Some fathers and sons connect over sports, video games, or movies.
But for Gary Dawson and his son Colton, 17, that link occurs on stage in front of hundreds—sometimes thousands—of strangers every week.
Dawson, the father-son country music duo, has played more than 170 gigs before numerous crowds at venues spanning bars, restaurants, and private parties. Their first performance was at the Arizona Country Club nearly two years ago, where they played for three hours.
“There’s no better joy in the world than playing with your own son,” says Gary, who grew up in Memphis and hails from a musical family.
Both play guitar and switch off on lead vocals duties. They perform a mix of classic and new country covers of artists Morgan Wallen, Merle Haggard, George Strait, Cody Johnson, and others. They also play their own original tunes, with Colton drawing influence from ’90’s country.
“I’m writing catchy country music songs that age well in country music and come up with a hook,” says Colton, a junior at Perry High School. “Those songs are timeless.”
Since forming Dawson in early 2022, Colton has played before crowds ranging from the dozens to the thousands. He’s taken the stage at festivals across the country and won a songwriting contest that took him to Luckenbach, Texas on Nov. 11 to perform at KingFest. The festival’s organizer, country singer Randall King, is one of Colton’s influences and was so impressed that he called Colton on stage to perform with him.
Yet, holding lead singer duties is a role the budding country star only fairly recently took on and only until recently did his best to avoid, despite his father’s best efforts to persuade him.
Gary’s country music pedigree includes his professional country music singer uncle, who toured with high-profile artists and played high-profile venues in the 1970s. Gary always loved classic country and had been singing and playing guitar since he was young and has played and filled in with Valley bands for three decades.
So, he knows how to recognize talent, no matter how raw. But all of his efforts were unsuccessful when trying to get Colton to sing. Even when he and Colton's grandfather offered him $150 to sing at a family gathering, nothing came out of his mouth when he tried.
Obviously, that is no longer an issue.
“He had this real fear of singing. Now he feels zero fear. He goes on stage and kills it,” Gary says.
But that doesn’t mean there’s zero trepidation.
“When you’re up there, you’ve got to remind yourself that you’ve done this before,” Colton says.
Colton got his musical introduction with the electric guitar and playing the blues at the age of 10, with Stevie Ray Vaughan as his inspiration. Slowly, he embraced country music.
Colton’s first job was busking in Old Town Scottsdale with his older brother Dash. Colton was 14 when he and Dash would pick a corner and play as passersby dropped in tips of gratitude. Gary dropped them off, stood across the street, and waited until they were ready to head home. Sometimes, he’d join in. Colton and Dash regularly raked in $75-$80 for a couple of hours—not bad for a teenage side job.
This, Colton says, was when he became more comfortable with singing before an audience.
“That’s when we realized we were on to something,” Colton says.
Gary had been playing with another musician, but the pandemic put performances on hold. When he was ready to return to the stage, he turned to the musician in his own home.
“I asked if he wanted to do gigs,” Gary recalls. “Colton is very gifted vocally and a great songwriter and guitarist. It was an easy thing for me to transition to playing with him.”
Today, the Dawsons balance their daytime commitments to work and school with their evening and weekend shows. Colton maintains his A average, knowing they can cut back on their current schedule of 17-19 shows a month if he wishes.
Gary started singing in the third grade. But playing with his son has given the veteran a new experience as he watches crowds respond, stand up, and sing along with his son leading the way.
“It always has meaning to me but never had the depth of meaning it has now,” Gary says. “It’s such a blessing and such a gift to be able to do that with him.”
After graduating, Colton eyes a future in Nashville or Texas where he can take his music to the next level. Still, it’s not often that one gets to experience the start of their career dream come true while in high school, and with a loved one.
“The money is a great perk,” Colton says. “But having that father-son bonding and living this out with your father is the most important part for me.”