Gene Watson's Peers: Kathy Chiavola
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
Kathy Chiavola, which she submitted to
this site on Wednesday 31 May 2006.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you'
to
Kathy Chiavola who has made a special
contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star
Hero'.
Kathy Chiavola
This quote was submitted on Wednesday 31 May 2006
'Gene Watson is the definition of a great country
singer; there is none better.
He's the real deal, a one of a kind treasure who possesses gorgeous tone,
great phrasing and technique, the life experience to communicate emotion and
connect in a masterful way'.
Thank you, Kathy Chiavola, for
your support of Gene Watson.
About Kathy Chiavola...
Kathy Chiavola, who was born in
Chicago & raised in Kansas City, Missouri has had a very eclectic musical
background. She grew up listening to classical music, then folk music
& then joined a rock & roll band. Kathy has also dabbled with opera
music; she then discovered bluegrass.
Kathy Chiavola was awarded a scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory of
Music where she earned her bachelor’s & masters degrees in voice. She
later studied in a doctoral program at Indiana University with Metropolitan
Opera star Eileen Farrell & then moved to Nashville in 1980. Kathy
worked with the Doug Dillard Band, Vassar Clements, the Country Gazette,
Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer & Mark O'Connor
before forming her own group.
Kathy Chiavola's sound is acoustic; a delightful combination of traditional
country & bluegrass with a little blues thrown in.
Kathy Chiavola's debut album 'Labor of Love' garnered unanimous critical
acclaim in 1990 when it was released on the My Label record label (in the
UK, 'Labor of Love' was released by London's Tower Records).
'Labor of Love' gathered unanimous critical acclaim upon its release; it was
London’s Tower Records’ No.1 country album for two weeks & reached No.2 on
the UK country music singles chart.
Kathy Chiavola also contributed 'I'm so lonesome I could cry' to the
compilation album 'A Picture of Hank: The New Bluegrass Way', a bluegrass
tribute to Hank Williams Senior (Mercury Records, 1995).
Kathy Chiavola was voted 1995’s 'Outstanding Background Vocalist' in the
Nashville Music Awards & has sung on hundreds of recordings with
Vince Gill,
Ricky Skaggs, Tammy Wynette, Kathy Mattea,
Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris & Bill Monroe.
Kathy Chiavola's second album, 'The Harvest', was released on My Label in
1995 & on Demon Records UK in 1996 & features a multitude of special guests
including Chet Atkins, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Bill Monroe, Randy
Howard, Roy Huskey, Harley Allen, John Cowan, Bela Fleck & Tony Rice.
The album was hailed as one of the top five bluegrass albums of 1996;
Kathy's duet with Bill Monroe is believed to be his last vocal recording.
Kathy Chiavola’s third album, 'From Where I Stand: A Personal Tribute', was
released on My Label in 2001.
'From Where I Stand: A Personal Tribute' was Kathy's heartfelt tribute to
her friend & wonderful fiddle player
Randy Howard who
passed away on Tuesday 29 June 1999.
Kathy's 'Somehow' album was released in 2006 on My Label; this album was
Kathy's first recording of all original songs & incorporated diverse
influences; bluegrass, blues, jazz, Latin & country with an extraordinary
cast of musicians including Victor Wooten, Edgar Meyer,
Darrell Scott & Stuart Duncan.
Kathy Chiavola has toured the US, UK, Europe & extensively in Japan
extensively and was the first bluegrass artist to perform in the Faroe
Islands.
Visit Kathy Chiavola's Official Site
Visit Kathy Chiavola's
Official MySpace Site