# Dale Watson: Ameripolitan Music Pioneer

> Dale Watson, born in Alabama 64 years ago, rejected Nashville for his own genre blending country and rock.
- Title: Dale Watson: Ameripolitan Music Pioneer · American Songwriter
- Summary: Dale Watson, born in Alabama 64 years ago, rejected Nashville for his own genre blending country and rock. Dale Watson, a country maverick born in Alabama in…
- Keywords: dale watson, ameripolitan, birmingham, houston, austin, hightone records, cheatin heart attack, unwanted, music, culture, Dale, Watson
- Source: American Songwriter — https://americansongwriter.com/born-64-years-ago-today-in-alabama-the-country-maverick-who-rejected-nashville-and-created-his-own-genre
- Author: Erinn Callahan
- Published: 2026-10-07T22:15:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: dale watson, ameripolitan, birmingham, houston, austin, hightone records, cheatin heart attack, unwanted, music, culture
## Born in Alabama
Dale Watson was born in Birmingham, Alabama on October 7, 1962.
## Ameripolitan Music
Watson prefers to call his music 'Ameripolitan' blending honky-tonk, hillbilly, western swing, and rockabilly.
## Early Influences
Watson grew up listening to Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, and George Jones records.
## Austin Music Scene
Watson moved to Austin, Texas in 1995 after leaving Nashville for his own genre.
## Nashville Rash
Watson wrote 'Nashville Rash' mocking Nashville's commercial country music with lyrics like 'I’m too country now for country.'

> Help me Merle, I’m breakin’ out in a Nashville rash / It’s lookin’ like I’m fallin’ in the cracks / I’m too country now for country, ain’t that just like Johnny Cash?
## Recent Album
Watson released his latest album 'Unwanted' in April 2026 after a 2004 comeback.
## Key takeaway

Dale Watson, a country maverick born in Alabama in 1962, created Ameripolitan music by blending honky-tonk and rockabilly.