Gene Watson's Peers: Charlie McCoy
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
Charlie McCoy, which he submitted
to this site on Tuesday 10 October 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Charlie McCoy who has made a
special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone
Star Hero'.
Charlie McCoy
This quote was submitted on Tuesday 10 October 2006
'Gene Watson is one of the classic country singers & is
still carrying on a great tradition'.
Thank you, Charlie McCoy, for your
support of Gene Watson.
About Charlie McCoy...
Charlie McCoy is one of a number
of super-session musicians in Nashville, who has enjoyed longevity in the
business & who has been a fixture in Nashville studios for years. Charlie
has also enjoyed a recording career of his own, having recorded twenty-eight
albums in the space of thirty-two years. He has also served as musical
director on 'Hee-Haw', the long running syndicated television series.
Charlie began working sessions in the early 1960s, one of the first being on
Roy Orbison's Monument hit 'Candy man'. The recording session lasted three
hours & Charlie was paid $49. The year was 1961 & shortly after the
release of 'Candy man', Charlie became one of the most in-demand session
players in Nashville.
Charlie began his recording career with Monument Records in the late 1960s &
recorded twelve albums for the label, beginning in 1969 with 'The Real
McCoy'. In addition to making his own recordings, Charlie was also a member
of two legendary Nashville bands, Area Code 615 & Barefoot Jerry, both
groups having featured many of the top session players in Nashville.
Charlie McCoy's session credits are literally a who's who of country music;
at one time, he was doing upwards of four hundred sessions per year. In
recent years, Charlie has cut back on his session appearances in order to
devote more time to touring Europe & Japan in addition to the US.
In addition to his country music sessions, Charlie was a mainstay on Elvis
Presley recordings, both in Nashville & Los Angeles. Charlie was also
heavily involved on the Nashville recording sessions for a number of Bob
Dylan albums, including 'Blond on Blond', 'Nashville Skyline' & 'John Wesley
Harding'.
Charlie McCoy has won a number of awards over the years; he's won a Grammy
Award, two Country Music Association Awards & eight Academy of Country Music
Awards. Charlie has also won numerous awards provided by the three music
industry trade publications, Billboard, Cash Box & Record World.
Charlie is predominantly known for his prowess on the harmonica, but he is
also a master of the guitar, bass, drums & keyboards as well as a variety of
wind & brass instruments.
Monument Records folded in 1982 and, as a result, Charlie was without any
record company affiliation for about five years. He & his band recorded an
album entitled 'One for the Road' in 1986, and he also had three albums
released in the US on Step One Records & a Gospel album on the Simitar
label.
Charlie McCoy was given the 'Musician' award from R.O.P.E. (Reunion of
Professional Entertainers) in 1994, elected to the German-American Country
Music Federation Hall of Fame in 1998 & to the Hall of Fame of the North
American Country Music Association International in 2000.
On Wednesday 4 February 2009, it was announced that
Roy Clark, Barbara Mandrell & Charlie
McCoy would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame; this
special ceremony took place on Sunday 17 May 2009.
Charlie McCoy has made a contribution to a number of Gene Watson albums: he
played rhythm guitar, harmonica & marimba on 'Love
in the Hot Afternoon' (Capitol Records, 1975), while he contributed
harmonica, vibes & rhythm guitar on 'Between This Time
& the Next Time' (MCA Records, 1981).
Visit Charlie McCoy's Official Site