Gene Watson News

Read Archived News with regard to Gene Watson, his music & his career from July 2007...

July 2007:

Saturday 28

It is with deep sadness that the Gene Watson Fan Site reports the passing of legendary country music songwriter Lawton Williams.

Lawton, writer of 'Farewell party', passed away at The Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas at 2.00pm Central Time on Thursday 26 July 2007.

A native of Troy, Tennessee Lawton was stationed in Houston, Texas during World War II.  It was there that he learned how to write songs from Floyd Tillman.

A number of country music artists have recorded Lawton's songs; Bobby Helms ('Fraulein', No.1 in 1957), Hank Locklin ('Geisha girl', No.4 in 1958),  Bobby Bare ('Shame on me', No.18 in 1963) & Jim Reeves ('Senor Santa Claus', album track in 1963).



However, the song that Lawton Williams will be remembered most for is the exquisite 'Farewell party', a highly emotional suicide saga of unrequited love.  Little Jimmy Dickens was the first artist to record the track - it was the 'B' side of his 'Talking to the wall' single on Columbia Records in May 1961 (catalogue number: 4-42013), with Walter Haynes on steel guitar.



Johnny Bush was the next artist to record 'Farewell party' - he included the track on his 'Sound of a Heartache' album for Stop Records in 1967.



Waylon Jennings also recorded 'Farewell party' - he included the track on his 'Just to Satisfy You' album for RCA Victor Records in 1969.



Gene Watson was the fourth artist to record 'Farewell party' - he included the track on his 'Reflections' album on Capitol Records in 1978 and, when released as a single, the song reached No.5 on Billboard in 1979.

'Farewell party' would go on to become Gene Watson's signature tune & the name of his acclaimed touring band.

Gene Watson's version of 'Farewell party' is considered by many to be the definitive version of the song, with Lloyd Green playing the legendary steel guitar part - 'Farewell party' was the last track that Lloyd played steel guitar on for Gene, having played on his most of his Capitol recordings.  'Farewell party' should have been the foundation on which the recording session was based, but the track was apparently a last minute addition to the recording session.  Gene Watson also recorded 'Farewell party' in one take.



Fellow country stars Alan Jackson & Joe Nichols (both admirers of Gene Watson) have both honoured Gene with their tasteful renditions of 'Farewell party':  Alan Jackson recorded the song (with Paul Franklin on steel) for his tribute album 'Under the Influence' on Arista Records in 1999, while Joe Nichols included the track on his ‘Revelation’ album for Universal South Records in 2004.

Lawton Williams' last recording was on the Heart of Texas Records tribute to Floyd Tillman called 'The Influence' in 2004 - Lawton recorded his own song 'It just tears me up' with Floyd.

Lawton Williams' funeral service will take place on Monday 30 July 2007 at 2.00pm Central Time.

Visitation takes place on Sunday 29 July 2007 between 5.00pm & 7.00pm in the Lourel Land Funeral Chapel, 7100 Crowley Road, Fort Worth in Texas.

July 2007:

Friday 27

Today, the Gene Watson Site can exclusively reveal that Gene Watson's new single 'I buried our love' will ship to radio on Monday 20 August 2007.  Besides regular mailings, the single will also be included on the CDX Compilation which is received by many radio presenters around the world.

'I buried our love' is the featured promotional single from Gene Watson's new album - 'In a Perfect World' will be officially released by Shanachie Records on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

You can listen to 'I buried our love' here, courtesy of Shanachie Records:


'I buried our love'

July 2007:

Thursday 26

Today, Gene Watson took part in an interview with Mr. Jim Quinton, Music Director at radio station WPPL FM in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Gene Watson & his Farewell Party Band (Joe Eddie Gough, Staley Rogers, Corky Owens, Steve Anderson & Todd Hines) play The Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee, Georgia this Friday 27 July 2007 when new member Clinton Gregory makes his debut on fiddle, acoustic guitar & background vocals.

July 2007:

Thursday 26

Today, new Farewell Party Band member Clinton Gregory arrived in Texas to begin rehearsals with Gene Watson & the band.  Clinton will undertake fiddle, acoustic guitar & background vocal duties with the Farewell Party Band.

Clinton Gregory's first gig with Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band will be this Friday 27 July 2007 at The Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee, GA - you can visit their website here - Clinton will grace the stage with current Farewell Party Band members Joe Eddie Gough (piano), Staley Rogers (bass guitar), Corky Owens (steel guitar), Steve Anderson (guitar) & Todd Hines (drums). 

July 2007:

Thursday 26

Today, the Gene Watson Site has been granted permission to preview two (2) of the tracks on 'In a Perfect World', Gene Watson's new album on Shanachie Records, which will be officially released on Tuesday 25 September 2007.


'Don't you ever get tired of hurting me'


'I buried our love'

Enjoy!

July 2007:

Tuesday 24

Today, the Gene Watson Site can exclusively reveal that Gene Watson has hired a new band member - Clinton Gregory will commence fiddle, acoustic guitar & background vocal duties with the Farewell Party Band this weekend.

Clinton is not replacing anyone - he is simply becoming the latest member of Gene Watson's acclaimed touring group.  You can check out Clinton Gregory's website here.

Clinton Gregory's first gig with Gene Watson's Farewell Party Band will be this Friday 27 July 2007 at The Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee, GA - you can visit their website here - he will grace the stage with current Farewell Party Band members Joe Eddie Gough (piano), Staley Rogers (bass guitar), Corky Owens (steel guitar), Steve Anderson (guitar) & Todd Hines (drums). 

July 2007:

Sunday 22

Today, the Gene Watson Site can exclusively reveal the full track listing & full musician credits for 'In a Perfect World', Gene Watson's new Shanachie Records album.

Musician Credits
Acoustic Guitar: Bobby All & Brent Rowan
Drums: Shannon Forrest & John Gardner
Lead Guitar: Gregg Galbraith
Steel Guitar: Sonny Garrish
Piano: Hargus 'Pig' Robbins
Fiddle & Mandolin: Aubrey Haynie
Bass: David Smith
Harmony Vocals: Mark Chesnutt, Rhonda Vincent, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack & Connie Smith

'In a Perfect World' will be officially released by Shanachie Records on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Source
Monifa Brown, Shanachie Records, Newton, New Jersey

July 2007:

Saturday 21

Shanachie Records Press Release
Everybody's Favourite Country Singer Delivers
'In a Perfect World'

Gene Watson's New CD featuring guest vocals from fans Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols, Mark Chesnutt, Connie Smith & Rhonda Vincent

Ask any number of country artists (or any fan of real country music) who their favourite country singer is and there's a good chance they will name Gene Watson, arguably the greatest country singer of his generation.

Having scored a string of over 48 chart singles with 21 Top Ten hits & 5 No.1 hits since his mid-seventies chart debut, Gene Watson's name is synonymous with real country music.  His deeply-felt, expressive singing is akin to that of the great soul singers; it just so happens that his medium of expression is country music.

Gene's new CD, 'In a Perfect World', is destined to be one of the country music events of the year, as an impressive list of major talents who happened to be Gene Watson admirers stepped forward to take part in the recording: Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols, Mark Chesnutt, Connie Smith and Rhonda Vincent.

Producer/musician extraordinaire Brent Rowan took on the role of producer on 'In a Perfect World', as a labor of love.  'As plans for the album progressed', relates Gene, 'my manager John Lytle played some stuff for Brent Rowan and Brent said he wanted to produce it, which I never would have dreamed of.

Word started getting out about the recording and pretty soon we had a bunch of artists inquiring how they could be a part of it, first off Mark Chesnutt, who is my friend, Connie Smith, who has always been one of my favourite female artists and Vince Gill, 'what can you about Vince Gill?'

The caliber of people like Vince, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols and Rhonda Vincent is just tremendous.  My manager and Brent said it was because they admired me as an artist.  What a great feeling it is to hear that!  I can't even express it!'

'In a Perfect World' features a mix of new material and classic country songs, with the emphasis on new material in the classic country tradition.  Gene explains, 'I contacted some of the best writers in the business and we started to get some premium songs.  Tim Mensy, just about everyone in the traditional country field knows him; plus he's one of the finest singers and musicians around.  Skip Ewing, he's just fantastic.  I talked to Skip personally and Tim too about the songs'.

Gene Watson played a major role in selecting the material on the CD and all of the cover songs were hand-picked by him.  He reflects, ''Today I started loving you again' is a song that's been in my show for quite awhile.  I'm a huge Merle Haggard fan and I usually do one of his songs in my shows and people have always responded to 'Today I started loving you again''.

Other standouts on the album include 'This side of the door' which Gene performs with Mark Chesnutt and that was co-written by Tim Mensy & Shawn Camp.  Mark Chesnutt originally recorded the song in 1994 on his album 'What a Way to Live'.  Chesnutt shares the following, 'I have been a Gene Watson fan all my life  He is truly one of country music's best voices'.

Gene Watson also performs 'Together again', the Buck Owens song which was a hit for him in 1964 as well as for Emmylou Harris in 1976.  Gene is joined on this gem by Rhonda Vincent who shares, 'This is one of the greatest duets of my career.  His voice is awesome and exquisite!'.  Gene adds, 'Anybody who is anybody in the country field has performed it or recorded it.  The only thing I knew to do was to forget about all the great versions of the song I had heard and to just sing it the way I felt it'.

Gene's formula proves to be a success as throughout 'In a Perfect World' he renders heartfelt, personal and poignant versions that drive home his ability to bring out the best in any song.  'I was just blown away by the sounds we were getting in the studio', Gene says of his new CD, which was recorded live in the studio in order to capture the spontaneous magic of Gene's expressiveness as he worked with an A-list of Nashville session men.

He adds, 'Recording the old way is the only way I know.  The best way for me to capture the song is for me to be in the studio with the musicians and I inspire them and they inspire me.  I have always thrived using this means of recording'.

It is difficult to imagine the world of country music without the vast contribution that Gene Watson has made to it.  Between his major label debut on Capitol Records in 1975 and the present day, Gene has excelled with his traditional slant within country music.

Born one of seven children in Palestine, Texas on October 11 1943, Gene Watson has been singing virtually all his life.  However, working early on in the auto industry, which left Gene with a lifetime affinity for automobiles, Gene did not really consider a career in music for some time.

In the mid-7os, while on Capitol (who Gene recorded with until 1980), he enjoyed success with a string of national hits, 'Where love begins', 'Paper Rosie', 'Farewell party', 'Should I come home (or should I go crazy)' and 'Nothing sure looked good on you'.

Before signing with MCA in the '80s, Gene's single 'Any way you want me', from the soundtrack of the Clint Eastwood movie 'Any Which Way You Can', reached the Top 40 on the country charts.  Somewhere along the way, Clint Eastwood had heard the song as a demo recording by its writer L. Ofman, but he insisted that Gene should record the song.

Shortly after moving to MCA, Watson recorded 'Fourteen carat mind' which hit No.1.  A parade of Top Ten hits followed during the early '80s including 'Speak softly (you're talking to my heart)', 'You're out doing what I'm here doing without', 'Sometimes I get lucky', 'Drinkin' my way back home', 'Forever again' and 'Little by little'.

In 1985, Gene moved to Epic Records and returned to the Top 5 with the western swing-influenced 'Memories to Burn', which was also the title of his first album on the label.  Subsequent albums with Epic included 'Starting New Memories' in 1986 and 'Honky Tonk Crazy' in 1987.

The following year, Gene Watson made his Warner Bros. debut with 'Back in the Fire' which was followed by 'At Last'.  Leaving the label in 1991, Gene recorded the album 'In Other Words' which was initially released only in Canada on Gary Buck's label, Broadland International Records.  It was later released in the US in 1993.

The same year, Gene made his debut album for Step One Records, 'Uncharted Mind' and followed it with the albums 'The Good Ole Days', 'Jesus is All I Need' and 'A Way to Survive'.  A brief stint with the RMG (Row Music Group) Records label yielded the title 'From the Heart' which was followed by the recording 'Gene Watson...Sings' on Intersound Records in 2003.

gene Watson has persevered and survived throughout country music and the music business' many changes.  But one thing has remained constant, his raw talent, commitment to upholding country music's grand tradition, his passion and overwhelming emotion and honest approach to singing country music.

With the release of 'In a Perfect World' Gene Watson bears his soul, putting all his talents on the line and proving just why he has managed to stand the test of time.  The result is a testament to Gene's talents as the greatest country singer of his generation and a true soul singer who knows how to get right to the heart of the matter.

Street Date: September 25, 2007

For more information on Gene Watson, please call Monifa Brown (973) 579-7763 Ext 26 or

Source
Monifa Brown, Shanachie Records, Newton, New Jersey

July 2007:

Thursday 19

Today, following the dramatic bus fire on Friday 13 July 2007, Gene Watson was in Nashville & was informed that repairs had been carried out successfully on his tour bus - everything was, once again, in full working order.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Wednesday 18

Today, following the dramatic bus fire on Friday 13 July 2007, Gene Watson was in Nashville in order to check out the repairs being carried out on his tour bus.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Tuesday 17

Today, the Gene Watson Site can officially confirm that Gene will be a special guest on the Eddie Stubbs' radio show on WSM.  The show will be broadcast live from the Country Music Hall of Fame on Wednesday 12 September 2007 from 7-9pm (CST).

Gene will have copies of 'In a Perfect World', his new album on Shanachie Records, available for sale on that evening only (as a special event promotion), so if you live near the Nashville area, you may be able to purchase a CD before the official release date of Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 16

Today, The Gene Watson Site can exclusively reveal that Robert K. Oermann, 'the dean of Nashville's entertainment journalists', is working on a Gene Watson biography.

'In a Perfect World', Gene Watson's new album, will be officially released by Shanachie Records on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 16

Today, following the dramatic bus fire on Friday 13 July 2007, Gene Watson traveled to Nashville with the temporary bus to see if the repairs on his bus had been completed.

According to the members of the Farewell Party Band, Gene was the heroic one on Friday 13 July 2007 as he was right up amid the flames, dousing them with everything he could find on the bus.  Obviously, a grease fire couldn't be put out, but Gene did all he could to contain it, so that it wouldn't spread further.

The good news is that no one was hurt in the incident on Friday and Gene proved himself to be a Lone Star Hero - we all knew he was!

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Friday 13

Tonight, following dramatic events earlier in the day, Gene Watson & his acclaimed Farewell Party Band graced the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville at 9.30pm.  Considering the traumatic events earlier in the day, Gene did see the funny side of things when he performed 'Memories to Burn'.

Other artists who appeared on the Grand Ole Opry tonight included Chris Young, Jimmy Wayne, The Grascals, Little Jimmy Dickens, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press.

The legendary Connie Smith was also present at The Grand Ole Opry tonight.  Connie & Gene had an opportunity to talk & Gene told her how delighted he was that she sang on his new album.

If you were unable to listen via WSM 650AM or online, you will have an opportunity to listen (online) to an archived version of Gene's performance at a later date by accessing the Opry site.

A selection of photos of Gene at the Grand Ole Opry (on Friday 13 July 2007) were taken backstage by Sarah Brosmer of Lytle Management & will appear on the Gene Watson Site on Monday 16 July 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Friday 13

This is definitely a story for Friday the 13th!

Today, Gene Watson & his Farewell Party Band traveled from Houston in Texas to Nashville in Tennessee to perform on the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

However, their tour bus caught fire on the outskirts of Nashville.  The blaze ignited from a broken axle shaft spewing grease.  Gene's years as an auto mechanic stood him in good stead as he quickly went to work trying to extinguish the fire.

Sarah Brosmer, Gene's publicist, said that black smoke & flames had engulfed the back of the bus by the engine.  Gene & the band members kept the fire from spreading under the floorboard & fought the fire for thirty minutes until firefighters arrived.

Gene stated 'We used everything we had on the bus to douse the flames, from sodas to water bottles.  The firemen arriving on the scene still gave it a good shot, too.  When we say that we were smoldering hot in Nashville, we really mean it'.

No one was harmed, though Gene did singe his hair.  Gene & the Farewell Party Band rented another bus in order to continue their journey to the Grand Ole Opry appearance.  It is expected that it may take several days before Gene's regular bus is repaired.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Tuesday 10

Gene Watson will grace the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville at 9.30pm this Friday 13 July 2007.  Gene will perform two songs & will enjoy full backing from his acclaimed Farewell Party Band.

Also appearing on the night will be Chris Young, Jimmy Wayne & The Grascals.

Please check out the Opry site.  Please also check out the WSM 650 site for further information.  If you are unable to listen via WSM 650AM or online, you will have an opportunity to listen (online) to an archived version of Gene's performance at a later date.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 09

Today, The Gene Watson Site can exclusively reveal that there will be 6 special guest vocalists on 'In a Perfect World', Gene Watson's new album on Shanachie Records, which will be officially released on Tuesday 25 September 2007.




These special guest vocalists include Joe Nichols, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Chesnutt, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack & Connie Smith.

Rhonda Vincent & Gene Watson perform Buck Owens' 'Together again', which was a No.1 Billboard hit for Buck in 1964 & a No.1 Billboard hit (1 week) for Emmylou Harris in April 1976.

Mark Chesnutt joins Gene Watson on 'This side of the door' (co-written by Tim Mensy & Shawn Camp), a track originally recorded by Mark in 1994 & by Tim Mensy in 2002; Mark Chesnutt originally recorded the track & included it on his 'What a Way to Live' album for Decca Records in 1994, while Tim Mensy included it on his self-titled ('Tim Mensy') album for PJM Records in 2002.

Gene Watson's 'In a Perfect World' on Shanachie Records is anticipated to be one of the more important country music releases of 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 09

Today, the mastering of 'In a Perfect World', Gene Watson's new album on Shanachie Records, took place at Independent Mastering, 114 17th Avenue South, Nashville TN37203.

The mastering was undertaken by Eric Conn, Don Cobb & producer Brent Rowan.



Eric Conn
Eric opened Independent Mastering in Nashville in October 2001, having spent 4 hours at Georgetown (with Don Cobb), 3 years at Doug Sax's Sheffield Lab recording, 1 year at The Smithsonian & 1 year at The Airshow.

Eric also spent many years in recording & mastering at facilities in California, Colorado, Washington DC & Nashville.  He also spent two years repairing woodwind instruments, brass winds & orchestral string instruments.  Eric Conn holds a degree in music from The University of Massachusetts in Boston.

Don Cobb
Don Cobb has been a recoding & mixing engineer for artists such as Take Six, Quincy Jones & Waylon Jennings.  He has managed, edited & mastered at Denny Purcell's Georgetown Masters for eleven years.  Don Cobb is a multi-instrumentalist & can play mandolin, guitar & bass.

Gene Watson's 'In a Perfect World' will be officially released by Shanachie Records on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 09

Today, The Gene Watson Site received copies of 2 Promotional Flyers which have been produced in order to promote Gene's tour of Ireland (Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland) in October 2007.

Promotional Flyer 1
Promotional Flyer 2

Gene Watson & the Farewell Party Band will bring their distinctive brand of traditional country to 13 venues around Ireland including Killarney, Castlebar, Letterkenny, Limerick, Belfast, Cookstown, Enniskillen, Omagh, Armagh, Castleblayney, Coleraine, Ballymena, Dublin & Sligo.

In order to view the Promotional Flyers, which is in PDF format, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, you can download a free copy of the software here.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville
James McGarrity, JW Promos, Northern Ireland

July 2007:

Friday 06

Gene Watson will grace the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, in a weeks' time, on Friday 13 July 2007.  Also appearing on the night will be The Grascals & Chris Young.

Details of Gene's scheduled slot will be posted soon.  In the meantime, please check out the Opry site.

Please check out the WSM 650 site for further information.  If you are unable to listen via WSM 650AM or online, you will have an opportunity to listen (online) to an archived version of Gene's performance at a later date.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Tuesday 03

Today, Gene Watson was present in the Curb Studios in Nashville working on the mixing process of his new Shanachie Records release.

'In a Perfect World' will be officially launched on Tuesday 25 September 2007.  The Gene Watson Site will have 5 copies of the CD to giveaway in a special online competition commencing on Wednesday 1 August 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Monday 02

Today, Gene Watson was present in the Curb Studios in Nashville working on the mixing process of his new Shanachie Records release.

'In a Perfect World' will be officially launched on Tuesday 25 September 2007.  The Gene Watson Site will have 5 copies of the CD to giveaway in a special online competition commencing on Wednesday 1 August 2007.

Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Sunday 01

The Gene Watson Site will have 5 copies to give away of the new Gene Watson album, 'In a Perfect World', in a special online competition commencing in August 2007.

Thanks to Shanachie Records for donating 5 copies of Gene Watson's 'In A Perfect World'.  Check out the Shanachie Records website for information about their incredible roster of country music artists including David Ball & Daryle Singetary.

Gene Watson's 'In a Perfect World' will be officially released by Shanachie Records on Tuesday 25 September 2007.

Special Thanks
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville

July 2007:

Sunday 01

This photo of Gene Watson & Mark Chesnutt, which was taken on Thursday 7 June 2007, was published in the July 2007 issue of Country Music People in their 'News' section.

The photo caption read 'with Gene Watson cutting his new album for Shanachie Records in Nashville, Mark Chesnutt stopped by the studio last month to add his vocals to one of the tracks.  You can't get more country than that...'

The photo was credited to Sarah Brosmer at Lytle Management in Nashville.

'This side of the door', co-written by Tim Mensy & Shawn Camp, is the track that features a guest vocal from Mark Chesnutt.  The track was recorded on Thursday 7 June 2007.



'This side of the door' was originally recorded by Mark Chesnutt & was included on his 'What a Way to Live' album, which was released on Decca Records (Decca 11094) in 1994.

'This side of the door' was also recorded by Tim Mensy & was included on his self-titled ('Tim Mensy') album, which was released on PJM Records in 2002.

Gene Watson's debut album for Shanachie Records, which is slated for a September 2007 release, is anticipated to be one of the outstanding country music albums of the year.



Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville
The Official Mark Chesnutt Site

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