Texas country singer-songwriter Aaron Watson had more than his Waco fans in mind when he planned to shoot his live DVD/CD project in Waco.

He had his fans in Dallas, Fort Worth, College Station and Austin in mind, too.

“Waco really is the Heart of Texas. It’s a great place for a live record because it’s accessible to a wider audience,” he said.

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Aaron Watson Live

Performance: Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday at Hog Creek Icehouse, 170 Branson Trail, Speegleville. Watson is set to go on stage at 10 p.m.

Tickets: $25 for reserved seating, $15 for general admission.

Aaron Watson

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That wider audience may very well turn up for Watson’s Saturday night concert at the Hog Creek Icehouse: As of late last week, more than 1,000 tickets had been sold for the “Live Deep in the Heart of Texas” event.

The news delighted Watson, speaking by phone during a stop in Stockdale. Only seven years earlier, he and his band performed his first Waco show with all of four people in the audience. “I think they paid me $18 for that night. I just kinda chuckled,” he said.

The Abilene-based musician plays Waco frequently these days — he’s a regular fixture at the annual Zack and Jim Anniversary Blowout at the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum — and to more of an audience than one can number on the fingers. His single “Rollercoaster Ride” from his Angels & Outlaws CD currently holds the No. 3 spot on the Texas Music Chart, and he’s expecting a lot from the live DVD he’s recording Saturday.

“It’s our biggest project to date. We’ve put more into this than any show we’ve done. We’re going all out to give the fans their money’s worth,” he said.

Planning for the DVD taping at Hog Creek’s outdoor amphitheater started two months ago and extends to a set list for his video team that even has the tempos of the songs he and his band will play.

Opening for him before he goes on at 10 p.m. are two musician friends, Kyle Park and former Waco resident Deryl Dodd.

The concert also caps Leasleypalooza VI, an annual golf tournament and country concert held to raise money for the Randy Leasley Scholarship Fund, named after the late China Spring High School football coach. This year’s golf tournament starts at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Lake Country Club.

Watson anticipates having his first live DVD/CD in five years in the hands of fans by the fall, but it’s not the only thing he’s working on.

The country musician is tackling his first book, titled Barbed Wire Halo, which he called “quite the challenge.” It’s about how his faith in God influenced his career. That book may be released either next fall or spring, he said.

And there’s a new studio album in the works as well, tentatively penciled in for a 2010 release.

“My career started to blossom once I put my talents in God’s hands,” he explained. “I am ambitious, but I’m really thankful for the things the Lord has given me . . . He seems to do big things with folks at the bottom of the barrel,”

choover@wacotrib.com

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