investigations into the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings and USS Cole bombing.
Later Career and Retirement
In 1999 Watson was promoted to be the first Assistant Director of the newly formed Counter-terrorism Division at FBI Headquarters by FBI director Louis Freeh. In December 2001 Watson was named Executive Assistant Director for Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence.
Watson retired from the FBI in 2002 to join the Washington D.C.-based consulting firm of Booz Allen Hamilton.
