Dale Watson Announces New Album, Pays Tribute to Willie and Waylon
It’s hard to to find a more real deal performer than Dale Watson. Catch him at the Continental Club or The Broken Spoke in Austin, or perhaps jumping up on the stage at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way in Memphis, or hundreds of places in-between and beyond, and you’ll see the true embodiment of country.
In fact Dale’s so country and committed to the roots of the genre, he doesn’t feel comfortable calling himself “country” anymore with all the interlopers diluting the term. He prefers the name “Ameripolitan,” which he’s turned into a roots-supporting community all its own.
Whatever you want to call it, you can be assured that Dale Watson’s new album called Unwanted will be twangy, hard-charging, and true to itself when it’s released on April 24th via Forty Below Records. The twelve tracks all self-produced and written by Dale comes as his first new music since 2023’s Starvation Box.
The set starts off with a song that embodies Dale’s passion for true country music called “Willie Waylon and Whiskey.” Witnessing Watson perform this song recently at Austin’s ultimate dive bar Sam’s Town Point, it can be confirmed it’s a cooker. The studio version of the track can be heard below.
“This song was written on stage in San Antonio at the Lonesome Rose Bar,” Watson explains. “Inspired by a large man standing in front of me all night because he was wearing a shirt that simply said Willie Waylon and Whiskey … I wrote the song on the spot. I knew it would be a keeper when by the second time the chorus came around the entire crowd was singing it with me.”
By the way, The Lonesome Rose in San Antonio is owned by another Texas music mainstay, Garrett T. Capps, who recently announced a new album of his own called I Still Love San Antone out March 10th. Back to Dale’s new album, for those curious, that’s his wife Celine Lee also depicted on the cover, along with their dog. Don’t be surprised if one or both make an appearance on the new album.
Unwanted is now available for pre-save/pre-order.
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January 23, 2026 @ 11:19 am
oh hell yeah!!!!
January 23, 2026 @ 9:14 pm
uh….as kids there was this pump-up aerosol called “Real Kill” our parents would spray on any trophy size roach that was dumb enough to jump the border of common sense and hang out in the kitchen.
Upon gettin’ juiced the roach would next get into throes of death all jittery that at times would end up with it trying to fly into your face.
This of course would scare the sh*t out of us kids, whereby Daddy would then tell us the roach was only doing a tribute to Jerry Lewis,…you know, the comic who did impersonations of impaired people.
Here, whether or not due to some unknown sin of Waylon Jennings, it now appears the impaired have chosen to strike back through means of desperation expressed as another “tribute” which even in its deadly kindness only goes to show that Dale simply got juiced, again.
January 23, 2026 @ 11:34 am
I love Dale Watson but do we need another triple W song? I was hesitant to listen to it just by looking at the title. I just gave it a spin and it had a great beat layered with laundry list lyrics that SCM often commends. Hopefully “Beer, Country Music, and Jesus” is not the next single.
January 23, 2026 @ 12:19 pm
This is definitely not a songwriter song, and sometimes that’s okay. That’s why Dale gave to context of how it was written. It was literally written impromptu on the stage. As SD says below, seeing this song live, he sells you on it. It’s one to pump your fist to.
January 23, 2026 @ 12:42 pm
Maybe keeping it a special one off show song would have been better.
January 23, 2026 @ 3:35 pm
That comment tells me your not a Dale Watson fan or a honky tonk fan. Just remember, the vast majority of Country music was never meant to be cerebral or hipster intellectual. Its common people music for blue collar working men and women. That point is lost on 99% of the Americana and alt country fans. A shame really. And BTW, isn’t most pop music more about the beat and the vibe than cerebral lyrics? And while we’re at it, country and western as well as mountain music was invented to give people something to dance to. Dale is one of those artists who is extremely cognizant of that point and he plays dance halls and honky tonks all the time. Its his bread and butter. Sheesh…
January 23, 2026 @ 3:51 pm
I haven’t listened to the song yet but as a fan of big heavy cerebral songwriting I make a gigantic distinction for music that’s meant to be dumb dance music. Honky tonk is dumb dance music about 90% of the time and occasionally slips in something heavy.
January 26, 2026 @ 5:32 pm
I agree, but even honky tonk singers can lay down some moving lyrics… I mean Hank Williams comes to mind lol.
January 23, 2026 @ 12:00 pm
This song RIPS on the live stage. Gotta get out to the shows!
January 23, 2026 @ 12:20 pm
God Bless Dale Watson!
God Bless Trig for using an alternative word to the trite “banger.” Not that Trig used it as often as other writers and commenters, but a “cooker” is a fresh alternative. And “Willie Waylon and Whiskey” cooks.
January 23, 2026 @ 3:17 pm
Any word if he plans to do another Ameripolitan awards show in the near future?
January 23, 2026 @ 4:44 pm
You know TX Brian, he’s mentioned recently that the money/ funding issue prevents it. Hes more than once said a benefactor would be needed going forward. Own any oil wells out there in Texas, and by chance do you have some $$$ to throw at it? Haha..
January 23, 2026 @ 5:25 pm
All I can say is great song, Love Dale Watson, what’s not to like, looking forward to the rest of the album,
January 23, 2026 @ 10:29 pm
I’ve seen him a few dozen times over the years in Austin and here in New Orleans. Bedsides putting on great shows mixing his own songs with classic covers he is one of the funniest and most entertaining performers alive today.
January 24, 2026 @ 12:23 am
A few dozen?? That’s a lot.
I’ve only seen him twice, but both shows were memorable for different reasons.
Thd first was in late 1997 or early ’98. Merle Haggard was doing a concert at a club called “Tramps” in Downtown Manhattan. It was a cold, winter night, and the venue was lousy–no seats, and you had to stand like you were in a crowded subway car. But hey, Hag was coming. I had seen in the show announcement that Dale Watson was the opener. I had bought his “Blessed or Damned” CD based on a recommendation in the Tower Records in-store magazine and was a big fan. I had recently bought a copy of his then-new disc “I Hate These Songs” and brought it with me, figuring it might come in handy, and put in the pocket of my coat. I got there early and snagged a spot in front, right by the stage.
Before the show, the Tramp’s anouncer/ emcee comes out and tells the crowd to give a welcome to Dale Watson, who will be performing first. There was zero reaction. I felt like I was the only person there who had heard of him. So I start telling everybody in my vicinity: “You gotta watch this guy. He’s absolutely great.” Dale comes out and does a high-energy show with his band and with whatever time he was allotted.Got a good crowd reaction for a guy whom they had not come to see. These two women standing next to me–who I didn’t know–were really gaga for him.
After a short break, the main event starts. Merle’s there with his whole band, and I notice that Dale has come back out and he’s standing by the side of the stage in a private area for crew and staff, in his tank-top shirt and drinking longneck bottles of Budweiser and watching the Hag. He’s about 30 feet away from where we’re standing in the public area. At some point, I decide to try to get his attention, figuring that since he didn’t have a lot of fans there and everyone was focusing on the Hag, I probably could.So I take out his CD, “I Hate These Songs,” and flash it in his direction. Sure enough, he sees it and starts walking over. The two women can’t believe that I got the guy who we just watched to come over. Dale reaches us, I give him the CD box and a marker to sign it (I should have taken the booklet out myself, but I didn’t.) Dale is super nice–glad that he has at least a couple of fans in New York, I guess–but he’s struggling with the CD box and apologizes for being too drunk to get the booklet out. But he finally manages to sign it and gives it back to me. I then backed off and let the two women talk to him.
I still have the CD, with the signed, partially crushed, booklet that a tipsy DW struggled with.
I saw him again two years later, but on that night Dale was the attraction and he filled the place and played ’til near midnight.
January 24, 2026 @ 5:29 pm
Nice story. I loved Tramps because many of my favorite singers played there. I still remember Jack Ingram opening for Jerry Jeff Walker in 1997. First time I’d seen either one of them live.
When I lived in Austin, I used to see Dale at Babes on 6th St. I never met him but I remember he asked for requests once and I shouted “South of Round Rock, Texas”. He replied, “Who said that?” I sheepishly raised my hand wondering if I had done something wrong but he just started playing the song.
January 25, 2026 @ 12:10 am
I love that song! Probably still my fave along with “I Lie When I Drink”.
January 24, 2026 @ 7:14 am
Great story Lucky, I’ve seen Dale many times a dozen or so too, in NYC, The Rodeo Bar, Hill Country BBQ mostly, and in Austin at the Black Cat. Tramps was Great , saw Willie , Jerry Jeff, REK there, always had good country bands there.
I’m sure the great Ricky Davis was there on steel with Dale that night unless he was solo. And yes, he is a real personable guy always takes the time to talk to his fans!
January 24, 2026 @ 12:56 pm
My first time ever seeing him was at Tramps back in the early/mid 90s on a bill with Dave Alvin and Big Sandy and then at The Rodeo Bar before moving down South. Saw so many great shows at both venues.
January 24, 2026 @ 2:40 pm
Looking forward to this album. Dale is one of my favorites. I have seen him twice thus far. Always have enjoyed speaking with him after the shows.
January 24, 2026 @ 7:19 pm
I saw Robert Earl Keen several times, but it was always at Irving Plaza, below Grammercy Park and near Pete’s Tavern. First time I saw him there, the crowd was like an Aggies reunion. It seemed all the Texan 20-something college grads who got jobs on Wall Street or elsewhere in New York had descended on the place.
I also saw him there on his “Farewell Tour” three years ago. He looked like he was hurting–had to sit, pretty much the whole time–but put on a good show.
And no, I’m not angry that his “retirement” didn’t stick. I was glad to see him and if he’s “feeling good again” and can perform more, I hope he does. Why would I want him to disappear? He’ll disappear for good, soon enough….as will we all.
January 25, 2026 @ 7:16 am
Agreed Lucky, got to meet REK at the Turning Point in Piermont NY on the Hudson River, cool place that holds 69 People. He was just making it big and was touring up North, he being an Aggie and me a Red Raider, signed my CD ‘Go Red Raiders’. Have seen him many times over the years.
Sadly not many people including Dale don’t make it up to the Tri-state area, since its so expensive, parking stinks, and many venues have closed. Guess it’s getting time to move down South.