Darren Watson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (October 2007)

Darren Watson is a New Zealand singer and guitarist in a wide range of blues styles, as well as a gifted songwriter.

Darren Watson was born in Wanganui on October 14, 1966. His first musical experience was playing drums and trumpet but he soon moved on to guitar and was playing in bars and clubs throughout his years at Hutt Valley High School (1980-83).

In 1985, he formed Chicago Smoke Shop with harmonica player Terry Casey and, although Casey left the band in 1987, the band went on to record two charting LPs and several radio hits. The group was also in big demand as a support act by international touring bands. Between 1987 and 1990, Smoke Shop (the 'Chicago' tag was eventually dropped) opened for NZ tours by Robert Cray (twice), Koko Taylor, George Thorogood, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

More recently, Watson has recorded two successful albums: King Size (2002), which was nominated for Best Roots Album at the 2003 NZ Music Awards, and his latest, South Pacific Soul (2005). This latest album has now been released in the USA, and received favourable reviews from both local and international media.