Gene Watson's Peers: Chris 'Tiny' Olson
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
Chris 'Tiny' Olson, which he submitted to this site on Friday 9
June 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Chris 'Tiny' Olson who has made a special contribution to a
unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Chris 'Tiny' Olson
This quote was submitted on Friday 9 June 2006
'I'd be honoured to say a few words about Gene.
There were only two 45 records that I ever purchased because I liked them so
much. The first was 'Word games' by the late Billy Walker and the other was
'Love in the hot afternoon'. I heard that song and just thought 'Man, that
cat sings great'. Well, I wound up playing behind both Billy and Gene but
actually worked for Gene for nearly ten years beginning in 1977.
I give Gene a lot of credit for using us, the members of his band, on his
recordings. We played on the entire albums for several years and this
included the hit releases, not just the album cuts. The only other guy who
was doing this at that time (early 1980s) was Ricky Skaggs. It took some
courage for him to make this move considering the power possessed by the
record company executives.
I still hear many of those old hits I played on of Gene's often. Each time I
do, I am thankful to Gene for giving me such an opportunity; very few
musicians get such a chance. Thanks again Gene!'
Thank you, Chris 'Tiny' Olson, for your support of Gene
Watson.
About Chris 'Tiny' Olson...
Chris 'Tiny' Olson first went on the road as a steel guitar player in 1974 &
worked for a number of artists, including Billy Walker (RIP).
Chris 'Tiny' Olson was a member of Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band between
1977 & 1987; Chris went on to play on five of Gene Watson's albums along
with appearing on fifteen of Gene Watson's Top 10 singles.
Chris 'Tiny' Olson displayed his exemplary talents on steel guitar on the
Gene Watson albums 'Sometimes I Get Lucky'
(MCA Records, 1983), 'Heartaches, Love &
Stuff' (MCA Records, 1984), 'Little by Little'
(MCA Records, 1984), 'Memories to Burn'
(Epic Records, 1985) & 'Starting New
Memories' (Epic Records, 1986).
Initially, Chris played Emmons push-pulls & a Session 400 on Gene's
recordings. Then he played a new ZumSteel Nashville 400 on 'Got no
reason now for going home' (written by
Johnny Russell) in 1984.
In the early 1980s, Gene Watson was unique in that he insisted on using
members of his own band (the Farewell Party Band) for his recording sessions
- the only other artists using their own bands in the studio at this time
were Ricky Skaggs & Waylon Jennings
(RIP).
When he got off the road in the late 1980s, Chris worked his way up to the
position of Transportation Director at a large school district, which often
meant a seventy-hour work-week & the stress that went with it. So, in
2001, Chris decided to go back to what he enjoyed most - bass fishing & the
pedal steel guitar.
In 2006, at the time of the acquisition of Chris' quote about Gene Watson,
he was playing occasional gigs with the
Commander Cody Band.
Chris 'Tiny' Olson does not have an online presence as such. It was
following a little online research that Sean Brady discovered the
Steel Guitar Forum which included
several postings about Chris 'Tiny' Olson.
Sean Brady wishes to add a special link to the
Steel Guitar Forum where he
noted several postings about, and from, Chris 'Tiny' Olson; it was as a
result of the Steel Guitar Forum
that Sean obtained Chris' contact details.
Visit Mark Emerick's Official Site
Visit Commander Cody's Official Site
Visit the Steel Guitar Forum