Charlie McCoy (October 2006)

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 Charlie McCoy's quote, which he submitted to this site on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

I (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



 

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 and 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 400 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 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, and to the Hall of Fame of the North American Country Music Association International in 2000.







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 Website

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