Gene Watson's Peers: James Dean Hicks
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 2010 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
James Dean Hicks, which he submitted to this site
on Sunday 10 January 2010.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
James Dean Hicks
who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online
'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
James Dean Hicks
This quote was submitted on Sunday 10 January 2010
'Gene Watson is one of the
voices of country music with a sweet, smooth, velvety tone that draws a
listener’s ear & holds them to every word.
I have always loved his artistry & am flattered as a writer to have him
interpret one of my songs’.
Thank you,
James Dean Hicks
for your support of Gene Watson.
About James Dean Hicks...
James Dean Hicks,
at the age of ten, began making the trip from his home on a farm near
Bardstown, Kentucky to the big-city streets of Nashville. It was there
that he appeared regularly on the 'WSM Midnight Jamboree' with the Grand Ole
Opry greats, including Ernest Tubb & Hank Snow.
James always wanted to sing & write songs. He used to sit on his swing
on the farm & make up songs. His Dad gave him a guitar & he learned to
play by ear & from a chord book.
By the time he was thirteen years old, James Dean Hicks had opened concerts
for Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, George Jones
& Tammy Wynette.
Between the ages of ten & sixteen, James performed regularly at weekend
jamborees. He then decided he was missing out on a regular childhood,
so he laid his music performance career aside to enjoy a normal teenage
life. He then really got into the rock music sounds of Journey, AC/DC
& Bob Seger.
After earning a music degree in college, the next logical step for James
Dean Hicks was to move to Nashville to pursue his childhood dream of
becoming a professional artist/songwriter. Staff writing helped him
learn his craft & helped him to learn the basics & how to knock the rough
edges off.
There are, however, no rough edges in James Dean Hicks' music. His
voice is as smooth as the fine Kentucky bourbon distilled in his hometown.
The songs of James Dean Hicks recall the purity of sound & emotion found in
the best recordings of Dan Fogelberg, the down-home simplicity of Merle
Haggard & the creative edge of Don Henley.
James Dean Hicks' compositions have been recorded by a diverse group of
artists including the Oak Ridge Boys, Conway Twitty, Confederate Railroad,
Sammy Kershaw, Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis,
Bryan White, Crystal Gayle, Charlie Daniels, Linda
Davis, John Michael Montgomery, Neal McCoy,
Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan & Skip Ewing.
The Oak Ridge Boys recorded James Dean
Hicks' 'It takes a little rain (to make love grow)' (co-written
with Roger Murrah & Steve Dean) &
included the track on 'Where The Fast Lane Ends' (MCA Records, 1987); the
track was No.1 for 1 week on the Billboard country music singles chart in
May/June 1987
The Oak Ridge Boys recorded James Dean Hicks' 'This crazy love' (co-written
with Roger Murrah) &
included the track on 'Where The Fast Lane Ends' (MCA Records, 1987); the
track was No.1 for 1 week on the Billboard country music singles chart in
September 1987
Conway Twitty recorded James Dean Hicks' 'Goodbye time' (co-written
with Roger Murrah) & included the track on 'Still In Your Dreams' (MCA
Records, 1988); the track reached No.7 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 1988
Gene Watson recorded James Dean Hicks' 'I picked a San Antone
rose' & included the track as the 'b' side of his 'Don't waste it on the
blues' single, which reached No.5 on the Billboard country music singles
chart in 1988
'Don't waste it on the blues' was included on 'Back
in the Fire' (Warner Bros. Records, 1988), but 'I picked a San Antone
rose' was not included on the album
Conway Twitty recorded James Dean Hicks' 'Nobody can fill your shoes'
(co-written with Roger Murrah) & included the track on 'House On Old
Lonesome Road' (MCA Records, 1989)
Linda Davis
recorded 'Knowin'
we'll never know' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with Jim Rushing) & included the track on 'In a Different Light' (Liberty
Records, 1991)
John Michael Montgomery recorded 'Line on love' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with David Willis & Rick West) & included the track on 'Life's a
Dance' (Atlantic
Records, 1992).
Crystal Gayle recorded 'The least that I can do'
(co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with Allen Holmes & Roger Murrah) & included the track on 'Three
Good Reasons' (Liberty
Records, 1992).
Sammy Kershaw recorded 'National working
woman's holiday' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks with Roger Murrah & Pat Terry) & included the track on
'Feelin' Good Train' (Mercury Records, 1994); the
track reached No.2 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 1994.
Collin Raye
recorded 'A Bible & a bus ticket
home' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with Craig Wiseman) & included the track on 'Extremes' (Epic Records, 1994).
Neal McCoy recorded 'Why now' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with John Schweers) & included the track on 'No Doubt About It' (Atlantic
Records, 1994).
Kenny Chesney recorded 'Grandpa told me so' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks with Mark Alan
Springer) & included the track on
'All I Need to Know' (BNA Records, 1995); the track
reached No.23 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 1995.
Randy Travis recorded 'The hole' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks with
Skip Ewing) & included the track on
'You & You Alone' (DreamWorks Nashville Records, 1998);
the track reached No.9 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 1998.
Bryan White recorded 'God gave me you' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with Andy Goldmark & Jamie Houston) & included the track on 'How Lucky I Am'
(Asylum Records, 1999); the track reached No.40 on the Billboard country
music singles chart in 1999.
Confederate Railroad recorded 'Jesus & mama' (co-written by
James Dean Hicks
with Danny Mayo) & included the track on 'Confederate Railroad' (Atlantic
Nashville Records, 2004); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 2005.
Blake Shelton recorded 'Goodbye time' (co-written
by
James Dean Hicks
with Roger Murrah) & included the track on 'Blake Shelton's Barn &
Grill' (Warner Bros.
Records, 2004); the track reached No.10 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 2005.
Gene Watson recorded 'What was I thinking'
(co-written by James Dean Hicks
&
Skip Ewing) & included the track on 'In
a Perfect World' (Shanachie
Records, 2007).
Visit James Dean Hicks' Official
Site
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Official MySpace Site
