Hal Ketchum (May 2007)
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 2007 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 Hal
Ketchum's quote, which he submitted to this site on
Sunday 27 May
2007.
I (Sean Brady)
would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Hal Ketchum who
has made a special contribution to a unique part
of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Hal
Ketchum
This quote was submitted on Sunday 27 May 2007
'Gene
has one of the most wonderful voices in
country music. I've been a huge
fan & his music is an inspiration to my
career.
Thank you, Gene.
Your friend, Hal Ketchum'.
Thank you,
Hal Ketchum, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Hal Ketchum...
Hal Ketchum was born in
Greenwich, New York on Thursday 9
April in 1953. He has a
younger sister Janie (who is also a
singer/songwriter) & an older
brother Frank.
Music played a big part in Hal's
upbringing; his father Frank played
with a high school band, his
grandfather was a concert violinist
& his mother Janet played the
Hawaiian guitar. Hal's mother
was his greatest influence; she was
a great singer & would sing around
the family home every day. In
1963, Janet was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis (MS) & died of
complications of the disease in
1986.
As a teenager, Hal & Frank
played in a bluegrass band. At
the age of 15, Hal began performing
in clubs with a local rhythm & blues
trio. He later moved to the
west coast of Florida when he was 17
& started doing carpentry work.
In 1981, Hal moved to Austin, Texas
where he lived close to Gruene Hall
& where he discovered
singer/songwriters Lyle Lovett, Joe
Ely & Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
In 1986, after making the trip to
Nashville, Hal recorded an
independent album titled 'Threadbare
Alibis', an album that cost $9,000
to record, the masters of which
remained under Hal's bed for two
years.
Hal Ketchum eventually signed a
recording contract with Curb
Records, who released his 'Past the
Point of Rescue' album in 1991.
The album was produced by Allen
Reynolds & Jim Rooney & the title
track was written by Ireland's
Mick Hanly.
The 'Past the Point of Rescue' album
yielded a number of hit singles on
the Billboard country charts; 'Small
town Saturday night' (No.2), 'I know
where loves lives' (No.13), 'Past
the point of rescue' (No.2) & 'Five
o'clock world' (No.16).
Hal's second Curb album 'Sure Love'
was released in 1993 & it too
yielded a number of successful
Billboard singles; 'Sure love'
(No.3), 'Hearts are gonna roll'
(No.2), 'Mama knows the highway'
(No.8) & 'Someplace far away'
(No.21).
On
22 January 1994, Hal Ketchum
achieved a career highlight when he
was inducted (as the 71st member)
into the Grand Ole Opry. Hal
was joined on stage that night by
Ferlin
Husky & the two of them sang
'Wings of a dove' (a No.1 hit for
Ferlin in 1960).
In May 1994, Hal made a brief
appearance in the film 'Maverick' &
sang 'Solitary traveler' on the
soundtrack.
Hal's third album, 'Every Little
Word', was released in June 1994 &
was jointly produced by Allen
Reynolds & Jim Rooney; it yielded
the hit singles 'Tonight we just
might fall in love again & 'Stay
forever'.
On 9 April 1998 (Hal's 45th
birthday), while performing a show
in Tampa, Florida Hal lost all
feeling in his left arm. He
returned home to Austin, Texas where
he underwent an MRI (magnetic
resonance imaging) scan & a spinal
tap (lumber puncture). His
neurologist stated that his symptoms
were compatible with MS (multiple
sclerosis).
Hal was later
diagnosed as suffering from ATM
(acute transverse myelitis).
Hal later lost the use of the left
side of his body & had to relearn
basic tasks, including how to play
the guitar.
As well as music, Hal Ketchum still
pints a lot & has much of his work
hung on the walls of his home.
He also still enjoys carpentry &
constructed the crib for his
daughter Ruby Joy.
Other important Hal Ketchum releases
include 'The King of Love' (2002) & 'One More
Midnight' (2007), the latter
released to coincide
with his UK & Ireland tour.
On
Thursday 17 May 2007,
Hal Ketchum visited with Gene
Watson at the Curb recording studio
in Nashville while Gene was recording vocal
tracks for his
Shanachie Records debut album,
which is slated for a September 2007
release.
Visit Hal Ketchum's Official Site
Visit Hal Ketchum's Official MySpace
Site
Visit Diane's Hal Ketchum Fan Site
(UK)
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