Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins holding a fiddle

Sara Watkins in 2009 at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, North Carolina
Background information
Birth name Sara Ullrika Watkins[1]
Born (1981-06-08) June 8, 1981
Origin Vista, California, United States
Genres Bluegrass, folk, country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, fiddle, ukulele, guitar,[2] percussion
Years active 1989–present
Labels Nonesuch Records
Sugar Hill Records
Associated acts Nickel Creek, Mutual Admiration Society, Works Progress Administration, The Decemberists, Dan Wilson (musician)
Website sarawatkins.com

Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as fiddler and founding member of the progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek along with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addition to singing and fiddling, Watkins also plays the ukulele and the guitar, and also played percussion while touring with The Decemberists.

With Nickel Creek, Watkins released five studio albums, one compilation album and seven singles. During the band's seven-year hiatus, Watkins released two solo albums, Sara Watkins and Sun Midnight Sun on Nonesuch Records.[3]

Biography

1989-2007: Nickel Creek

Main article: Nickel Creek

2007-Present: Solo career

In late 2005, Watkins stated in a PopMatters interview when discussing her first solo-written recorded song, "Anthony", that she "definitely [makes] the effort [to write more], but it's something that doesn't come too easy for me. Nor does it come really easy for the guys, I think they've just been doing it for a very long time."[4]

Sara performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2009

Watkins signed as a solo artist with Nonesuch Records in fall 2008[3] and released her self-titled debut solo album on April 7, 2009. Watkins started recording the album in February 2008, and it was jointly recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles.[5] Sara Watkins was produced by bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, who first performed with Watkins on a Mutual Admiration Society tour in 2004.[5]

Watkins toured the United States as an opening act in 2008.[5] She performed short tours as an opening act for singer-songwriter Tift Merritt along the West Coast in March and April[6] and with Robert Earl Keen around New England in September,[7] as well as doing a 17-date tour with Donavon Frankenreiter in October. On April 14, 2009, she appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, with Jones on bass, Questlove of The Roots on drums, and her brother Sean Watkins on guitar. She has also performed on A Prairie Home Companion at the Minnesota State Fair and the Fitzgerald Theater and at the Alaska State Fair on August 28, 2011.[8][9] In 2012, she toured with Jackson Browne as the opening act for his acoustic winter tour.

In May 2012, she released her second solo album, Sun Midnight Sun, again on Nonesuch Records.[10] Produced by former Simon Dawes guitarist Blake Mills, it features guest appearances from Fiona Apple and Jackson Browne.[10]

In 2016, Watkins won "Instrumentalist of the Year" at the Americana Music Honors & Awards.

Other projects

Sara performing at the season opening of A Prairie Home Companion, 2014

In 2002, Watkins starred in an advertisement for cell phone provider Cingular Wireless alongside her former fiddle teacher Dennis Caplinger, as well as other prominent bluegrass artists.[11][12] Los Angeles session musician Gabe Witcher was originally offered the gig, but was asked to back out because of a casting desire for a "female fiddler."[11]

As mentioned above, in between 2000 and 2004, Sara Watkins and the other members of Nickel Creek (Chris Thile and Sean Watkins), John Paul Jones, and Pete Thomas for an E.P. "Mutual Admiration Society Solo Sampler", an album "Mutual Admiration Society" (recorded in 2000) and a brief tour.

The 2007 documentary film Arctic Tale featured a song by Watkins and musician Grant-Lee Phillips, titled "Song of the North (Beneath the Sun)." Watkins lent her vocal talents to be used in the film alongside other performers such as Aimee Mann and Brian Wilson.[13]

In January 2008, Billboard reported a new supergroup octet tentatively named The Scrolls, later named Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). The octet is composed of Watkins, her brother Sean Watkins (guitar), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The group released their album WPA in September 2009.

She is featured on Needtobreathe's CD The Outsiders on the track "Stones Under Rushing Water."

In late January and early February 2010 Watkins undertook a short tour with Jerry Douglas and Aly Bain in Scotland and England under the "Transatlantic Sessions" banner culminating in a performance in the Royal Festival Hall in London on 6 February 2010. In June 2010, Sara appeared on the Nerdist podcast as a musical guest, performing her best-known solo song, "Long Hot Summer Days" (a John Hartford cover). Later that summer, she participated in the Summer Love Tour with Garrison Keillor in venues across the United States.[14] She guest hosted Keillor's show A Prairie Home Companion on January 15, 2011.[15]

Watkins contributed fiddle, guitar, percussion, and vocals on The Decemberists' 2011 tour.[16]

In September 2011, Watkins indicated via Twitter that she would begin work on a second album in the Fall of 2011. Also in 2011, she (and her brother Sean) began to perform as a musician and singer in the humor/retro-radio podcast "Thrilling Adventure Hour".

Sara played violin and sang on "A Face To Call Home" on John Mayer's album Born and Raised.

During 2012 and 2013, Watkins toured with Jackson Browne, both as an opening act and accompanying him during the performance.

Sara and her brother Sean play regularly at the Largo nightclub in Los Angeles as "The Watkins Family Hour". Keyboardist Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and bassist Sebastian Steinberg (formerly of Soul Coughing) are regular participants and other guest musicians from the Largo family generally show up as well, including Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Don Heffington, Greg Leisz, and former Nickel Creek bandmate Chris Thile when he is in town. The irregular collaboration lead to a 2015 album and tour under the same name.[17]

Also in 2015, Sara toured extensively with Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan (of Crooked Still fame). The trio hosted the radio show A Prairie Home Companion on October 10, 2015. Watkins also performed vocals for "June & Johnny" on Jon Foreman's 2015 EP The Wonderlands: Darkness.[18]

Personal life

On August 16, 2008, Watkins married her boyfriend Todd Cooper, in her parents' backyard in Vista, California.[7][19]

Discography

Solo career

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart
positions
US
[20]		 US Folk
[21]		 US Heat
[22]
Sara Watkins — — 13
Sun Midnight Sun
  • Release date: May 8, 2012
  • Label: Nonesuch Records
 — 11 16
Young in All the Wrong Ways 200 7 1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
2012 "When It Pleases You"[23] Peter Zavadil
2013 "You and Me"[24] Russ Kendall
2016 "Move Me"[25] Allister Ann

With Nickel Creek

Main article: Nickel Creek discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

With Watkins Family Hour

Albums

References

  1. ↑ "Watkins, Sara Ullrika". ASCAP.com. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  2. ↑ Watkins, Sara. "getting ready... ". MySpace. January 21, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Nonesuch Signs Sara Watkins". Nonesuch Records. November 25, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  4. ↑ Tranter, Nikki. "Understanding and Ability". PopMatters. November 18, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 Dickens, Tad. "End of the road for Nickel Creek?". The Roanoke Times. November 2, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Nickel Creek members' tours stop in NC". Triangle Music. January 24, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Sept - Northampton, MA". Sarawatkins.com. September 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  8. ↑ Hubbard, Rob. "'Prairie Home Companion' hits its stride at Fair". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  9. ↑ "A Prairie Home Companion for October 23, 2010 | American Public Media". Origin-prairiehome.publicradio.org. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  10. 1 2 "Sun Midnight Sun". Nonesuch Records. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  11. 1 2 "A Most Cingular Sensation". Wright For You. June 2002. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Brad Davis, Tim May & John Moore". Walnut Valley Festival. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Arctic Tale [Original Soundtrack]: Credits". MSN. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  14. ↑ Finke, Nikki (2010-04-14). "Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion Skeds "Summer Love" 25-City Tour". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  15. ↑ "January 15: Nickel Creek alum Sara Watkins; clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn; singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau". Prairiehome.publicradio.org. 2011-01-31. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  16. ↑ "News 1.4.10". Thedecemberists.com. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  17. ↑ McCue, Lori (3 September 2015). "Sean and Sara Watkins are taking their Watkins Family Hour on the road, and bringing famous friends". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Sara Watkins Twitter Post". Sara Watkins. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  19. ↑ "Summer Is Almost Over...". Glenphillips.com. August 24, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Sara Watkins Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Sara Watkins Album & Song Chart History - Folk Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Sara Watkins Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  23. ↑ "CMT : Videos : Sara Watkins : When It Pleases You". Country Music Television. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  24. ↑ "CMT : Videos : Sara Watkins : You and Me". Country Music Television. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  25. ↑ "CMT : Videos : Sara Watkins : Move Me". Country Music Television. Retrieved October 14, 2016.

External links

Interviews

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