Gene Watson Discography
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories'
Hux Records HUX124 (2011)
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories' (2-on-1) was released
by Hux Records
(in the UK & Ireland) on Monday 9 May 2011;
the CD set was released worldwide on Tuesday 17 May 2011.
This special CD
brings together two pivotal (Epic
Records) albums from Gene's brief but
extraordinary time with the label; 'Memories
to Burn'
(Epic Records, 1985)
& 'Starting New
Memories' (Epic Records, 1986).
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories' (2-on-1) discography information
will be presented on this site for educational purposes only & no infringement of
copyright will be intended.
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories'
Hux Records HUX124 (2011)
Sleeve Notes
Alan Cackett of the UK's Maverick
Country Magazine
'Gene Watson is one of country music's all-time
finest singers and performers, right up there with
George Jones, Vern
Gosdin, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Alan Jackson and George Strait as
a classic interpreter of traditional country music.
There was a time, some twenty-five years ago, when Gene was the lone torch
carrier for solid traditional Texas honky-tonk music. While other
artists were drowning the music in lavish strings and getting all dressed up
like Urban Cowboys, he was quietly going about his business of performing
the real thing.
Born in Palestine, Texas, on October 11, 1943, Gene is one of seven children
of a sawmill worker and crop picker. He was raised in Paris, Texas in
a musical family and played his first professional gig at the age of 13.
He quit school in the 9th grade to help support his family and married his
wife, Mattie Louise, at age 17.
In 1963, he moved to Houston where he found daytime employment in car engine
and bodywork repairs. During the evenings, his vocal style, with its
slight nasal sound in the best country tradition, made him a very popular
honky-tonk singer around the local clubs.
He recorded for several small independent labels including Reeder (whose
owner Russ Reeder went on to become his manager and producer), Wide World
and Stoneway before joining the Resco label in 1974. This resulted in
his first bona fide country hit with the steamy, 'Love
in the hot afternoon', the following year.
When Capitol Records picked him up in 1975, he gained more nationwide
attention with 'Where love begins'
and 'You could know as much about a stranger'.
But those Top 10 singles didn't fill the four hours per night he performed
in clubs. He used a host of songs others made popular and put his own
twist on them.
The strength and indeed the justification of an interpretative performer is
twofold; firstly, can he impress upon or draw out a new range of meaning and
possibilities from any given song; secondly, does he have a personality as
an artist that runs through and transcends the chosen material. On
both counts, Gene Watson has always succeeded supremely well, redefining the
songs he selects. It's not something all singers are able to do.
'My singing comes from reaching down and doing it my way', Gene says.
'I sing a song because I love the song. I love the song so much I feel
I need to let the audience enjoy it, but I still put the Gene Watson stamp
on it'.
One of the most pleasing developments in country music in the mid-1970s was
the appearance of traditional-sounding country singers who didn't feel bound
to prove themselves by writing their own material. Three singers that
emerged in this guise that always spring to mind for the care with which
they chose their material and the individuality which they brought to it and
the success of their achievements were Moe
Bandy, Mel McDaniel and
Gene Watson.
Once Gene had joined the major label merry-go-round, the honky-tonk inspired
traditionalist proved to be a quiet, but consistent hit-maker. He
scored top ten hits with such classics as 'Paper
Rosie', 'I don't need a thing at
all', 'One sided conversation', 'Pick
the wildwood flower' (a song he says is as biographical as any of his
tunes gets), 'Nothing sure
looked good on you', 'Fourteen
carat mind' (his 1982 chart topper) and a revival of 'Farewell
party' (his signature tune and the name of his road band).
It would be easy to take the man and his music for granted, but that is the
kind of injustice this Texas balladeer has suffered throughout his career.
Every single he released in his heyday should have been a top ten hit, but
in reality, such bona fide classics as 'Maybe I should have been listening',
'Bedroom ballad', 'One
hell of a heartache', 'Carmen', 'Honky
tonk crazy' and 'You can't take it with you when you go', were shunned
by country radio and were quite lowly chart entries. Throughout his
career, his album sales have been steady, rather than spectacular.
There are no gold or platinum discs sitting on the Watson mantelpiece, but
plenty of glowing endorsements from press and fans alike.
Over the years, Gene Watson has released the kind of classic country albums
that put today's greats such as Alan Jackson and George Strait in the shade,
and are easily the equal of anything George Jones
and Merle Haggard have released.
What he has always lacked has been the kind of aggressive management team to
shake things up, along with his own laidback, quiet approach that hardly
makes headline news.
But Gene has survived enough fads to know not to follow them. 'Oh,
man, I've come through everything - the pop-country thing, the rhinestone
cowboys, the Outlaw movement', he declares. 'But I never altered my
style. I just sing good country music and try to give fans their
money's worth'.
There are people who sing songs...and then there are singers' singers.
Gene Watson is in that elite class. He not only possesses a potent set
of pipes, but an unerring song sense. Songs that he originally
recorded many years ago as album tracks have since resurfaced as hits for
others, songs such as 'Cold day in July'
(1980), 'The note' (1985) and 'The
great divide' (1989).
In 1981, after moving from Capitol to MCA Records, is recording of 'Fourteen
carat mind' gave him his first US country number 1. This was his
most consistent period with a run of eight consecutive top ten hits,
including such classic traditional country numbers as 'Speak
softly (you're talking to my heart)', 'You're
out doing what I'm here doing without' and 'What
she don't know won't hurt her'.
When his contract with MCA Records ran its course in 1985, Gene Watson moved
over to Epic Records and with his second single, 'Memories
to burn', he was back in the top ten.
Now the first two albums he recorded for Epic, 'Memories
to Burn' (1985) and 'Starting New
Memories' (1986) have been made available on CD. Both were
co-produced by Gene Watson and Larry Booth and feature his then current
Farewell Party Band members augmented by top Nashville session players and
backing vocalists. Both albums are well within the mainstream of
Nashville's music. But Watson has the ability to transcend that
cloying sentimentality which so often seems to be endemic to country music.
The best known song to British country music fans on 'Memories
to Burn' is without doubt 'Carmen', a
hauntingly beautiful Mexican-flavoured tune with a sweeping, waltz-like
rhythm and agile Spanish guitar strumming. Over the years, this song
has become a staple for many of the country bands that tread the boards of
the British country music clubs, but none of those versions come close to
matching the Watson original.
At the last count, I had eight different versions of 'The
note', but the definitive one remains this one by Gene Watson.
Hearing it again after all these years, it's an instant reminder of the
depth, strength and power of his timeless voice - a stone country voice that
does justice to the lyric as pain turns to resignation.
Canadian Dallas Harms, who provided Gene with
'Paper Rosie', 'The
old man and his horn' and 'Mama
sold roses', contributed 'Get along little doggie', a more light-hearted
song, but it's the sad ballads of heartache, rejection and regret that are
Gene Watson's forte and this collection is full of them.
Gene had long been a big fan of
Marty Robbins. Early in his career, he
recorded a superb version of Marty's 'You gave
me a mountain' and the opening song of 'Starting New
Memories' is 'Completely out
of love', a more recent Robbins song. The fact Gene was able to
bring a new depth of meaning to this song speaks volumes about his talent.
Marty Robbins recorded 'You gave me a mountain'
& included the track on 'It's a
Sin' (Columbia Records, 1969).
Even more impressive is 'Bottle of tears',
possibly the most soulful and emotional performance I've ever heard by him.
He effects a personal influence on the Joe Allen
composition as he has done on previous albums.
Charlie
Craig & Keith Stegall
In addition to the tunes mentioned, I could not pass by his lyrical and
lilting interpretation of Keith Stegall and
Charlie Craig's 'Atlanta anymore',
his gently moody version of 'Take it
from me' of the sensitive 'Everything
I used to do'.
Gene Watson's sexy tenor remains one of country music's finest voices.
Today's country music needs to embrace this. Why? Because - unlike
Strait, McGraw, Jackson and Chesney - this is music of the soul, not the
wallet. A true musician does not care about how much money they make,
they want a gig and a guitar.
He compares himself to an old-fashioned doctor, who was always on call.
He and his Farewell Party Band pack up and go without much notice. 'We
work the year round, whenever people want us. We try to be there,
unless I get too tired or too beat up', he says.
A somewhat quietly spoken Texan, he is not one to roll off a list of his
achievements. He's never had ambitions to be a big superstar and he
gets quite embarrassed when his fans or peers pay
him compliments.
He is genuinely humbled that singers like
Vince Gill, Mark Chesnutt,
Alan Jackson and
Lee Ann Womack all cite him as a major
influence. 'It's a huge thing in my music career and to have someone
touched so strongly my my music makes me feel awfully good', he says.
'I'm thrilled and flattered for all the compliments I get from everybody but
I don't do compliments that well. But actually it's fun for me to sing
and it's really not that much effort. I sing from my heart and what I
do is invariably sing songs the way I feel them and hopefully the way they
turn out is good and I'm grateful for all the accolades'.
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories'
Hux Records HUX124 (2011)
Sleeve Notes
Alan Cackett of the UK's Maverick
Country Magazine
Hux thanks: Gene Watson, Sean Brady, Grant McLennan,
Alan Cackett &
Dave Barnes
This compilation © 2011 Hux Records Ltd
All tracks licensed courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited
Overview
The albums will be presented as a special 2-on-1 single CD set, complete with
comprehensive liner notes, the original artwork from the vinyl releases &
full track details.
The original 'Memories to
Burn'
album (Epic Records
BFE 40076,
1985)
was produced & mixed
by
Gene Watson & Larry Booth in 1985
at the Hilltop Studio in Nashville and the Recording
Engineer was Randy Best.
The original 'Starting
New Memories'
album (Epic
Records FE-40306,
1986)
was produced & mixed
by
Gene Watson & Larry Booth in 1986
at the Hilltop Studio in Nashville and the Recording
Engineer was Randy Best.
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories'
Hux Records HUX124 (2011)
1 'Memories to burn'
Written by Warren Robb & Dave Kirby
Published by BMI / ASCAP
Leona Williams
recorded 'Memories to burn' & included the track on 'Honorary Texan'
(Heart of Texas Records, 2003)
2 'The note'
Written by Buck Moore &
Michelle Ray
Published by Sixteen Stars Music / BMI
Tammy Wynette recorded
'The note'
& included the track on 'Next to You' (Epic Records, 1989)
Doug Supernaw recorded
'The note'
& included the track on 'You Still Got Me' (Giant Records, 1995)
Daryle Singletary recorded 'The note'
& included the track on 'Ain't it the
Truth' (Giant Records, 1998)
3 'Cold summer day in Georgia'
Written by D. Knutson & Arthur Leo 'Doodles' Owens
Published by BMI / ASCAP
'Cold summer day in Georgia' was included, for the first time on CD, on
'Ultimate Collection' (Universal/Hip-O Records, 2001)
'Cold summer day in Georgia' features backing vocals from
Leona Williams
(the
ex-wife of Merle Haggard), along
with exquisite guitar work from
Dave Kirby
Dave Kirby passed away on
Saturday 17 April 2004
- he was 63. Dave, a
native of Brady in Texas, where he was born on Sunday
10 July 1938, was a masterful
songwriter & had the privilege of having twenty four of his compositions
recorded by Gene Watson.
You can enjoy a celebration of Dave Kirby's life & country music
achievements courtesy of the
Heart of Texas Country Music Association.
4 'If I painted a picture'
Written by L. Williams & C. Browder
Published by BMI / ASCAP
5 'I want my rib back'
Written by
Keith Whitley & Fred Koller
Published by BMI
'I want my rib back'
was co-written by
Keith Whitley &
Fred Koller
& was recorded by
Keith in the early 1980s.
However, the track didn't see the light of day until after Keith Whitley's
death (Tuesday 9 May 1989). Keith's version of the song was included on 'Kentucky
Bluebird' (RCA Records, 1991).
Kenny Chesney recorded
'I want my rib back' & included the track on 'In My Wildest Dreams' (Capricorn Records, 1994)
Charlie Sizemore recorded 'I want my rib back' &
included the track on 'In My View' (Rebel Records, 1996)
6 'Carmen'
Written by
Steve Spurgin
Published by BMI
7 'Stranger in our house tonight'
Written by Dave Kirby
Published by ASCAP
8 'The New York
times'
Written by Obie Burnett McClinton
(Thursday
25 April 1940 -
Wednesday 25 September 1987)
Published by ASCAP
Obie Burnett McClinton, who was born on Thursday 25 April 1940 in Senatobia, Mississippi was a
black country music singer & songwriter, the second-youngest child born to
Reverend G. A. McClinton, a clergyman & farmer who owned his own 700-acre
ranch in Mississippi, not far from Memphis, Tennessee.
Obie listened to Hank Williams as a child thus sparking his initial interest
in country music & subconsciously shaping his singing style. After
high school, he ran away from home & headed for San Francisco.
However, he only reached Memphis; while there, in a Beale Street shop, he
bought his first guitar.
With his travel money gone, Obie returned home; he won a choir scholarship
to Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi where he sang in the acappella
choir. He graduated in 1966 after four years of study. Soon
after, he was drafted into the Army, but as this didn't please him, he
volunteered for the Air Force during December 1966.
While in the Armed Forces, he began winning service talent shows and, as a
result, he spent a lot of time entertaining & writing rhythm & blues &
songs; this led to a writing contract from Fame Publishing Company in Muscle
Shoals, Alabama. Obie remained in the services for four years & after
discharge, his original rhythm & blues songs became popular.
James Carr recorded 'Baby you got your mind messed up & 'A man needs a
woman', Clarence Carter released 'Why you can't measure' & the great Otis
Reading cut 'Keep your arms around me'. Although Obie tried to be an
rhythm & blues singer, he was not successful.
While he was in the Air Force, a friend had introduced him to a Charley
Pride album & this encouraged him to further his career. He wrote some
country songs & then made a demo tape. One day in a hotel, he met an
ex-deejay friend of his named Al Bell, who had since become a top executive
for Stax Records & Obie played him his demo tape of country songs.
The result of this chance meeting was a recording contract which was signed
on Tuesday 12 January 1971 & Obie became the first country music artist on
the Stax Country record label, Enterprise.
Obie achieved seven chart hits on the label between 1972 & 1975, of which
the most successful were 'Don't let the green grass fool you' ( which
reached the Top 40 in 1972) & 'My whole world is falling down (which reached
the Top 40 in 1973).
After Stax Records went out of business in 1975, Obie moved over to Mercury
Records in 1976 & enjoyed a chart single with 'It's so good lovin' you'.
For a number of years, Obie relied on his live work & in 1978 Epic Records
signed him & released 'Hello, this is Anna' & 'Natural love', both of which
achieved low chart positions.
In 1979, the song 'Soap' reached the Top 60. In 1980, Obie moved to
Sunbird Records & had a moderate hit with 'Not exactly free', on which he
was credited as 'The Chocolate Cowboy'.
George Jones recorded
Obie McClinton's
'Ol' George stopped drinkin' today' & included the track on
'Shine On' (Epic Records, 1983)
'Not exactly free' was Obie's last chart record
until 1984, when he had a Top 70 single, 'Honky tonk tan', which appeared on
the Moon Shine label.
In 1986, Obie became ill as a result of abdominal cancer; members of the
country music community including Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, Exile,
Tom T.
Hall, Ronnie McDowell, Buddy Killen, Ralph Emery, Billy Deaton,
Kathy Mattea, the Gatlin Brothers &
Waylon Jennings
rallied around & put on a star-studded benefit concert
to help to defray his medical expenses. 'The Chocolate Cowboy', as he
styled himself, was on an upward swing and he had just released a new TV
marketed album called The Only One, which Obie
considered his best album yet.
In 1987, Obie McClinton was once more back on Epic Records with a hit single, 'Turn
the music on', a track from his highly acclaimed 'The Only One' album (Epic Records, 1987),
which is considered by many to be his finest release.
Obie Burnett McClinton passed away on Wednesday 25 September 1987 after a
year-long battle with abdominal cancer; his death was announced on (The
Nashville Network) TNN's 'Nashville Now' show by Ralph Emery.
9 'Speak of the devil'
Written by J. Ewtah
Published by ASCAP
10 'Get along little doggie'
Written by Mark La Forme & Dallas Harms
Published by CAPAC/PRO-CAN
11 'Completely out of love'
Written by Marty Robbins
Published by BMI
12 'Almost like having you here'
Written by Dave Kirby & Warren Robb
Published by ASCAP / BMI
13 'Take it from me'
Written by 'Doc James' Shapiro
Published by BMI
14 'Sittin' on a gold mine'
Written by B. Moore
Published by BMI
15 'Bottle of tears'
Written by
Joe Allen, Jimmy Pasquale & D. Lay
Published by BMI / ASCAP
16 'Atlanta anymore'
Written by Charlie Craig &
Keith Stegall
Published by BMI
17 'Starting new memories today'
Written by Dave Kirby & Warren Robb
Published by ASCAP / BMI
18 'Everything I used to do'
Written by Ernie Rowell
Published by ASCAP
'Everything I used to do' was included on 'Ultimate Collection'
(Universal/Hip-O Records, 2001); this was the first time that
'Everything I used to do' was released on CD
19 'I saved your place'
Written by Steve Spurgin
Published by BMI
20 'Rollin' home'
Written by Keith Stegall &
Brent Mason
Published by BMI / ASCAP
'Memories to Burn &
Starting New Memories'
Hux Records HUX124 (2011)
Musician Credits
(on the original 'Memories
to Burn'
album,
Epic Records BFE 40076, 1985)
Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band
Bass: Tony Booth
Steel Guitar: Chris 'Tiny'
Olson
Lead Guitar: Daniel T. Rainwater
Lead & Rhythm Guitar: Norm Kastner
Rhythm Guitar: Dave Kirby
Piano: Joe Eddie Gough
Drums: Doug Boggs
Fiddle: Hubert 'Hoots' Hester
Background Vocals: Beckie Foster, Joy Gardner &
Leona Williams
Musician Credits
(on the original 'Starting
New Memories' album,
Epic Records FE-40306,
1986)
Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band
Bass: Tony Booth
Steel Guitar: Chris 'Tiny'
Olson
Lead Guitar: Danny Rainwater
Lead and Rhythm Guitar: Norm Kastner
Piano: Joe Eddie Gough
Drums: Doug Boggs
Fiddle: Hubert 'Hoot' Hester
Background Vocals: Beckie Foster, Joy Gardner, Ron Drake & Al Henson
Guitar: Dale Sellers, Jimmy Colvard, Dave Kirby &
Harold Bradley
Steel: Lloyd Green
Bass: Joe Allen
Drums: Buddy Harman & Kenny Malone
Piano: Hargus Pig Robbins
Fiddle: Buddy Spicher & Tommy Williams
Vocals: The Nashville Edition (Joe Babcock, Hurshel Wiginton, Dolores Edgin
& Wendy Suits)
'Love in the Hot Afternoon'
(Capitol Records, 1975) was released as a special
2-on-1 CD set,
along with 'Paper Rosie'
(Capitol Records, 1977), by
Hux Records (England)
on Tuesday 3 December 2002
'Because You Believed in Me'
(Capitol Records, 1976) was released as a special
2-on-1 CD set,
along with 'Beautiful
Country'
(Capitol Records, 1978), by
Hux Records (England)
on Monday 26 September 2005
'Reflections' (Capitol
Records, 1978) was released as a special
2-on-1 CD
set, along with
'Should I Come Home' (Capitol Records, 1979), by
Hux Records
(England) on
Monday 27 January
2009
