A Long Time Coming: Opening for Dale Watson

What’s meant for you will find you. Sometimes it just takes the long way around.

Opening for Dale Watson in Santa Cruz this past weekend  wasn’t just another night on stage. It was a knot I’d been untying for over a decade.

Dale Watson ( Moe’s Alley 2025 )

15+ years ago , I was a kid running a lab during the day. I’d sing jazz standards to the patients in the waiting room. We’d sing together,”A-tisket, a-tasket A brown and yellow basket”- you get the picture. They were nearing the edge, but when we sang, it felt like we all had miles to go. One of my favorites, John T , would smile at me and say, “Kid, don’t ever get old.”

I still hear him sometimes.

I booked a solo trip to Lubbock, TX that year. I wanted to see Dale Watson and the Texas Playboys. Dale’s show was canceled. I went anyway. I saw the Playboys. I met Tommy Allsup and Leon Rausch. Something about that weekend carved a groove in me I never climbed out of.

With Tommy Alsup in Lubbock , Texas

Then life came.
A marriage.
Two kids.
A career in law enforcement.
An album.
A band.
And still, the music stayed.

I didn’t chase it. I just built what I believed in. And, like it always does, it found its way back.

Dale and his wife, Celine Lee, are keeping tradition alive without killing the fire. That night reminded me, you don’t wait for a place at the table. You carve your own seat out of the wood.

That’s what I’ve been doing.

At the Western Swing Society, I’ve dragged some of this tradition forward by implementing professional photography to capture our people like they deserve to be remembered, dance lessons that filled the floor with fresh energy, a historical film screening to tie the old to the now, and cross-generational lineups that let the legends and the younger players share the same light, one of whom is now playing the Grand Ole Opry.

A Nashville Christmas in Rancho Cordova ( Featuring The Farmer & Adele )  follows the same path. It started like most things I’ve built, an idea, a few strong hands, and just enough belief to get it moving. Local businesses stepped up. And now, it’s more than a show. It’s part of a rhythm I’ve been carving out for a while.

This isn’t extra work. It’s what makes something last.

That night in Moe’s Alley wasn’t about ego, it was proof. The good work speaks. The right moments show up. And no one can shut a door you built with your own two hands.

Next stop: Arthur, Illinois. Opening for Tony Booth.

A long time coming, but right on time.