Sara Watkins is an American singer-songwriter, fiddler, ukulele player, and guitarist.

Watkins made her musical debut in 1989, at 8 years old, when she became the fiddler for and founding member of progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, along with her 12 year old brother Sean Watkins, who played guitar, and 8 year old Chris Thile, who played mandolin.

Nickel Creek played festivals throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, releasing five albums before 2006. Their third album, released in 2001 self-titled as “Nickel Creek”, received Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental for their song “Ode to a Butterfly”. Their fourth album, “This Side”, was released one year later and earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

In 2006, Nickel Creek announced that they would no longer record as a group and their tour, scheduled through 2007, would be their last for an indefinite period so band members could expand their musical horizons. The group reunited in 2014 to release their sixth album, “A Dotted Line”, for their 25th anniversary.

In 2008, Watkins became a founding member of a supergroup octet named The Scrolls (later changed to Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.)) along with Sean Watkins (guitar), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The group released their self-titled album “W.P.A.” in 2009.

After the disbandment of Nickel Creek, Watkins signed with Nonesuch Records, releasing her debut solo album, self-titled as “Sara Watkins”, in 2009. In 2012, after spending three years playing as an opening artist on the tours of various prominent musicians, Watkins released her second solo album, “Sun Midnight Sun”. Her third album, “Young in All the Wrong Ways”, was released in 2016 and shifted away from her previous Folk/Bluegrass musical focus, incorporating more elements of Rock.

In 2015, Watkins toured extensively with Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan (Crooked Still, Sometymes Why) under the combined tour banner of “I’m With Her”. This combo came about after an impromptu performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The trio released their debut album, “See You Around”, on Rounder Records in 2018.

Watkins and her brother Sean play regularly at the Largo nightclub in Los Angeles as Watkins Family Hour, often joined by keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing). Often, other local artists will join the group, notably Fiona Apple, Greg Leisz, and former Nickel Creek bandmate Chris Thile. The irregular collaborations led to a 2015 self-titled album and tour. The second album of Watkins Family Hour, titled “brother sister”, is set for release on April 10th, 2020.