Fiddle player and singer/songwriter
Sara Watkins was born on June 8, 1981, in Santa Monica, CA, and first began performing professionally in 1989 in an early version of the group that became
Nickel Creek. Released in 2000,
Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album was produced by
Alison Krauss and peaked in the Top 20 of the Billboard country chart; it remained on the list for more than a year. The group's second album, 2002's
This Side, built upon such success by reaching number two.
Watkins' multi-instrumental skills proved to be one of the band's key assets, and her songwriting prowess developed as
Nickel Creek's career progressed.
In 2004, the bandmembers formed an ad hoc group called
Mutual Admiration Society with
Glen Phillips of
Toad the Wet Sprocket and
John Paul Jones, formerly of
Led Zeppelin. The supergroup cut a self-titled album and toured in support. Meanwhile,
Jones encouraged
Watkins to make a solo album, which she prepared for by playing solo shows at the Los Angeles club Largo. She also played on recording sessions as a fiddle player and/or harmony singer with
Hank Williams, Jr.,
the Chieftains,
Béla Fleck,
Darol Anger,
Switchfoot,
Jonny Lang,
Dan Wilson,
Ben Lee,
Richard Thompson,
Mandy Moore, and
Alex Woodard, among others. Developing as a songwriter, she contributed to five songs on the
Nickel Creek album
Why Should the Fire Die? The group went on indefinite hiatus after the disc's release, and
Watkins signed to Nonesuch Records as a solo artist before contacting
Jones about producing her debut album.
Sara Watkins was released April 7, 2009. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide