Gene Watson's Peers: Buddy Cannon
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 2009 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
Buddy Cannon, which he submitted to
this site on Wednesday 5 August 2009.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Buddy Cannon who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online
'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Buddy Cannon
This quote was submitted on Wednesday 5 August 2009
'Gene Watson's voice is one which, like that of
George Jones & Vern Gosdin,
is the definition of country music.
As a songwriter, I have had the honour of
having Gene record a song or two of mine & those cuts rank among my most favourite throughout my career'.
Thank you,
Buddy Cannon for your support of Gene Watson.
About Buddy Cannon...
Buddy Cannon, who was born in
Lexington, Tennessee is an American country music songwriter & record
producer. Active since the late 1970s, he is known primarily for his
work as Kenny Chesney's record producer, for which he won the Academy of
Country Music's 'Producer of the Year' Award in 2006.
As a producer of chart-topping hits by artists such as Kenny Chesney,
Chely
Wright, John Michael Montgomery & Reba McEntire, Buddy Cannon’s talent in
the studio continues to speak for itself.
Buddy is also a wizard behind the console, considering his many years of
experience in all aspects of the business, from session background vocalist
& band-member, to master
songwriter & publishing company executive.
Buddy Cannon has a knack for selecting &
producing artists & their hits and has helped launch the careers of mega-stars
like Shania Twain, Sammy Kershaw & Billy Ray Cyrus;
his song-writing
prowess has provided numerous hit songs for everyone from
Vern Gosdin & Mel Tillis to Alabama
& George Strait.
Buddy
Cannon first earned his musical stripes in the early 1970s as the bass player
in Grand Ole Opry star Bob Luman’s band. His song-writing ability turned the
head of Mel Tillis (CMA Entertainer of the Year
in 1976), who promptly hired
Buddy to work in his band & with his publishing company.
During their
eleven-year association, Mel Tillis recorded
several of Cannon’s songs, including 'I believe in you' (co-written
by Buddy Cannon & Gene Dunlap) (No.1 for one week
in July 1978) which was also recorded by Englebert Humperdink.
After the acquisition of Tillis’ publishing interests by PolyGram, Buddy Cannon
was hired by PolyGram’s Mercury Records as Director of A&R for the company.
During his six-year stint at Mercury, he was instrumental in bringing such
stars as Shania Twain, Sammy Kershaw & Billy
Ray Cyrus to the label.
Buddy produced several
No.1 hits for Sammy Kershaw during this
period, including 'She
don’t know she’s beautiful', 'National working woman’s holiday' & 'Cadillac
style'.
Buddy was eventually recruited as VP/A&R for Polydor/Nashville where, among the acts he brought into the label, was a
fledgling group of kids named The Moffits, who later went on to achieve
international pop success. Buddy Cannon later elected to leave that position in
1995 to pursue independent production projects.
Along with his work with Sammy Kershaw,
Buddy Cannon was also at the production helm of the following albums:
George Jones: 'High Tech Redneck' (MCA
Records, 1993)
Kenny Chesney: 'Me & You' (BNA Records, 1996)
Kenny Chesney: 'I Will Stand' (BNA Records, 1997)
Sara Evans: 'No Place That Far' (RCA Records, 1998)
Chad Brock: 'Chad Brock' (Warner Bros. Records, 1998)
Chely Wright: 'Single White Female' (MCA
Records, 1999)
Kenny Chesney: 'Everywhere We Go' (BNA Records, 1999)
John Michael Montgomery: 'Brand New Me' (Atlantic Records, 2000)
Chad Brock: 'Yes' (Warner Bros. Records, 2000)
Kenny Chesney: 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem' (BNA Records, 2002)
Kenny Chesney: 'When the Sun Goes Down' (BNA Records, 2004)
Buddy Cannon can also boast of a very impressive personal song catalogue including
the following:
Vern Gosdin: 'Dream of
me'
'Today My World Slipped Away' (A & M Records, 1983)
Vern Gosdin: 'Set 'em up,
Joe' (co-written with
Hank Cochran,
Vern Gosdin
& Dean Dillon)
'Chiseled in Stone' (Columbia Records, 1988)
Vern Gosdin: 'I'm still
crazy'
'Alone' (Columbia Records, 1989)
George Strait: 'I've come to expect it from you'
(co-written with Dean Dillon)
'Livin' It Up' (MCA Records, 1990)
Billy Ray Cyrus: 'She's not cryin' anymore'
(co-written with Terry Shelton & Billy Ray Cyrus)
'Some Gave All' (Mercury Records, 1992)
Buddy Cannon has also been the proud recipient, as producer, of Gold Awards
for the following album releases:
Sara Evans: 'No Place That Far' (RCA Records, 1998)
Chely Wright: 'Single White Female' (MCA
Records, 1999)
John Michael Montgomery: 'Brand New Me' (Atlantic Records, 2000)
Reba McEntire: 'Room to Breathe' (MCA Records, 2003)
Gene Watson recorded 'Ain't no fun to be alone in San Antone' (co-written by Buddy Cannon &
Luke Reed) & included the track on 'Back in the Fire
(Warner Bros. Records, 1988).
Gene Watson recorded 'One and one and one' (co-written by
Buddy Cannon & John Northrup) &
included the track on 'In Other Words (Broadland
Records/Mercury Canada, 1992)
Visit Buddy Cannon's Official Site