I have been a fan of Gene's for years and years and own many of his CDs. I can
honestly say, there isn't one among them that is of lesser value in choices of songs or
the way Gene presents them. I had the great honor of meeting Gene Sept. 27, 1998 at the
Golden R.O.P.E. Awards in Nashville. Gene was the sole entertainment for the evening and
to his knowledge, that was the only reason he was there. Not so... he wasn't told he was
also there as the winner of the R.O.P.E. Lifetime Achievement Award. Humbled, Gene said
little as his eyes shone with gratitude. Thanks to my dear friend, Bob Cape (DJ and Video
Host in Myrtle Beach) I got to meet Gene. It was then I realized just how shy and quiet a
man he really is, yet gallant and very gracious. I have a photo of our meeting but
since my eyes were closed making me look totally cracked, I will spare myself the
humiliation of posting that. I did manage to ask him if he would mind if I posted a page
about him on my website. He smiled and said that he had no knowledge of the web but
granted his permission all the same. For years after that, Gene's name has ranked as one
of the highest in MKOC's statistic reports for surfers landing here through search
engines... in search of Gene Watson! Needless to say, I'm thrilled now to be posting more
about Gene and his music... but not just for the stats, it's for the love of the man and
his music.
Gene's career began in his
hometown of Paris, TX with his first professional singing gig at the age of 13. At the age
of 20, he moved to Houston where he worked on cars during the day, and was a favorite act
of the Honky Tonks by night. He recorded for several labels before
gaining his first country chart entry with "Bad Water" on the Resco label in
1975. The same year, he moved to Capitol Records and had a US Top 10 country hit with the
suggestive "Love In The Hot Afternoon". More Top 10 hits followed, including
"Paper Rosie", "One Sided Conversation", "Farewell Party",
"Should I Come Home?" and "Nothing Sure Looked Good On You". In 1981,
after moving to MCA Records, his recording of "Fourteen Carat Mind" gave him his
first US country # 1 hit. He moved to Epic in 1985, gaining a # 5 hit with "Memories
To Burn", but changed to Warner Brothers Records in 1988, where he immediately
repeated the success with "Don't Waste It On The Blues". In 1987, he recorded
"Tempted" with Tammy Wynette, which appears on her "Higher Ground"
album. In 1989, Watson enjoyed three chart hits; "Back In The Fire", "The
Jukebox Played Along" and "The Great Divide". Gene has had several other
albums as he never stopped making music or making his fans happy, yet he still finds time
to spend time with his hobby of working on cars in his garage.
His newest
work of art, "Gene Watson ,,, Sings" is filled with ten hit-worthy tunes penned
by some of the best songwriters in the business (some of which are new names in country
music) ... Bill Anderson, Steve Wariner, Sharon Vaughn, Jeff Bates, Billy Yates and many
more. Gene still has the golden touch; from ballads like, "Make Sure You Take it
All" to the Jamaican/Honky Tonkin', "The Coast of Texas" and even an old
standard, "What A Difference A Day Made". "Sings" can be counted
among Gene's other great albums as a monument to country music and it's fans... not to
mention the man himself.
Gene not
only sings from the heart, he sings to the heart. My favorite songs are always the ballads
and/or love songs. Gene Watson is the king of ballads that bring tears to your eyes... his
love songs are completely seducing. His honey dripped vocals slide through his lips,
softened with unseen tears allowing his voice to flow with refined ease. From sad to
seductive to Honky Tonkin', Gene Watson covers the gamut with a grace that few possess and
his "14 Carat" voice is comparable to none. Gene Watson and his music will live
on in the hearts of others long after we're all gone.
© Marlene Slater (Marli)
My Kind of Country
5-28-04
Because
You Believed in Me/Beautiful Country
Be sure to check out one of Gene's earlier CDs... 2 in 1 with 20 songs!
Between his major label debut on Capitol Records in 1975 & the present day, Gene
Watson has excelled with his traditional slant on country music and has enjoyed several
hit singles on the Country charts. Watson is a singer in country music's grand tradition
& has the skill to give powerful vocal performances and draw all the emotion from his
selected material effortlessly. In 1976, Watson released his second LP on the Capitol
label, Because You Believed In Me, the title track of which was a Top 20 hit single.
Beautiful Country, released the following year, included the hit singles 'The Old Man
& His Horn', 'I Don't Need A Thing At All', and 'Cowboys Don't Get Lucky All The
Time', which was a hit in 1978. This latter song also appeared on the soundtrack of the
Sam Peckinpah movie 'Convoy’. The two albums on this CD are drawn from the most
commercially successful period of his career and capture Watson in his prime. Both
released here on CD for the first time. Hux. 2005.
