Gene Watson Peer's Quote from The Bellamy Brothers: August 2009
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 Watson's Peers who were contacted during 2009 were most gracious with their time and words. It is here, within this special part of the Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from David & Howard Bellamy, which they submitted to this site on Saturday 15 August 2009.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to David & Howard Bellamy who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
David & Howard Bellamy
This quote was submitted on Saturday 15 August 2009.
'Gene Watson is one of the greatest voices ever in country music.
Howard and I are in complete agreement; Gene is one of our all-time favourites'.
Thank you, David & Howard Bellamy, for your support of Gene Watson.
About David & Howard Bellamy...
David & Howard Bellamy (Bellamy Brothers) are an American country and pop music duo composed of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born on Saturday 16 September 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born on Saturday 2 February 1946), who were both born in Darby, Florida.
David and Howard Bellamy enjoyed considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit 'Let Your Love Flow' in 1976, a No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart; the track was the title cut of their first album, 'Let Your Love Flow' (Warner Bros. Records, 1976).
Starting in the late 1970s, The Bellamy Brothers found success in country music as well, charting twenty No.1 singles and more than fifty hits overall on the Billboard country music singles chart. To date, they have released more than fifty albums, primarily on Curb Records.
David and Howard Bellamy were inspired by many musical sources from an early age. Their father played country music around the house and he was also a member of a local western swing band; in addition, they were inspired by the rock and roll music their sister played, as well as the calypso music sung by Jamaican harvesters working in the family orange groves.
Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to play guitar, mandolin and banjo. In addition, David learned accordion, fiddle, organ and piano.
Their first musical gig was in 1968 at a benefit concert with their father in San Antonio, Florida at the Rattlesnake Roundup. Soon after, the brothers moved to Atlanta, Georgia and formed a band called Jericho. However, playing in bands and clubs proved tiresome for the brothers, who soon moved back home.
The Bellamy Brothers were soon noticed by a friend of recording artist Jim Stafford, who eventually recorded 'Spiders And Snakes', a tune written by David. 'Spiders And Snakes' went on to become a Top 5 hit, providing The Bellamy Brothers with the money to move to Los Angeles, California. Howard became a road manager for Jim Stafford; Stafford's previous road manager, Leo Gallagher, later gained fame as a comedian.
The Bellamy Brothers signed to Curb Records in 1975; a single featuring only David, 'Nothin' Heavy', was unsuccessful. However, at the suggestion of Neil Diamond's drummer Dennis St. John, David and Howard Bellamy recorded and released the single 'Let Your Love Flow', which was written by Neil Diamond's roadie Larry Williams.
Released in 1976, 'Let Your Love Flow' was a No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 (pop chart) in the US, in addition to a dozen countries worldwide.
Although 'Let Your Love Flow' was also a hit on the Billboard country music singles chart, where it reached No.21, The Bellamy's country music success was limited until 1979, when 'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me' was released; the track was included on 'The Two And Only' (Warner Bros. Records, 1979), an album that also included 'You Ain't Just Whistling Dixie' (No.5, 1979).
'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me', whose double entendre title was derived from a Groucho Marx quote, landed The Bellamy Brothers their first country music No.1 in the United States (No.1 for three weeks in May/June 1979) and secured a Grammy Award nomination in the process. The song was first played on radio in the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland before becoming 'Song Of The Year' for all of the UK in 1979.
Following the success of 'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me', The Bellamy Brothers decided to revamp their sound and headed back to Florida in order to put a new band together. They enlisted the help of Ron & The Starfires, a Top 40 R&B group, along with bass player Jesse Chambers and his cousin, guitarist Carl Chambers.
This new group of musicians also supported The Bellamy Brothers in the recording studio and played on 'The Two And Only' (Warner Bros. Records, 1979) and 'You Can Get Crazy' (Warner Bros. Records, 1980).
'You Can Get Crazy' (Warner Bros. Records, 1980) included two Billboard country music chart No.1s; 'Sugar Daddy' (No.1 for one week in 1980) and 'Dancin' Cowboys' (No.1 for one week in August 1980).
'Sons Of The Sun' (Warner Bros. Records, 1980) yielded two more major Billboard country music hits for The Bellamy Brothers, including 'Lovers Live Longer' (No.3, 1981) and 'Do You Love As Good As You Look' (No.1 for one week in March 1981).
In 1981, The Bellamy Brothers ended an agreement with Warner Bros. Records by releasing two singles that never appeared on any album; 'They Could Put Me In Jail', which had been written by Bob McDill, peaked at No.12 in 1981, while 'You're My Favourite Star', blending country music with Jamaican rhythms, became the only reggae record ever to hit the Top 10 on the Billboard country music singles chart (in 1981).
Signing with Elektra Records, David and Howard Bellamy were sceptical of working with another producer and persuaded Elektra Records head Jimmy Bowen to allow them to make their next album at home.
The Bellamy Brothers' 'When We Were Boys' (Elektra Records, 1982) was recorded in Florida and mixed in Nashville and yielded a number of very successful singles; 'For All The Wrong Reasons' (No.1 for one week in June 1981) and 'Get Into Reggae Cowboy' (No.21, 1981).
Even after The Bellamy Brothers left Warner Bros. Records and started releasing product on Elektra Records, they still owed their prior label more material. The company closed out the agreement with 'Greatest Hits' (Warner Bros. Records, 1982) and the compilation included the track 'Redneck Girl' (No.1 for one week in December 1982).
'Redneck Girl' was also included on The Bellamy Brothers' 'Strong Weakness' (Elektra Records, 1982).
In January 1983, Elektra/Asylum Records merged its country music division with Warner Bros. Records. It was at this time that The Bellamy Brothers saw the release of their last single on Elektra Records; 'When I'm Away From You' (No.1 for one week in April 1983).
'When I'm Away From You' (No.1 for one week in April 1983) was included on 'Strong Weakness' (Elektra Records, 1982), an album that also included the successful singles 'I Love Her Mind' (No.4, 1984) and 'Strong Weakness' (No.15, 1984).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Restless' (MCA/Curb Records, 1984) was recorded at the Criteria Sound Studios in North Miami Beach and included a number of hit singles; 'Forget About Me' (No.5, 1984), 'World's Greatest Lover' (No.6, 1984) and 'I Need More Of You' (No.1 for one week in April 1985).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Howard and David' (MCA Records, 1985) included three singles that almost made it to the top of the Billboard country music singles chart; 'Old Hippie' (No.2, 1985), 'Lie To You For Your Love' (No.2, 1985) and 'Feeling The Feeling' (No.2, 1985).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Country Rap' (MCA Records, 1986) included two No.1 singles on the Billboard country music singles chart; 'Too Much Is Not Enough' was a duet with The Forester Sisters (No.1 for one week in December 1986) and 'Kids Of The Baby Boom' (No.1 for one week in April 1987), while the title track reached No.31 (also in 1987).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Crazy From The Heart' (MCA Records, 1987) included a significant number of Billboard country music hit singles; 'Crazy From The Heart' (No.5, 1987), 'Santa Fe' (No.3, 1987) and 'I'll Give You All My Love Tonight' (No.6, 1987).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Rebels Without A Clue' (MCA Records, 1988) also included a number of singles which reached the Top 10 of the Billboard country music singles chart; 'Big Love' (No.5, 1988) and 'Rebels Without A Clue' (No.9, 1988).
The Bellamy Brothers' 'Greatest Hits 3' (MCA Records, 1989) included the hit single 'You'll Never Be Sorry' (No.10, 1989), while 'Reality Check' (MCA Records, 1990) included the hit single 'I Could Be Persuaded' (No.7, 1990).
In 1991, The Bellamy Brothers switched record labels, moving from MCA Records to Atlantic Records. Their tenure with Atlantic Records produced only one album, 'Rollin' Thunder' (Atlantic Records, 1991), before the duo formed its own label, a first in country music.
Clint Black recorded David Bellamy's 'A Woman Has Her Way' (co-written with Clint Black and Jerry Lynn Williams) and included the track on 'The Hard Way' (RCA Records, 1992).
Although David and Howard Bellamy were still recording albums, their singles were no longer charting and, by 1999, they had switched record labels to Blue Hat Records for their 'Lonely Planet' album.
In 2005, The Bellamy Brothers returned to Curb Records and recorded 'Angels And Outlaws, Volume 1', a compilation album featuring re-recordings of the duo's older hits, along with additional artists, including Dolly Parton, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker and Montgomery Gentry.
A re-recorded version of 'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me', featuring Dolly Parton, spent one week at No.60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 2005.
The Bellamy Brothers released an album of gospel music, titled 'Jesus Is Coming', which was released on Tuesday 8 May 2007; the title track had originally been included on 'Native American' (Jupiter Records, 1995).
In 2008, 'Let Your Love Flow' was used in the Barclaycard commercial for their new contactless cards. The song re-entered the UK singles chart at No.48 based on downloads and peaked at No.21 on the UK pop chart in March 2009; it was listed on BMI’s list of Top 100 'Song Of The Century' at No.68 that same year.
The Bellamy Brothers 'The Anthology, Volume 1' was released on Saturday 1 August 2009 and included the single 'Guilty Of The Crime', which was a collaboration with The Bacon Brothers; the video for the single featured Shannen Doherty of 'Beverly Hills 90210' fame.
Visit David & Howard Bellamy's Official Site