Mitch Watkins is thrilled to be playing with Leonard Cohen again. His past tours with Cohen include the Recent Songs tour in 1979-1980 and the Various Positions tour in 1985. Prior to joining Cohen for the Old Ideas tour, Watkins held down the guitar chair with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band for eleven years.
Watkins has also toured extensively with songwriters Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely, K.T. Oslin, Jennifer Warnes, Abra Moore and Bob Schneider, as well as jazz artists Jack Walrath, Bennie Wallace, Barbara Dennerlein, Paul Glasse, and John Fremgen. His production credits are many, and include a Grammy nomination for his work with singer/songwriter Abra Moore.
Mitch has three releases as a leader on the Munich-based Enja label, one on the Austin-based Dos label, and one on the Austin-based Viewpoint label. His discography also includes performances on records by Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Abra Moore, Jerry Jeff Walker, Paul Glasse, and Bob Schneider, as well as Leonard’s Recent Songs record.
Watkins has made numerous appearances with Lyle Lovett on the Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and Austin City Limits. In addition to performing and recording, he has served as an educator at the University of Texas at Austin.