Gene Watson's Peers: Chris Wall
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 2005 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 Wall, which
he submitted to this site on Wednesday 12 January 2005.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Chris Wall who has
made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of
a Lone Star Hero'.
Chris Wall
This quote was submitted on Wednesday 12 January 2005
'I've always been a huge Gene Watson fan. I was in a band called the Famous
Motel Cowboys out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the late 1980s & I used to
sing 'Memories to burn' & 'Fourteen carat mind' in the show every night,
though we had to drop everything down an octave or two as I couldn't hope to
sing on the same plane as Gene.
In early 2002, he & his band put on a show at the Coupland Dancehall here in
central Texas. The place was packed and, believe me, he hadn't dropped a
step. Every note & vocal lick was spot on the money. But I couldn't help but
wonder - could he still hit 'the note'. The night passed too quickly for us
all. Hit after wonderful hit until the show ended.
The applause built & built. 'Encore! Ye Hah! More! More!' Then the opening
notes of the saddest country song of all time. This song makes 'He stopped
loving her today' sound like 'Rebecca of Sunnybrooke Farm'. We waited &
waited, the anticipation building. Did he still have it?
The end of the last chorus was upon us & Gene had reached the point of no
return. Then it came - perfect. It soared over the years, and the miles, and
the entire crowd: 'When (pause) I'm gone'. I went nuts! The whole place went
crazy! I've always been a huge Gene Watson fan & I'll remain so 'til the
final 'Farewell party'.
Thank you, Chris Wall, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Chris Wall...
Chris Wall is a native of Newport Beach, California although he later moved
to Montana, where he began to write country songs. He is considered by
many to be the 'real deal'.
In 1988, while bartending in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Chris had a chance
encounter with Jerry Jeff Walker that led to a summons from Walker in early
1989 urging him to take a break from his job as a ranch hand on the Horse
Creek Ranch
near Livingston, Montana & join Walker for a two week song-writing soiree,
where one thing led to another.
Jerry Jeff Walker recorded two of Chris’ songs on his stellar (some call it
a career reviving) 'Live at Gruene Hall' album, namely 'Trashy women' & 'I
feel like Hank Williams tonight'. Shortly thereafter, Chris Wall
became a part of Walker’s recording & management roster on Tried & True
Music/Rykodisc.
Five years of relentless touring with Walker & the release of two highly
acclaimed solo
albums 'Honky Tonk Heart' (1990) & 'No Sweat' (1992) on the Rykodisc label
followed.
In 1994, Confederate Railroad scored a top five hit with the now classic,
'Trashy women'; that same year, the song was nominated for a Grammy for
'Best Country Song'. In 1997, the BMI recognized Chris Wall in a
ceremony celebrating the fact that
'Trashy women' had been played over one million times on the radio since its
release.
Chris Wall’s ability to write a country hit did not go unnoticed by the
industry. He turned down offers to write for the big assembly-line
Nashville publishing companies & opted instead for writing & releasing his
own music.
Chris Wall formed his own label, Cold Spring Records, in 1994 & saw the
release of his albums 'Cowboy Nation' (1994), 'Any Saturday Night in Texas'
(1997), 'Tainted Angel' (1999) & 'Just Another Place' ().
Chris Wall has travelled extensively & has headlined large festivals in
Europe & Scandinavia, including Norway’s prestigious Seljord Country Fest
where Wall closed
the Friday night show in front of a crowd of over twenty thousand.
Chris Wall’s songs have been recorded by over a dozen artists including
Jerry Jeff Walker, Confederate Railroad, Johnny Bush,
Dale Watson, Jack
Ingram & Reckless Kelly.
Chris Wall has appeared on stage as the opening act for such legends as
Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Chris LeDoux,
Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Bellamy Brothers, Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band, Confederate Railroad, David Allan Coe, Bruce & Charlie
Robison, Shenandoah, Desert Rose, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Steve
Warnier, Kelly Willis, Juice Newton, Asleep at the Wheel, Robert Earl Keen,
Pat Green, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Tom Russell, Billy Joe Shaver & Rambling Jack
Elliot.
Visit Chris Wall's Official Site