Chandra and Leigh were born on March 17, 1975, in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.

They attended the University of Evansville then moved to the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in 1998, where they were founding members of Slydell.

In 2006, the Watson Twins released their debut EP, Southern Manners, simultaneously with Rabbit Fur Coat, their collaboration with singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis, a neighbor of the sisters in Silver Lake.

The group recorded a version of the Neil Young song "Powderfinger" for the American Laundromat Records compilation charity album titled Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity, released in February 2008.

They also recorded a version of The Cure song "Just Like Heaven" for the first soundtrack album from the HBO TV series True Blood, released in 2009.