Monte Warden won his first of seven Austin Music Awards when he was all of 15 years old (for Best New Band). The band in question was the country trio Whoa Trigger!, which the young Warden rode all the way into his next project - the even more popular Wagoneers, which scored a major-label deal with A&M after performing at the 1st SXSW. The band's "Stout and High" debut was released to worldwide critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the best country albums of the 80s. The early-to-mid '90s found Warden launching a solo career, resulting in three albums showcasing his signature blend of Buddy Holly hooks, hot rockabilly guitar licks and straight-up Texas honky-tonk. His self-titled solo debut was named one of the 100 best American albums of the 20th century by NME. Warden's biggest success in recent years has been as a professional songwriter, selling millions of records, landing cuts in several movies and television shows, as well as with artists like Kelly Willis, Patty Loveless, George Jones, Bruce Robison, Travis Tritt, and George Strait, to name a few. Warden co-wrote Strait's smash, "Desperately". In the fall of 2005, Warden was awarded his first BMI songwriting award for success in the country field. In March 2006, Warden was awarded the prestigious BMI 'Million-Air' Award, signifying over 1 million radio performances of his song, "Desperately". Warden writes exclusively for Moonkiss Music and lives in Austin with his wife and publisher, Brandi, and their 3 sons.
