The Watson Twins

Biography

Twin sisters Chandra Watson and Leigh Watson are daughters of the Deep South whose music crosses the divide between folk and country traditions and contemporary roots music. Born and raised in Louisville, KY, the Watson Twins took up singing when they were girls, following the example of their mother, who would sing along with her favorite tunes around the house. In 1998, Chandra and Leigh pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles in hopes of making a career in music. They spent several years as backup singers with a popular local band, as well as becoming fixtures on the hip music scene in the L.A. suburb of Silverlake, where they performed with acts such as Orphan Train, Joe Firstman, and Rilo Kiley. The Watson Twins also began writing their own material and arranging the work of others to suit their unique harmonies, occasionally playing shows under the name "Black Swan." The Watson Twins established their name and got a significant career boost when Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis invited Chandra and Leigh to collaborate with her on an album; the result, 2006's Rabbit Fur Coat, was a major indie success and drew nearly as much attention to the Watson Twins as it did to Lewis. The sisters followed up this success with 2007's Southern Manners, a self-released eight-song EP that gave Chandra and Leigh greater room to explore their perspective on rural American music; the disc sold well in their native Los Angeles and at personal appearances, with the group selling out major venues in Southern California and touring the country both as a headliner and as an opening act for Magnolia Electric Co..