Gene Watson's Peers: Jimmy Fortune

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 2006 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 Jimmy Fortune, which he submitted to this site on Thursday 30 March 2006.

Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Jimmy Fortune who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.

Gene Watson Fan Site

Jimmy Fortune
This quote was submitted on Thursday 30 March 2006

'Gene is one of the greatest country singers of all time.

If you want to know how a country song should be sung, listen to Gene Watson'.

Thank you, Jimmy Fortune, for your support of Gene Watson.

Gene Watson Fan Site

About Jimmy Fortune...

Jimmy Fortune, who was born on 11 March 1955 in Williamsburg, Virginia joined the Statler Brothers in June 1982 & sang tenor for twenty-one years. Jimmy joined them as a replacement for the ailing Lew DeWitt who was suffering from Crohn's disease. Lew DeWitt succumbed to the disease on 15 August 1990.

Jimmy Fortune spent twenty-one years touring, singing & performing with the Statler Brothers until the other three members of the group retired in 2002. He proved himself to be an invaluable addition to the group, as both a tenor singer & songwriter.

Jimmy Fortune provided the Statler Brothers with three No.1 country hits on the Billboard country music singles chart; 'Elizabeth' (No.1 for 1 week in March 1984), 'My only love' (No.1 for 1 week in March 1985) & 'Too much on my heart' (No.1 for 1 week in November/December 1985).

Jimmy Fortune went on to record the solo albums 'When One Door Closes' (Audium Records, 2002) & 'I Believe' (Song Garden Records, 2004).

The Statler Brothers: 'Pardners in Rhyme' (Mercury Records, 1985)

Gene Watson has a musical connection with the Statler Brothers; Gene recorded 'Her heart or mine' (co-written by Don & Harold Reid, the only members of the group who were actually brothers) & included the track on 'Honky Tonk Crazy' (Epic Records, 1986).

The Statler Brothers originally recorded 'Her heart or mind' in 1985 & included the track on 'Pardners in Rhyme' (Mercury Records, 1985).

Gene Watson Fan Site

Visit Jimmy Fortune's Official Site
Visit The Statler Brothers Official Site

Gene Watson's Peers:

Ray Griff (September 2004)

Hugh Prestwood (September 2004)

Don Henry (September 2004)

Buddy Emmons (September 2004)

Stan Laundon (September 2004)

Gail Davies (September 2004)

Joe Diffie (September 2004)

Kevin McManus (October 2004)

Jack Greene (October 2004)

Mark Chesnutt (October 2004)

Chris Hillman (October 2004)

Billy Yates (October 2004)

Herb Pedersen (October 2004)

Lloyd Green (October 2004)

David Frizzell (October 2004)

Joe Fish (October 2004)

Buddy Spicher (October 2004)

Chris Wall (January 2005)

Dave Pomeroy (February 2005)

Jerry Vandiver (February 2005)

Andy Griggs (March 2005)

Lacy J. Dalton (March 2005)

Mike Ragogna (April 2005)

Tommy Cash (April 2005)

Margo Smith (April 2005)

Byron Hill (April 2005)

Ricky Davis (May 2005)

Jeannie Seely (May 2005)

Ken Mellons (May 2005)

George Jones (May 2005)

Mel Tillis (May 2005)

Stella Parton (July 2005)

Holly Dunn (August 2005)

Dale Watson (October 2005)

Bill Mack (October 2005)

Becky Hobbs (October 2005)

Gordon Stoker & Louis Nunley of the Jordanaires (October 2005)

Curtis Young (October 2005)

Eddy Raven (November 2005)

Darrell Scott (November 2005)

Kathy Mattea (November 2005)

Andrea Zonn (November 2005)

Dallas Wayne (November 2005)

Leslie Satcher (November 2005)

Doug Supernaw (November 2005)

Aaron Tippin (December 2005)

Barbara Fairchild (January 2006)

John Nicholson (January 2006)

Ann J. Morton (January 2006)

Bobby Flores (January 2006)

Connie Smith (January 2006)

Marty Stuart (January 2006)

Dallas Harms (February 2006)

Mark O'Connor (March 2006)

Cindy Church (March 2006)

Stephen Pride (March 2006)

Porter Wagoner (March 2006)

Jimmy Fortune (March 2006)

Buzz Cason (May 2006)

Kathy Chiavola (May 2006)

Kieran Kane (May 2006)

Ernie Rowell (June 2006)

Chris 'Tiny' Olson (June 2006)

Luke Reed (June 2006)

Leona Williams (June 2006)

John Jorgenson (June 2006)

Norma Jean (June 2006)

James Talley (July 2006)

Hank Thompson (July 2006)

Ferlin Husky (July 2006)

Tim Stafford (July 2006)

Irene Kelley (July 2006)

Billy Swan (August 2006)

Johnny Duncan (August 2006)

Rob Ickes (August 2006)

Al Perkins (August 2006)

Jenny Yates (August 2006)

Sonny Burgess (August 2006)

Corey Frizzell (August 2006)

Joe Chambers (August 2006)

Joe Nichols (August 2006)

Kevin Montgomery (August 2006)

Robert Joe Vandygriff (August 2006)

Gretchen Peters (September 2006)

Charlie Rich Junior (September 2006)

Jolie Holliday (September 2006)

Jo Dee Messina (September 2006)

Norman Wade (September 2006)

Bob Regan (September 2006)

The Statler Brothers (September 2006)

Gregg Galbraith (October 2006)

Chris Jones (October 2006)

Candi Carpenter (October 2006)

Billy Troy (October 2006)

Gary P. Nunn (October 2006)

Roger Wallace (October 2006)

Tommy Alverson (October 2006)

Charlie McCoy (October 2006)

Rivers Rutherford (October 2006)

Vern Gosdin (October 2006)

Ronnie Hawkins (October 2006)

Craig Bickhardt (October 2006)

Tony Arata (October 2006)

Mark Casstevens (October 2006)

Helen Cornelius (October 2006)

Carl Jackson (October 2006)

Linda Davis (October 2006)

Don Williams (October 2006)

Joni Harms (November 2006)

John Lomax III (November 2006)

Sunny Sweeney (November 2006)

Jim Glaser (November 2006)

Lane Brody (November 2006)

Trent Willmon (November 2006)

Wes Hightower (November 2006)

Dan Tyler (November 2006)

Radney Foster (November 2006)

Tom Ghent (November 2006)

Jeanette Williams (November 2006)

Gerry Ford (November 2006)

Bruce Burch (November 2006)

Shane Barmby (December 2006)

Ed Bruce (December 2006)

Jimmy Pasquale (January 2007)

George Ducas (January 2007)

Tony Byworth (January 2007)

Lee Roy Parnell (January 2007)

Patricia Conroy (January 2007)

Ty Herndon (January 2007)

Pauline Reese (January 2007)

Harold Bradley (February 2007)

Jan Howard (February 2007)

Penny Dale (February 2007)

Rhonda Vincent (February 2007)

Buddy Lee Owens (February 2007)

Josh Shilling (February 2007)

Skip Graves (March 2007)

Reuben Darnell (March 2007)

Bradley Walker (March 2007)

Hal Ketchum (May 2007)

Amber Digby May 2007)

Miss Leslie Lindley (June 2007)

Harley Allen (June 2007)

Lee Ann Womack (July 2007)

Janie Fricke (August 2007)

Rebecca Lynn Howard (September 2007)

Sarah Jory (September 2007)

Tom Russell (September 2007)

Jett Williams (September 2007)

Skip Ewing (September 2007)

Collin Raye (September 2007)

Kent Westberry (October 2007)

Mike Headrick (November 2007)

Fred Koller (December 2007)

Jace Everett (January 2008)

Sammy Kershaw (January 2008)

Sonny Curtis (January 2008)

Hank Cochran (January 2008)

Claire Lynch (January 2008)

Tony Booth (January 2008)

Jesse Dayton (February 2008)

James Hand (June 2008)

Rhonda Vincent (August 2008)

David Allan (September 2008)

Zona Jones (October 2008)

Darrell McCall (October 2008)

Jimmy Melton (October 2008)

Chely Wright (October 2008)

Heather Myles (October 2008)

Doyle Lawson (October 2008)

Jan Howard (October 2008)

Karen Staley (December 2008)

Wil Nance (January 2009)

Jerry Salley (May 2009)

Dale Dodson (May 2009)

Larry Cordle (May 2009)

Joe Allen (May 2009)

Jon Mabe (June 2009)

Bobby Dale (June 2009)

Shawn Hammonds (June 2009)

Cleve Francis (June 2009)

Katy Moffatt (July 2009)

Billy Lawson (July 2009)

John Wesley Ryles (August 2009)

Bobbie Cryner (August 2009)

Buddy Cannon (August 2009)

Paul Overstreet (August 2009)

Ronnie Dunn (August 2009)

Donna Ulisse (August 2009)

Bellamy Brothers (August 2009)

Dirk Johnson (August 2009)

Bobby Marquez (September 2009)

Freddy Powers (October 2009)

Shirley Collie Nelson (October 2009)

Debbie Hupp (January 2010)

James Dean Hicks (January 2010)

Mandy Barnett (January 2010)

Steve C. Chandler (January 2010)

Razzy Bailey (January 2010)

Roger Brown (January 2010)

Chuck Cannon (January 2010)

Tommy Overstreet (January 2010)

Steve Wariner (January 2010)

David Smith (January 2010)

Jonell Mosser (January 2010)

Joel Key (February 2010)

Robb Tripp (February 2010)

Dawn Sears (February 2010)

Charlie Craig (February 2010)

Melonie Cannon (February 2010)

Steve Spurgin (February 2010)

Kelly Lang (February 2010)

Liz Talley (February 2010)

John Gardner (March 2010)

Monty Holmes (March 2010)

Matt Lindsey (March 2010)

Susanna Van Tassel (April 2010)

Jimmy Capps (April 2010)

Joey + Rory (May 2010)

Billy Arr (June 2010)

Neal McCoy (July 2010)

Steve Maynard (July 2010)

Curt Ryle (July 2010)

Dean Dillon (August 2010)

Kate Wallace (August 2010)

Shawn Camp (August 2010)

Judy Rodman (October 2010)

Doug Bruce (November 2010)

Bill Anderson (November 2010)

Kenny Malone (November 2010)

Tom T. Hall (November 2010)

Crystal Gayle (November 2010)

Con Hunley (November 2010)

Ron Williams (January 2011)

Nathan Stanley (January 2011)

J Fred Knobloch (January 2011)

Jody Nix (January 2011)

Charlie Sizemore (February 2011)

Elizabeth Cook (February 2011)

Mel McDaniel (February 2011)

Doug Stone (April 2011)

Valerie Smith (April 2011)

Maxine Brown (April 2011)

Ray Price (May 2011)

Verlon Thompson (May 2011)

Jim Vest (June 2011)

Teea Goans (June 2011)

John Pennell (July 2011)

Julie Roberts (July 2011)

Clint Black (July 2011)

Kent Blazy (July 2011)

Rodney Crowell (August 2011)

Dallas Frazier (August 2011)

Ray Stevens (September 2011)

Landon Dodd (September 2011)

Freddie Hart (October 2011)