Career history

Watson originally planned to pursue a career playing baseball, but while in college he began dabbling in music, and after graduation regularly performed in area churches. While leading worship at a Christian youth camp, the father of one of the children videotaped Watson's performance and sent it to a record company.

Wayne Watson’s connection with his audience has to date produced a history of 23 No. 1 singles in Christian radio—including “Friend of a Wounded Heart”, “When God’s People Pray”, “Almighty", "Be In Her Eyes”, “Watercolour Ponies”, “More of You”, “Another Time, Another Place”, and “Home Free” (which became the most played song at Christian radio in 1991).

His litany of career credits include a dozen Dove Awards wins, including those for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1989, Song of the Year in that same year (“Friend of a Wounded Heart”), Pop Contemporary Song of the Year and Contemporary Album of The Year (1988) for Watercolour Ponies, and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year (1992) for “Home Free”. He has twice been nominated for the Grammy Award—both for his performance of Watercolour Ponies (1987), and for Best Pop Gospel Album in 1992 for A Beautiful Place.

In the 1990s, he gave a groundbreaking emotionally charged performance of “Another Time, Another Place” with fellow artist Sandi Patty on NBC-TV’s The Tonight Show—an event that was deemed a defining moment in Christian music’s move to wider audiences. In the late 1990s, his inspirational hit “For Such a Time as This” became a centerpiece theme of the CBS-TV series Touched by an Angel.

Wayne is currently the associate director of music at Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas.

On January 1, 2011, Wayne was among 7 artists inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album		Record Label	Record Producer
1980	Workin' in the Final Hour		Milk & Honey
1982	New Lives for Old
1984	Man in the Middle
1985	Giants in the Land	22	Dayspring	Wayne Watson, Scott Hendricks
1987	Watercolour Ponies	11		Paul Mills, Wayne Watson
1988	The Fine Line	13	Word/Epic
1990	Home Free	7
1992	How Time Flies		Word/Dayspring
1993	A Beautiful Place	10	Dayspring	Greg Nelson, Wayne Watson
1994	One Christmas Eve	10	Word
1995	Field of Souls	21	Warner Alliance	Michael Omartian, David Pack, Watson
1998	Way Home	8	Word/Epic	Michael Omartian
2000	Wayne Watson	36	Word	Michael Omartian, Jerry McPherson
2002	Living Room	6	Spring Hill/Word	Neal Watson
2007	Even This		Infinity Entertainment
2008	King of Kings (Christmas project)		indie	Jeremy Good, Wayne Watson
2016	Simple Life		indie

Official compilations

• 1985: Best of Wayne Watson (Milk&Honey)
• 1991: The Early Works (Benson)
• 1992: How Time Flies (Word)
• 1995: The Very Best (Word)
• 1999: Signature Songs (Greentree)
• 2004: Signatures (Spring Hill)
• 2007: The Definitive Collection (Word)

Appearances on other albums

• 1985: An Evening in December First Call & Friends (Word-A&M)
• 1985: Together We Will Stand We Will Stand; a Continental Singers project (Christian Artists Records)
• 1989: Our Hymns (Word) "It Is Well With My Soul"
• 1991: Live with Friends Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (Word) "Almighty"
• 1991: The New Young Messiah (Sparrow) "Comfort Ye My People"
• 1994: Saviour: Story of God's Passion for His People (Word) "Man of Sorrows"
• 1995: Christmas Carols of the Young Messiah (Sparrow) "Angels Medley"
• 1997: Sing Me to Sleep, Daddy (Cedarmont Kids) (title song)
• 1999: Touched by an Angel: The Christmas Album (Sony) "For Such a Time as This"
• 2000: Child of the Promise original cast recording (Sparrow) "Shepherds Recitative"
• 2002: McPherson 1: Sunset Drive (Autumn Productions) "Watercolor Ponies" (guitar instrumental)

Video

• 1987: Wayne Watson in Concert (Dayspring)
• 1994: The New Young Messiah (Sparrow)
• 1994: It's Time (Word Visual)
• 1995: Christmas Carols of the Young Messiah (Chordant)

Awards

Dove Awards

• 1988: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year: Watercolour Ponies
• 1989: Song of the Year: "Friend of a Wounded Heart"
• 1989: Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1992: Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year: "Home Free"
• 1992: Short Form Music Video of the Year: "Another Time, Another Place"
• 1997: Special Event Album of the Year: Tribute - The Songs of Andrae Crouch (various artists)
• 1998: Children's Music Album of the Year: Sing Me to Sleep Daddy (various artists)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]