Gene Watson Peer's Quote from Chris Wall: January 2005
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 2005 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 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 and I used to sing 'Memories To Burn' and '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 and 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 and 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 and 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 and waited, the anticipation building. Did he still have it?
The end of the last chorus was upon us and 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 and 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 Wall 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 and 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' and 'I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight'. Shortly thereafter, Chris Wall became a part of Walker’s recording and management roster on Tried and True Music/Rykodisc.
Five years of relentless touring with Jerry Jeff Walker and the release of two highly acclaimed solo albums 'Honky Tonk Heart' (Rykodisc Records, 1990) and 'No Sweat' (Rykodisc Records, 1992) on the Rykodisc Records label followed.
In 1994, Confederate Railroad scored a top five Billboard country music 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. The track was included on the group's 'Confederate Railroad' (Columbia Records, 1994).
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 and opted instead for writing and releasing his own music.
Chris Wall formed his own label, Cold Spring Records, in 1994 and saw the release of his albums 'Cowboy Nation' (Cold Spring Records, 1994), 'Any Saturday Night in Texas' (Cold Spring Records, 1997), 'Tainted Angel' (Cold Spring Records, 1999) and 'Just Another Place' (Cold Spring Records, 1999).
Chris Wall has travelled extensively and has headlined large festivals in Europe and 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 and Reckless Kelly.
Chris Wall has appeared on stage as the opening act for such legends as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 - Wednesday 13 February 2002), George Jones, Conway Twitty (Friday 1 September 1933 - Saturday 5 June 1993), Chris LeDoux (Saturday 2 October 1948 - Wednesday 9 March 2005), Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Bellamy Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Confederate Railroad, David Allan Coe, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Shenandoah, Desert Rose Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Steve Wariner, Kelly Willis, Juice Newton, Asleep at the Wheel, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Tom Russell, Billy Joe Shaver and Rambling Jack Elliot.
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