Aaron Watson Is Using His New Album to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Harvey

Aaron Watson has released multiple albums as an independent artist over his decades-long career, and his latest is a live project recorded at Rodeo Houston. For an artist from Texas, that's about as big as it gets.

"Playing the Houston Rodeo, for a Texas boy, is like the equivalent of a golfer getting that green jacket," Watson told PopCulture.com. "It's a big deal."

That show produced Watson's new record, Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show.

"It was an incredible night," he said. "It was fun. There was lots of butterflies, lots of emotions. It was just really such a blessing and such a wonderful opportunity for me and my music and my family, so it's a night I'll never forget."

Watson originally planned to release Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show last year, but the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey caused him to push the release date back in order to focus on those who needed help.

"There was just no way we wanted to release that album and be promoting an album," he explained. "So we just really thought, 'You know what, let's put this album out and contribute to the south Texas coast.'"

Watson hopes that Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show release will bring a renewed attention to the $125 billion damage that is still plaguing the state. To do that, he plans on donating a portion of sales to the Rebuild Texas Fund, which supports the economic recovery of communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

"I will always be a Texas artist," Watson shared. "This Texas music scene that I've been a part of for coming up on 20 years has taken such good care of me and my family and for me, it was just really really important to make an effort to give back."

"I know that I really won't be able to make a dent in that number," he added, "but we wanted to raise awareness, raise some funds, encourage people to continue to keep all those people that are still affected in your prayers and it's just a way for us to give back and to say, 'Thank you.'"

Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show includes the song "Higher Ground," which he wrote during Hurricane Harvey's rampage.

"The thing that moved me about Hurricane Harvey is that people stopped talking about race, color, or political affiliation for a moment, and the entire nation came to the aid of their fellow Americans that were experiencing hard times and I loved that," the singer explained. "I loved that for a moment we were like, 'Hey, it's okay that we're different and it's okay that we believe different things. We're still treating each other with love and respect," and that's really where 'Higher Ground' came from."

Donate to the Rebuild Texas Fund here. Purchase Live at the World's Biggest Rodeo Show at AaronWatson.com. Watson's latest single, "Run Wild Horses," from his recent Vaquero record, is currently in the Top 40, and is available for download on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty / Erika Goldring