Gene Watson's Peers: Jo Dee Messina
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
Jo Dee Messina, which she
submitted to this site on Thursday 7 September 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Jo Dee Messina who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online
'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Jo Dee Messina
This quote was submitted on Thursday 7 September 2006
'Growing up, listening to Gene Watson was listening to
a voice that personified country music. So smooth, so classy. I just love
his voice'.
Thank you, Jo Dee Messina, for
your support of Gene Watson.
About Jo Dee Messina...
Jo Dee Messina, who is a native of
Holliston, Massachusetts was first attracted to country music after hearing
the recordings of Alabama & Hank Williams Junior. She soon developed a love
for country music heroes such as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn & Reba McEntire.
Jo Dee made her first public performance at the age of six and, by the time
she was thirteen, she had formed a band & had performed throughout the
north-east of the United States. When she was nineteen, Jo Dee decided to
move to Nashville.
In 1996, Jo Dee saw the release of her self-titled debut album, 'Jo Dee
Messina' (Curb Records, 1996), which was produced by Byron Gallimore & Tim
McGraw. The album gave Messina two Top 10 hits & led to the release of
her breakthrough album 'I’m Alright' (Curb Records, 1998). This album
contained three single releases that all went to No.1 ('Bye bye', 'I’m
alright' & 'Stand beside me'). A fourth single, 'Lesson in leaving',
peaked & stayed at No.2 for seven consecutive weeks.
In 1999, Jo Dee Messina released 'Burn' (Curb Records, 1999), her first
album to go to No.1. The album went multi-platinum & included two more
No.1 hits ('Bring on the rain' & 'That’s the way'), as well as two Top 10
hits ('Burn' & 'Downtime').
In 2002, Jo Dee saw the release of an album of her favourite Christmas
songs, 'A Joyful Noise' (Curb Records, 2002) & also saw the release of a
'Greatest Hits' (Curb Records, 2003) collection in 2003.
In 2005, Jo Dee Messina saw the release of her first country music studio
album since 2000, 'Delicious Surprise' (Curb Records, 2005). The album
peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart & No.9 on the
Billboard 200. In late 2005, the album sold over 500,000 copies &
became Jo Dee's fourth album to receive a 'Gold' certification by the RIAA.
The lead single, 'My give a damn's busted', peaked at No.1 on the Billboard
country music singles chart & became Messina's first single since 2001 to
become a No.1 hit. The three follow-up singles ('Delicious surprise',
'Not going down' & 'It's too late to worry') were Top 40 hits on the
Billboard country music singles chart between 2005 & 2006, but did not enter
the Top 20.
Jo Dee Messina is an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist who has
had eight No.1 country music singles, has been honoured by the Country Music
Association (CMA), the Academy of Country Music (ACM) & the Grammy Awards.
Jo Dee was also the first female country music artist to score three
multiple-week No.1 songs from the same album.
Visit Jo Dee Messina's Official Site
