Gene Watson's Peers: Bill Mack
Gene Watson's peers within the country music
industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas,
so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' -
and rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2005 were most
gracious with their time & words. It is here, within this special part of
gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from
Bill Mack, which he submitted to
this site on Wednesday 26 October 2005.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Bill Mack who has
made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of
a Lone Star Hero'.
Bill Mack
This quote was submitted on Wednesday 26 October 2005
'Not long ago, during an interview, I was asked, 'Who
do you rate as top-of-the-line 'country' singers? Of course, that's a tough
question, when you consider the fact no time limit was placed in the
frame-of-consideration. Certainly
George Jones,
Marty Robbins,
Merle Haggard
& several others crop into mind when I attempt
to focus on top-of-the-line, authentic 'country' singers.
One name that will always be in that special line-up is Gene Watson. To me,
Gene is a study in 'original authenticity'. When a Gene Watson tune hits the
radio or CD unit, it's automatically recognized. He developed his phrasing &
his styling, and stuck with it. That phrasing & styling has been a perfect
blend since he first entered the entertainment scene, and it's still going
strong today!
Want to hear a study in perfection? Listen to Gene Watson sing 'Love in the
hot afternoon'. And, without exception, all of his other recordings have
consisted of that same perfect blend. Gene Watson is a master at his
calling'.
Thank you, Bill Mack, for your
support of Gene Watson.
About Bill Mack...
Bill Mack was born in 1933 in
Shamrock, a small town ninety miles east of Amarillo, Texas & his early
passions included movies, church singing & writing.
Following a school field trip to radio station WRY in Oklahoma City, Bill
decided that he wanted to pursue a career in broadcasting. When radio
came to Shamrock in the shape of radio station KEVA, he landed his first
on-air job.
In 1953, at the age of twenty, Bill moved to a daytime show on Amarillo's
KAMQ where he met & interviewed country music stars such as Bob Wills &
Ernest Tubb. Bob Wills asked Bill to emcee his show at the Paramount
Theatre in Amarillo.
The show was broadcast throughout Texas & Oklahoma and one of the radio
stations which picked it up was KWFT in Wichita Falls who immediately
offered Bill a job. KWFT was Bill Mack's base for the next seven years
where he met future stars including Roger Miller & Elvis Presley.
Bill's next port of call was KDAV in Lubbock, Texas where one of his fellow
deejays was Waylon Jennings. Bill
lived close to the Holley family & got to know them well & their pride in
Buddy. It fell to Bill to make the announcement of the plane crash
that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens & JP Richardson (Big
Bopper) on Tuesday 3 February 1959 ('the day the music died').
By 1960, Bill Mack was working for (dedicated country music) radio station
KENS in San Antonio, Texas - a station with a 50,000 watt signal. In
1962, he moved to KCUL in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 1965, Bill moved to radio station WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas where he
hosted an all-night country show. The show proved so popular that in
August 1970 WBAP transmuted itself into an all-country station. Bill
was also the recipient of the CMA (Country Music Association) 'Disc Jockey
of the Year' Award.
As a result of management decisions, Bill was fired by WBAP in March 1982;
for the next six years, he worked on his autobiography & for several radio
stations.
In 1988, WBAP, which was now under new management, wooed Bill Mack back onto
its airwaves with his ''All Night Trucking Show' which has continued ever
since.
The song-writing side of Bill Mack began when he was thirteen years old.
His best known compositions include 'Drinking champagne' which George Strait
took to No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1991, and
'Blue' which LeAnn Rimes had a hit with in 1996.
Johnny Cash recorded Bill Mack's 'Singing star's
queen' (co-written with Waylon Jennings) & included the track on 'Everybody
Loves a Nut' (Columbia Records, 1966)
Waylon Jennings recorded Bill Mack's
'John's back in town'
(co-written with Waylon Jennings) & included the track on 'One & Only' (RCA
Camden, 1967)
Cal Smith recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track on
'At Home With Cal' (Kapp Records, 1968)
Cal Smith recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track on
'Drinking Champagne' (Kapp Records, 1968)
Faron Young recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track on
'I've Got Precious Memories' (Mercury Records, 1969)
Gene Watson recorded Bill Mack's
'John's back in town'
(co-written with Waylon Jennings) & included the track on a 45rpm vinyl
single (Uni Records, 1969)
The track was subsequently included on 'The
Best of Gene Watson' (Capitol Records, 1978 & 1989)
Connie Smith recorded Bill Mack's 'Clinging to a saving hand' & included the
track on 'Where Is My Castle' (RCA Records, 1971)
Don Gibson recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track on
'Touch The Morning / That's What I'll Do' (Hickory Records, 1973)
Jim Ed Brown recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track
on 'Barrooms & Pop A Tops' (RCA Records, 1973)
George Strait recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking
champagne' & included the track on 'Livin' It Up' (MCA Records, 1990)
LeAnn Rimes recorded Bill Mack's 'Blue' & included the track on 'Blue'
(Curb Records, 1996)
LeAnn Rimes recorded Bill Mack's 'Clinging to a saving hand' & included the
track on 'You Light Up My Life' (Curb Records, 1997)
Willie Nelson recorded Bill Mack's 'Drinking champagne' & included the track
on 'Country Music' (Rounder Records, 2010)
Visit Bill Mack's Official Site
