Monte Warden is a multi-million-selling songwriter and two-time inductee into the Texas Music Hall of Fame, honored both as a solo artist and as a founding member of The Wagoneers. Across four decades, his work has helped shape the sound and direction of Texas music, from honky-tonk and rockabilly to Americana and traditional pop. Warden's career began in Austin while still a teenager. His first band, Whoa! Trigger, won Best New Band at the 1983 Austin Music Awards, setting the stage for the formation of The Wagoneers. As frontman and primary songwriter, Warden led the band to national attention, earning a reputation as one of the most influential country acts of the 1980s. Chet Flippo famously called them "the greatest honky-tonk band that ever was," and after performing at the first SXSW, The Wagoneers became the festival's first act to sign a major-label deal, signing with A&M Records. Their debut album, Stout and High, was released to universal critical acclaim and is now regarded as one of the most important country records of its era.