Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

r. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, they released six al ...

, the

progressive bluegrass Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it lar ...

group she formed with her brother

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

and

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

ist

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

. In addition to singing and fiddling, Watkins also plays the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

and the guitar, and also played percussion while touring with

the Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy ( lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...

. In 2012, she and her brother played with

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

during his "I'll Do Anything" acoustic tour. With Nickel Creek, Watkins released five studio albums, one

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, and seven

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

. During the band's seven-year hiatus, she released three solo albums: ''

Sara Watkins Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addi ...

'' and ''

Sun Midnight Sun ''Sun Midnight Sun'' is the second solo album by American singer and fiddle player Sara Watkins. It was released on May 8, 2012, by Nonesuch Records. It reached No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Folk Chart and No. 16 on the Heatseekers chart. Track ...

'' on

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

and ''

Young in All the Wrong Ways ''Young in All the Wrong Ways'' is the third studio album by American musician Sara Watkins. It was released in July 2016 under New West Records. It reached No.1 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart and No.19 on the Billboard Top Rock Chart. ...

'' on

New West Records New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...

."Nonesuch Signs Sara Watkins"

. November 25, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.

Biography

1989–2007, 2014–present: Nickel Creek

2007–present: Solo career

In late 2005, Watkins stated in a

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

interview when discussing her first solo-written recorded song, "Anthony", that she "definitely akesthe effort o write more but it's something that doesn't come too easy for me. Nor does it come really easy for the guys, I think they've just been doing it for a very long time."Tranter, Nikki
"Understanding and Ability"
''

''. November 18, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2008. SaraWatkinsACL

Watkins signed as a solo artist with

in fall 2008 and released her self-titled debut solo album on April 7, 2009. Watkins started recording the album in February 2008, and it was jointly recorded in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and Los Angeles. ''Sara Watkins'' was produced by bassist

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

fame, who first performed with Watkins on a

Mutual Admiration Society "Mutual Admiration Society" can refer to: Literature * Mutual admiration society, a term referring to people who admire or flatter each other, originated in the 1800s but came into common use in the latter 1950s, popularized by the song of the s ...

tour in 2004.Dickens, Tad
"End of the road for Nickel Creek?"
''

The Roanoke Times ''The Roanoke Times'' is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia and is based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It is published by Lee Enterprises. In addition to its headquarters in Roanoke, it maintains a bureau in Christiansburg, ...

''. November 2, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2008. Watkins toured the United States as an opening act in 2008. She performed short tours as an opening act for singer-songwriter

Tift Merritt Tift may refer to: Places * Tift County, Georgia, a county in south-central Georgia, United States People with the given name * Tift Merritt (born 1975), American singer-songwriter People with the surname * Andrew Tift (born 1968), British portr ...

along the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

in March and April"Nickel Creek members' tours stop in NC"
''Triangle Music''. January 24, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2008. and with

Robert Earl Keen Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and entertainer. Debuting with 1984's ''No Kinda Dancer'', the Houston native has recorded 20 full-length albums for both independent and major record labels. His songs ha ...

around

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

in September, as well as doing a 17-date tour with

Donavon Frankenreiter Donavon Frankenreiter (born December 10, 1972) is an American musician and surfer. His debut self-titled album was released in 2004 on Brushfire Records through Universal Music. Career Frankenreiter was born in Downey, California, United Stat ...

in October. On April 14, 2009, she appeared on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...

'', with Jones on bass, Questlove of

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

on drums, and her brother

Sean Watkins Sean Charles Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration. He is the brother of Sara ...

on guitar. On August 28, 2011, she made her debut with ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

,'' at the

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state fa ...

. In 2012, she toured with

as the opening act for his acoustic winter tour. In September 2011, Watkins indicated via Twitter that she would begin work on a second album in the fall of 2011. In May 2012, Watkins released her second solo album, ''

'', again on

. Produced by former

Simon Dawes Simon Dawes was a rock band originally from Malibu, California. The band was signed with Record Collection and released their debut full-length, ''Carnivore'', in September 2006. They had previously released two EPs. Blake Mills (guitar) left ...

guitarist

Blake Mills Blake Mills (born September 21, 1986) is an American songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in California. Biography Blake Mills was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, and grew up in Malibu, where he attended Malibu ...

, it features guest appearances from

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Apple has received numerous awards an ...

and Jackson Browne. In 2016, Watkins won "Instrumentalist of the Year" at the

Americana Music Honors & Awards The Americana Music Honors & Awards is the marquee event for the Americana Music Association. Beginning in 2002, the Americana Music Association honors distinguished members of the music community. Six member-voted awards and several Lifetime Ac ...

Other projects

In 2002, Watkins starred in an advertisement for cell phone provider

Cingular Wireless AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the t ...

alongside her former fiddle teacher Dennis Caplinger, as well as other prominent bluegrass artists."A Most Cingular Sensation"
. ''Wright For You''. June 2002. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
. Between 2000 and 2004, Watkins and the other members of

(

and

, and Pete Thomas collaborated on an EP, ''

Mutual Admiration Society Solo Sampler Mutual may refer to: *Mutual organization, where as customers derive a right to profits and votes *Mutual information, the intersection of multiple information sets *Mutual insurance, where policyholders have certain "ownership" rights in the orga ...

''; an album, ''Mutual Admiration Society'' (recorded in 2000); and a brief tour. The 2007 documentary film '' Arctic Tale'' featured a song by Watkins and musician

Grant-Lee Phillips Grant-Lee Phillips (born Bryan G. Phillips; September 1, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He led the group Grant Lee Buffalo in the 1990s, afterwards launching a solo career. He features as the town troubadour ...

, titled "Song of the North (Beneath the Sun)". Watkins lent her vocal talents to the film alongside other performers such as

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

. In January 2008, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' reported a new

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

octet tentatively named The Scrolls, later named Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). The octet is composed of Watkins, her brother

(guitar), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals),

Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin ...

(piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle),

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage band cu ...

(various), Pete Thomas (drums), and

Davey Faragher David Allen "Davey" Faragher (born August 18, 1957) is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band Cracker, and his subsequent work with ...

(bass). The group released their album ''WPA'' in September 2009. Watkins is featured on

Needtobreathe Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass), Josh Lovelace (backing vocals, keys), Randall H ...

's 2009 CD '' The Outsiders'' on the track "Stones Under Rushing Water". In late January and early February 2010, Watkins undertook a short tour with

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he has ...

and

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town ...

in Scotland and England under the "

Transatlantic Sessions Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...

" banner, culminating in a performance in the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

in London on February 6, 2010. In June 2010, Watkins appeared on the

Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...

podcast as a musical guest, performing her best-known solo song, "Long Hot Summer Days" (a

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kno ...

cover). Later that summer, she participated in the Summer Love Tour with

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

in venues across the United States. She guest hosted Keillor's show, ''

'', on January 15, 2011. Watkins contributed fiddle, guitar, percussion, and vocals on

The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band consists of Colin Meloy ( lead vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion), Nate ...

' 2011 tour. Also in 2011, she (and her brother Sean) began to perform as a musician and singer in the humor/retro-radio podcast "

Thrilling Adventure Hour ''The Thrilling Adventure Hour'' was a staged production and podcast in the style of old time radio that was held monthly at Largo, a Los Angeles nightclub located in the former Coronet Theatre. The show ran from March 2005 to April 2015. Each ...

". Watkins played violin and sang on "A Face To Call Home" on John Mayer's 2012 album '' Born and Raised''. During 2012 and 2013, she toured with Jackson Browne, both as an opening act and accompanying him during the performance. Watkins and her brother Sean play regularly at the Largo nightclub in Los Angeles as " Watkins Family Hour". Keyboardist

(of

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

) and bassist

Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing. Biography Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992 to 2000. In 2001, Steinberg ...

(formerly of Soul Coughing) are regular participants, and other guest musicians from the Largo family generally show up as well, including

Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...

, Fiona Apple, Don Heffington,

, and former Nickel Creek bandmate

when he is in town. The irregular collaborations led to a 2015 album and tour under the same name. Also in 2015, Watkins toured extensively with

Sarah Jarosz Sarah Jarosz ( ; born May 23, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter from Wimberley, Texas. Her first album, ''Song Up in Her Head'', was released in 2009

and

Aoife O'Donovan Aoife O'Donovan ( , ; born November 18, 1982) is an American singer and Grammy award-winning songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer for the string band Crooked Still and she also co-founded the Grammy Award-winning female folk trio I'm ...

(of

Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusual i ...

fame). The trio, who now play under the name I'm With Her, hosted the radio show ''

'' on October 10, 2015. Watkins also performed vocals for "June & Johnny" on

Jon Foreman Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976) is an American musician, the lead singer, guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and his brother Ti ...

's 2015 EP '' The Wonderlands: Darkness''. In 2020, she played fiddle on

Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has released two solo albums, ''Stranger in the Alps'' (2017) and ''Punisher'' (2020), both of which received critical acclaim ...

's record ''

Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...

'', on track 10 "Graceland Too". In 2021, she played fiddle on

The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...

's record ''

Pressure Machine ''Pressure Machine'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Killers. It was released on August 13, 2021. The album features the return of guitarist Dave Keuning to the studio with the band, after his absence on the previous album ...

'' (Tracks: ''West Fields'', ''Cody'', ''Pressure Machine'') and violin on ''In Another Life''.

Personal life

On August 16, 2008, Watkins married Todd Cooper in her parents' backyard in

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

, California."Sept – Northampton, MA"
. Sarawatkins.com. September 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008. On June 15, 2017, she announced via Twitter that she and her husband were expecting a child in September.

Discography

Solo career

Studio albums

Music videos

With Nickel Creek

Albums

*1993: ''

Little Cowpoke Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

'' *1997: '' Here to There'' *2000: ''

'' *2002: ''

This Side ''This Side'' is the Grammy-winning third album by the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek, released on Sugar Hill in the summer of 2002. It gained attention in indie rock circles due to the group's recording of a Pavement song, "Spit on a ...

'' *2005: ''

Why Should the Fire Die? ''Why Should The Fire Die?'' is the third major album release and fifth album overall by progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. The album was released on Sugar Hill on August 9, 2005, in the United States, and on August 8 in the United Kingdom. ...

'' *2014: '' A Dotted Line''

Compilations

*2006: '' Reasons Why: The Very Best'' *2007: '' I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns and Songs of Faith''

Singles

*2001: " When You Come Back Down" *2001: " The Lighthouse's Tale" *2002: "Reasons Why" *2003: "

" *2003: "Speak" *2003: "Smoothie Song" *2005: "When in Rome" *2009: "Too Much"

With Watkins Family Hour

Albums

*2015: ''Watkins Family Hour'' *2020: ''Brother Sister'' *2022: ''Vol. II''

With I'm With Her

Singles

*2015: "Crossing Muddy Waters" / "Be My Husband" *2017: "Little Lies" *2017: "Send My Love (to Your New Lover) – ive – Feat. Paul Kowert *2019: "Call My Name"

Albums

*2018: ''See You Around''

References

External links

Official website

Interviews

Interview on Metromix.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Sara American acoustic guitarists American bluegrass fiddlers American bluegrass guitarists American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Nickel Creek members People from Vista, California Place of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from California 1981 births Living people 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Works Progress Administration (band) members I'm with Her (band) members