The band's original members were Norma, Mike, and Elaine known as Lal Waterson, with their cousin John Harrison from Kingston High School.

The Watersons split up in 1968, when Norma went to work as a disc jockey on a radio station on Montserrat.

This five-piece line up performed regularly during the late 1980s and recorded a session for the BBC Andy Kershaw show in August 1986.

In 1987, the group collaborated with Swan Arcade to form Blue Murder, who have performed and recorded sporadically with various line-ups to the present day.

These have included 'A Mighty River of Song' at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 May 2007, the BBC Electric Proms concert, 'Once in a Blue Moon: A Tribute to Lal Waterson', at Cecil Sharp House in London on 25 October 2007 and 'A Tribute to Bert,' a concert celebrating the life and work of Albert Lancaster Lloyd, at Cecil Sharp House on 15 November 2008.

During the summer of 2009, "The Waterson Family" performed at a number of festivals and large concerts throughout England and Ireland.