Gene Watson: Biography - 2001
It is difficult to imagine the world of country music without the vast
contribution that Gene Watson has made to it. Between his major label debut
on Capitol Records in 1975 and the present day, Gene Watson has excelled
with his traditional slant within country music.
Biography: 2001
In March 2001, Gene Watson went back into
hospital for a series of tests, in order to ascertain how his chemotherapy
treatment was going. Everything appeared to be fine & Gene felt good in
himself.
Despite all the problems with his own health, Gene was concerned at
this time about the musicians in his band. Their own livelihoods were also
in jeopardy during these frantic few months while Gene was ill & he felt
immense loyalty & gratitude towards each & every member of his Farewell
Party Band.
In April 2001, Gene signed a recording contract with the RMG (Row Music
Group) Records label, which was owned jointly by fellow country music artist
Eddy Raven & Texan businessman Larry Barnett & their respective wives. It
was through his involvement with RMG Records that Gene began to work
alongside George Collier.
It was in June 2001 that Gene & the Farewell Party Band were back on the
road & were undertaking as heavy a work schedule as they had been prior to
Gene’s bout of ill health, so much so that Gene’s doctor advised him to take
things a little easier.
Gene had to take a few days off & the fact that he was also traveling to
Nashville to record his latest album didn’t help matters; the album in
question was 'From the Heart', (RMG Records,
2001). At the
helm production-wise, once again, was Gene Watson’s long-time friend & legendary
singer/songwriter/producer Ray Pennington.
Ray Pennington came out of retirement especially to produce the album for Gene;
'From the Heart' is a fine release & clearly demonstrates that Gene
had lost none of his old magic. The album demonstrates that Gene was a man
of great strength & character, having undertaken the recording sessions
during what was a quite traumatic period in his life.
In the latter part of 2001, a compilation album, 'Ultimate Collection', was
released by Universal/Hip-o Records & afforded listeners the opportunity to
enjoy a 23-track selection of Gene Watson’s finest recordings from his days with
Capitol, MCA, Epic & Warner Bros. Records.
There are 23 tracks contained within the 'Ultimate Collection'
& these include 15 of Gene Watson's Top 10 singles in
chronological sequence, beginning with his breakthrough hit 'Love in the hot
afternoon' from 1975, through to 'Don't waste it on the blues' from 1988.
The release of Universal/Hip-O Records' 'Ultimate Collection' reaffirms the case to have all Gene
Watson material released on CD.
Gene Watson Biography:
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