Darren Watson is a New Zealand-based musician who has earned multiple NZ Music Award nominations, including for Most Promising Male Vocalist, and Top Male Vocalist, and most recently Best Folk Artist at the 2021 NZ Music Awards. He's shared stages on NZ tours with artists like Koko Taylor, The Robert Cray Band, George Thorogood, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Eric Burdon, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Bil...
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Darren Watson is a New Zealand-based musician who has earned multiple NZ Music Award nominations, including for Most Promising Male Vocalist, and Top Male Vocalist, and most recently Best Folk Artist at the 2021 NZ Music Awards. He's shared stages on NZ tours with artists like Koko Taylor, The Robert Cray Band, George Thorogood, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Eric Burdon, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Billy Boy Arnold to mention a few. Watson also features as a sideman on cuts by Neil Finn (Crowded House), Renee Geyer, and local blues legend Midge Marsden.

He's released six blues-based albums: 2002's King Size (which was nominated for a NZ Music Award), 2005's South Pacific Soul, 2010's internationally acclaimed Saint Hilda's Faithless Boy, Introducing Darren Watson from 2014.

2018's Too Many Millionaires represented a major shift in direction for the veteran bluesman. Recorded 'live-to-tape' at Wellington's Surgery Studios by award-winning engineer Lee Prebble (Black Seeds, Phoenix Foundation, Dave Dobbyn) the record features all acoustic performances and has received rave reviews in local and international media.

Too Many Millionaires debuted at number three on the Official NZ Top 20 Album Chart and stayed in the charts for five weeks.

2020 saw the release of Watson's home recorded album Getting Sober For The End Of The World. The album saw Darren nominated for Best Folk Artist at the 2021 New Zealand Music Awards. It reached the mainstream official album charts at #20.

Awards & nominations:
1989 - Nomination Most Promising Male Vocal (NZ Music Awards)
1990 - Nomination Top Male Vocal (NZ Music Awards)
1993 - Top Male Performer (Wellington Music Awards)
1996 - Top Blues Performer (Wellington Music Awards)
2002 - Best Roots Performance (NZ Music Awards)
2008 - Winner Best Blues Song (International Songwriting Competition)
2021 -Nomination Best Folk Artist (NZ Music Awards)

Press:
" Anyone who thinks only Americans can authentically sing the blues should listen to this album by the New Zealander Darren Watson. It’s outstanding from beginning to end – the finest acoustic blues CD this reviewer has heard in quite some time. "

Blues Matters Magazine (UK)

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