Gene Watson's Peers: Billy Swan
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 2006 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
Billy Swan, which he submitted to this site on Tuesday 1 August 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Billy Swan who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online
'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Billy Swan
This quote was submitted on Tuesday 1 August 2006
'I think Gene Watson is one of the very best country
stylists/singers around. Thanks so much for asking me to provide a quote'.
Thank you, Billy Swan, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Billy Swan...
Billy Swan, who was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in May 1942 & grew up
listening to country music until he discovered rock & roll as a teenager.
He learned drums, piano & guitar and also began writing songs. 'Lover
please', a song he wrote when he was sixteen years old, was recorded by a
local group he played with called Mirt Mirly & the Rhythm Stoppers.
Later, when Swan's friends travelled to Memphis to record with Elvis bassist
Bill Black, Black wound up cutting the tune himself. Not long after,
'Lover please' found its way to R&B star Clyde McPhatter, who turned it into
a Top Ten hit in 1962.
Billy Swan stayed in Memphis to write for Black's combo & also worked as a
guard at Graceland for a time. He soon moved to Nashville, where he
worked as a janitor at the Columbia recording studios (later handing the job
over to a young Kris Kristofferson) & later as a roadie for
Mel Tillis; Billy also wrote songs recorded by
Mel Tillis, Conway Twitty &
Waylon Jennings.
An association with Monument Records led to Billy Swan's first gig as a
record producer; he was nominated to produce Tony Joe White's debut album -
'Black & White' was released on Monument Records in 1969. The album
included 'Polk salad Annie', which reached No.8 on the American pop music
singles chart the same year.
'Polk Salad Annie' was subsequently recorded by Elvis Presley & included on
'On Stage: February 1970' (RCA Victor, 1970). In 1971, Billy joined
Kris Kristofferson's backing band as the bass player & toured with him for
the next year & a half. He next served as a sideman for Kinky Friedman
& Billy Joe Shaver & shortly after his return to Kristofferson's band, he
got a recording deal of his own with Monument.
In 1974, Fred Foster signed Billy Swan to the Monuments Records label, where
he enjoyed his biggest hit song. 'I can help' spent 2 weeks at No.1 on the
Billboard American country music singles chart in December 1974. The song
was also a huge hit on the pop music charts; it reached No.1 in America &
No.6 in the UK.
The accompanying album, 'I Can Help' (Monument Records, 1974), also topped
the country music album chart.
Billy Swan never came close to duplicating the success of 'I can help', but
he did reach the country music Top 20 with a 1975 single, 'Everything's the
same (ain't nothing changed)' & recorded three more albums for Monument
Records. He later recorded an album for A&M in 1978 & another for Epic
Records' country music division in 1981.
In the mid-1980s, Billy resumed work with Kris Kristofferson's band &
appeared on the albums 'Repossessed' (1986) & 'Third World Warrior' (1990).
In 1986, Billy Swan teamed up with Randy Meisner in the country-rock band
Black Tie, which released the album 'When the Night Falls'. Taking
time out from his still-active career as a session & back-up musician, Swan
recorded a new album at the original Sun studios, 'Like Elvis Used to Do',
in 2000.
In 2002, Billy Swan teamed up with Randy Meisner again, as well as Alan
Rich, on a self-titled album ('Meisner, Swan & Rich').
Visit Billy Swan at
the Rockabilly Hall of Fame's Official Site