Gene Watson Music

Album Sleeve Note
'Gary Gene Watson was born in Palestine, Texas on October 11 in 1943, one of seven children.  As is often the case in the lives of country music performers, his early years were spent in rural hardship as his parents and siblings traveled around in a remodeled school bus where they sought farm work of many different kinds.

Eventually the family moved to Paris, Texas where Gene attended school before dropping out in the ninth grade.  At this point he went to work in the auto salvage business and learned to repair cars.

(To this day, after years at the top in the music business, he still owns his own body shop and remains a car fanatic).  However, music had always been a major part of Gene's life, singing at the local Pentecostal church and hearing the blues music that his father would play at home.

At the age of 19, Gene relocated to Houston where he would continue to work as an auto body repair man and painter by day while playing the clubs by night with one of his brothers and three of his cousins, in a group known as Gene Watson and the Other Four, eventually recording for the local Tonka label, though to no great success.

Later, while performing at the city's Dynasty Club he was spotted by local record businessmen Russ Reeder, a distributor, and Roy Stone who owned a record store.  They approached Gene with a view to making records.  As the singer recalls in an interview with country music journalist Don Ford in the British magazine Country Music People, 'the three of us started out making records but there was some conflict between Russ and Roy and they parted.  I was recording for Wide World Records and when they parted Roy agreed to give Russ Reeder his half of my contract, and Russ gave him all of Wide World and all of the masters.

Russ and I went off and formed Resco which stood for 'Record Service Company'.  It was with this label that Gene had his first taste of success, albeit in a small way as his record 'Bad water', a song previously recorded by Ray Charles' backing vocal group the Raelettes, reached 87 on the Billboard chart in 1975.

However Gene's next release on Resco the same year, the New Orleans-set 'Love in the hot afternoon', was to change his life for ever.  Despite its steamy subject matter which initially caused it airplay problems, it came to the attention of Capitol Records who took over distribution of the single and signed Gene to the label.

The record peaked at #3 on Billboard's country chart and a new star was born. Keeping with rather risqué themes, Gene's follow-up was the sensational, sensual and sexual ballad 'Where Love Begins'.  This was penned by the great Canadian songwriter Ray Griff, whom Gene was to champion together with another Canadian writing talent Dallas Harms for much of his stay at Capitol Records, 'Dallas probably had my biggest hits but Ray had more', reflected Gene looking back.

For the next five years Gene scored no less than seventeen top twenty hits for Capitol, ten of which made the top ten.  Gene's success was due in some part to his manager and producer Russ Reeder. He remembers, 'Russ was real laidback, real loose.  He never told me how or what to record.  He stayed in the control room and I would get out there with musicians'.

In 1980 he left Capitol Records for MCA Records.  The hits continued throughout that decade, later with Curb in 1984 and 1985 and from then on with Epic until 1987, always recording traditionalist honky tonk country music of the highest order.  When his contract with Epic expired, he concentrated on working on the road, eventually playing some dates with a young, up and coming artist named Randy Travis, who was managed by the woman who discovered him, Lib Hatcher (they later married in 1991).

With Russ Reeder now retired,  Gene turned to Hatcher for management.  Unfortunately things did not work out well and a long legal wrangle ensued which effectively prevented him from signing with another label.  During this time the artist was now with Warner Brothers although when the label became aware of the legal situation, they dropped Gene from their roster.

Help next came in the shape of Jack McFadden, a formidable talent manager whose list of clients included Merle Haggard, Freddie Hart, Keith Whitley and, a little later, Billy Ray Cyrus.  'I went to talk to Jack.  He was aware of my situation and agreed to manage and book me without a contract', recalls Gene, indicating an act of supreme trust.

With no American major label willing to take on an artist with an ongoing legal suit, McFadden struck an album deal with Canadian Gary Buck forging another north-of-the-border connection following his associations with Dallas Harms & Ray Griff.

The Nashville recorded album 'In Other Words' was released in Canada on Mercury/Polygram and in the US on the indie label Broadland.  This gave Gene his last official single hit 'One and One and One' which peaked at 66 in 1993.  'It was a great song and we had a lot of airplay on it but we didn't have the wherewithal to create a hit', ruminated Gene later.

By the end of the 1990s, Garth Brooks and a new raft of country artists under the loose umbrella of 'New Country' had caused the centre of country music gravity to shift away from the honky tonk style of music Watson had always performed.

Moreover Jack McFadden was now concentrating on his new star Billy Ray Cyrus.  'When Billy Ray released 'Achy Breaky Heart' Jack's whole focus was turned on him, naturally, because that's where the money was. But it seemed everywhere I turned I was going down a blind alley.  I didn't have any management and I didn't have anything to look forward to'.

At this low point in his career Gene was on the verge of quitting.  However an old friend and booking agent Allen Whitcomb was instrumental in talking him out of this and helped him secure a deal with the prestigious label Step One, which kick-started Gene's career all over again.

With the advent of the new century Gene had mixed fortunes; in 2000 he was diagnosed with colon cancer, although after rigorous hospital treatment, he was declared well enough again to continue with his heavy touring schedule.  He continues to record, and signed with RMG and Intersound and on August 17th 2002 Gene was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, an honour long, long overdue.

That same year Hux Records in the UK released two of Gene's classic Capitol albums, 'Love in the Hot Afternoon' and 'Paper Rosie' on one re-mastered CD (HUX036).  The critical response and success of the venture has led Hux to follow this up.

Again two great Capitol albums 'Because You Believed in Me' from 1976 and 'Beautiful Country' from 1977, have been released back to back.  These tracks are quintessential Gene Watson and capture an artist at the very top of his form.

Five of Gene's superlative hits are featured, the heartfelt waltz 'Because You Believed in Me' (#20, 1976), the tense, anguished 'Her body couldn't keep you (off my mind)' (#52, 1976) and the beautiful and tender love song 'I don't need a thing at all' (#8, 1977).  Also among the hits are two great Dallas Harms numbers, the wry and rueful 'Cowboys don't get lucky all the time' (#11, 1978) and the unusual jazz-themed story song 'The old man and his horn' (#11, 1977) with its surprise payoff.

Add to this Gene's superlative tour de force reading of Larry Gatlin's breathless heartbreaker 'Bitter they are, harder they fall', Roger Miller's unusual bluesy composition 'Sorry Willie', the humorous self-pitying 'Hey Barnum and Bailey' and any number of beautifully executed country shuffles and waltzes contained on this album and you begin to understand why Gene Watson's fans number George Jones, George Strait, Jean Shepherd, Randy Travis and Marty Robbins and why Gene has legions of devoted country record buying fans throughout the world.

In short, this is simply country music at its very, very best'.

Jon Philibert
Country Music People
September 2005

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'Because You Believed in Me'
Original Album Sleeve Notes

'Gene Watson sings songs that explore the intimate side of love and life, songs that capture both the feelings of pleasure and joy as well as heartache and sorrow, songs that make the listener laugh and cry because they tug at the heartstrings.

Gene Watson vocally dramatises the feeling of holding the right person in your arms...or not holding the person...or sometimes holding the wrong person.
When Gene Watson sings a song, a great many of the listeners invariably nod their heads in agreement as the lyrics strike a responsive chord.

'Because You Believed in Me' is a highly appropriate title for Gene Watson's second Capitol album.  The record is Gene's way of thanking everyone for believing in him.  This album will undoubtedly assure everyone's continued faith in Gene'.

Ed Keeley
National Country Field Manager
Capitol Records, Inc.

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Musician Credits
(on the original 'Because You Believed in Me' album)
Rhythm Guitar & Bass Guitar: Tommy Allsup
Rhythm & Lead Guitar: Leon Rhodes
Steel Guitar: Lloyd Green
Fiddle: Norman 'Buddy' Spicher
Bass: Joe Allen
Piano: Hargus (Pig) Robbins
Lead Guitar: Jimmy Colvard & Pete Wade
Drums: Jimmy Isbell, Buddy Harman & Kenny Malone

The 'Because You Believed in Me' album was produced by Russ Reeder & Bob Webster.
The 'Because You Believed in Me' album was recorded at the Jack Clement Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee where the Recording Engineer was Jim Williamson.

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'Beautiful Country'
Original Album Sleeve Notes
'At the Fan Fair in Nashville recently, I was emceeing the Capitol Records Show and at that time, I introduced Gene Watson as 'the next Merle Haggard', and I really meant it.  He is a song stylist who's phrasing reminds you of Merle but there is enough difference to indicate that he isn't trying to be Merle.

Gary Gene Watson has been building a ladder of success and the rings in that ladder have been some of the biggest country hits in the last three years.  There was 'Love in the hot afternoon', 'Where love begins', 'You could know as much about a stranger', 'Because you believed in me', 'Paper Rosie'.  And you're saying to yourself, is that the guy who sang all those songs?  My friend, he's right inside this album with another batch of good listening.

Who is Gene Watson?  Here are a few facts:
Lives in Houston, Texas, worked on automobiles for ten years as a mechanic and body man, does not like for fans to kiss him (it embarrasses him), has strange hobby - likes to grow ivy in pots, CB handle: 'Hail Ball' because an old car he was driving was caught in a hail storm, married, two children (15 & 13) boy and girl, went to Central High in the big town of Direct, Texas (population: 150).

Gene is good natured, a pleasure to know.  It is difficult to convey to you on paper his friendliness and his ability to sing a country song.  In another three years he will be country music's biggest star.  It's nice to know that we fans of his know it first'.

Ralph Emery (Host)
'Pop Goes the Country'
National syndicated television show

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All tracks on the 'Beautiful Country' album were produced by Russ Reeder, with the exception of 'He little thinged her out of my arms' (track indicated thus **), which was produced by Bob Webster.

All tracks on the 'Beautiful Country' album were recorded at the Jack Clement Studios, Nashville, Tennessee (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson), with the exception of tracks indicated thus *.

'The old man & his horn', 'Cowboys don't get lucky all the time', 'I won't be sleeping alone' & 'Hey Barnum & Bailey' (tracks indicated thus *) were recorded at Bradley's Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, where the Recording Engineer was Joe Mills.

Photos for the original 'Beautiful Country' album sleeve were taken by George Jerman (RIP).

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'Because You Believed in Me & Beautiful Country'
Hux Records 072 (2005)

Track Listing

1 'Because you believed in me'
Written by Owens, Hall & Vowell
Published by Unichapell Music Inc. / BMI

2 'If I'm a fool for leaving' •
Written by Little Jimmy Dickens & Skip Graves
Published by Cedarwood Publishing Company Inc. / BMI

3 'Bitter they are, harder they fall' ••
Written by Larry Gatlin
Published by First Generation Music Company / BMI

4 'When my world left town'
Written by Tom Ghent & R. Paul
Published by Jando Music Inc. / ASCAP

5 'Sorry Willie'
Written by Roger Miller (RIP)
Published by Tree Publishing Company Inc. / BMI

6 'How good a bad woman feels'
Written by Ray Griff
Published by Blue Echo Music / ASCAP

7 'Her body couldn't keep you (off my mind)'
Written by Ray Griff
Published by Blue Echo Music / ASCAP

8 'I fell apart'
Written by Hank Cochran
Published by Tree Publishing Company Inc. / BMI

9 'Hey Louella'
Written by Ray Griff
Published by Blue Echo Music / ASCAP

10 'And then you came along'
Written by Ray Griff
Published by Blue Echo Music / ASCAP

11 'The old man and his horn' *
Written by Dallas Harms
Published by Doubleplay Music / BMI

12 'Cowboys don't get lucky all the time' •••• *
Written by Dallas Harms
Published by Doubleplay Music / BMI

13 'I won't be sleeping alone' *
Written by C. Stewart & J. Abbott
Published by Pantego Sound / BMI

14 'Hey Barnum and Bailey' *
Written by C. Stewart, J. Abbott & K. Hagler
Published by Pantego Sound / BMI

15 'I'd love to live with you again'
Written by Dick Oberbey
Published by Back Bay Music / BMI

16 'I don't need a thing at all' •••
Written by Joe Allen
Published by Joe Allen Music / BMI

17 'Raining in Dallas'
Written by J. Gostick & R. Moreland
Published by Calloway Music

18 'It don't hurt me half as bad'
Written by Joe Allen, D. Lay & B. Lindsay
Published by Combine Music Corporation / BMI

19 'I knew we could never love for long'
Written by David Barnes
Published by Neverbreak Music / ASCAP

20 'He little thinged her out of my arms' **
Written by Hank Cochran
Published by Tree International / BMI