Biography: Beginnings

It is difficult to imagine the world of country music without the vast contribution that Gene Watson has made to it.  Between his major label debut on Capitol Records in 1975 and the present day, Gene Watson has excelled with his traditional slant within country music.

Gene 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.  Gene has remained true to his Texas music roots for the best part of 30 years & is a standard bearer for honest, traditional country music.

Following years of honing his country music craft around Texas, Gene emerged on the American country music scene in July 1975.  He immediately earned himself a reputation as one of the best of the new 'real country' singers to emerge on the scene and for adhering to a traditional country sound, characterised by prominent steel guitar and swirling fiddle.

Gary Gene Watson never intended becoming a professional singer within the country music genre.  Apparently, he didn't go searching for music - music found him.  For those of us who love traditional country music, we have a lot to be thankful to Gene Watson for.

When you consider the vast catalogue of classic country songs that he has recorded since the late 1960s, his absence from the country music world would have left a gaping hole.  Of course, other artists could have recorded these tracks, but not with the same passion, emotion & genuine feeling that Gene Watson has brought to them.

Gene Watson was born Gary Gene Watson in Palestine, Texas on Monday 11th October 1943. His father was Elbert (Watson) & his mother was Thelma Lee Watson.  (Gene's mother was born Thelma Lee England in Novice, Lamar County, Texas on 9th March 1914 & she passed away in Paris, Lamar County, Texas on 3rd July 1962).  Gene was one of seven children born to Elbert & Thelma, namely Mary Lois, Edmund, Virginia Ruth, Gary Gene, Jessie, Marvin Richard & Paula.

As a child, Gene lived & travelled in a re-modelled school bus with his parents and six brothers & sisters. The family eked out a living doing farm labour, moving from crop to crop.

Gene’s father also earned a living in various east Texas towns as a sawmill worker. Gene’s family eventually settled in Paris, Texas, where most of Gene's mother’s family originally hailed from & where his father switched to selling car parts.

Gene attended school, until he dropped out in the ninth grade in order to earn vital money for his family by working in the auto salvage business.  Gene learned how to repair cars and he developed a love for automobiles.

As far back as he can remember talking, Gene Watson can remember singing.  Music was a part of everyday life for the Watson family.  The family members sang in the local Pentecostal Church & also with each other for their own pure enjoyment of music.

Gene Watson also learned to appreciate blues music because his father played it at home.  Gene, however, took his singing - in church & with his six siblings - for granted.  He never believed for one moment that, one day, music would be his profession & that it would prove to play a major part in the life of Gene Watson.

Gene's younger brother Jessie played steel guitar and Gene was the singer, and they would entertain at a lot of school functions and local get-togethers - they even appeared on Fort Worth's Cowtown Hoedown.  However, music at this time was not one of Gene's goals - all he ever dreamed of was working on cars, a love of which he no doubt attributes to his father who used to deal in selling car parts.

Gene Watson Timeline...

Select the period of your choice from the list below:
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000 - Present Day