Songwriter Christopher Watkins developed an intense passion for the Delta blues at the early age of 16. Seven years later, as "Preacher Boy", he put together an electric band that would maintain the traditional feel of acoustic blues while transplanting it into clubs for young audiences who may have never even heard of Robert Johnson or Charley Patton. Preacher Boy and the Natural Blues were an instant hit on the alternative rock circuit, their skewed roots sound capturing the imagination of everyone within earshot. Combining bold, hard vocals with instrumentation that ranged from a kitchen stove to a clarinet, Preacher Boy drew on his personal experiences to sketch wry lyrical pictures which bear truth for anyone who has wrestled with death, loneliness, love or salvation. ...show more

Songwriter Christopher Watkins developed an intense passion for the Delta blues at the early age of 16. Seven years later, as "Preacher Boy", he put together an electric band that would maintain the traditional feel of acoustic blues while transplanting it into clubs for young audiences who may have never even heard of Robert Johnson or Charley Patton. Preacher Boy and the Natural Blues were an instant hit on the alternative rock circuit, their skewed roots sound capturing the imagination of everyone within earshot. Combining bold, hard vocals with instrumentation that ranged from a kitchen stove to a clarinet, Preacher Boy drew on his personal experiences to sketch wry lyrical pictures which bear truth for anyone who has wrestled with death, loneliness, love or salvation.

Born in Iowa City, Iowa in 1968, "Preach," as he is known to his friends, lived in Michigan, Kansas, Italy, Washington and now resides in San Francisco. His grandfather, a musician, professor, and sculptor, bought him his first guitar at age thirteen. The first thing he did was teach the boy an open tuning, which is now the hallmark of his bottle-neck playing. When he was 16, Chris stumbled upon Samuel Charter's book entitled The Country Blues, which his mom had brought him from the library, knowing his current fascination with a Howlin' Wolf record that he had found in the family record collection.

Although he had never heard of any of the names in the book, their stories and personalities completely swept him away. He immediately ran to the record store and purchased a compilation album from the Newport Folk Festival, and thus began a lifetime of respect, love and devotion for the music of players like John Hurt, Son House, Fred McDowell, Bukka White, Mance Lipscomb and many others. In California, Chris played guitar in local bands for a number of years, before forming Preacher Boy and the Natural Blues in 1992. Besides their immediate success with the Generation X club crowds, the band was soon sharing the stage with acts like Counting Crows, Cracker, Chris Isaak, Los Lobos, the Texas Tornadoes, Jimmy Vaughan, J.J. ...show less