Grand Ole Opry: October 2006

The music of Gene Watson is part of the very constitution of country music.  It is in Gene Watson's country music recordings that the tradition of heartfelt, genuine country music is preserved for all time.



Gene Watson is a singer in country music's grand tradition & has the skill to give powerful vocal performances and draw all the emotion from his selected material effortlessly.  Gene has remained true to his Texas music roots for the best part of 30 years & is a standard bearer for honest, traditional country music.

Gene Watson's 'Beautiful Country' speaks for itself.  It is a music of the people, for the people and ultimately by one of the people.  His music is part of the very constitution of country music.

It is here that we celebrate Gene Watson's appearance on the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on the night of Tuesday 10 October 2006.



The Farewell Party Band (Kenneth 'Corky' Owens on steel guitar, Todd Hines on drums, Rick Hawthorne on rhythm guitar, Staley Rogers on bass guitar & Joe Eddie Gough on piano) also graced the stage & supported Gene in their exemplary & professional manner.

Gene Watson sang three songs on his segment of Tuesday night's Grand Ole Opry performance; 'I don't need a thing at all', 'Carmen' & 'You gave me a mountain'.



'I don't need a thing at all' was originally included on the 'Beautiful Country' album for Capitol Records in 1977, 'Carmen' was originally included on the 'Memories to Burn' album for Epic Records in 1985, while 'You gave me a mountain' was originally included on the 'Paper Rosie' album for Capitol Records in 1977.

Two important & vital members of the country music community (Corey Frizzell & Joe Nichols) made a point of meeting up with Gene Watson backstage at The Grand Ole Opry on the night of Tuesday 10 October 2006.

Corey Frizzell
When you hear the name Frizzell, you immediately think of music.  However, a certain member of the Frizzell family has taken a different road other than music.  Corey is the son of Allen Frizzell & the nephew of David Frizzell & Lefty Frizzell (RIP).  Lefty passed away in July 1975.

Corey is a phenomenal artist; his passion for art began with cartoons & then moved into comic book art.  Corey then developed into a portrait artist, all of his drawings are custom done from photographs with pencil.  Corey has created portraits for such great country artists as George Jones, Mark Chesnutt, Craig Morgan, Keith Whitley (RIP) & Loretta Lynn.

Corey Frizzell's first solo art exhibition, 'Roots', showcased his artistic talents while paying homage to his country music heritage & was held at The Renaissance Center, 855 Highway 46 South, Dickson, Tennessee (some 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172).  The exhibition ran for six weeks from 2 June to 15 July 2006.

Corey produced a special portrait of Gene Watson from a personal photograph that Corey received from Gene.  With the assistance of Sarah Brosmer, Gene's Day-to-Day Manager at Lytle Management in Nashville, plans were made for Corey to make a special presentation of the portrait to Gene.

This special event (as pictured) took place backstage at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on the night of Tuesday 10 October 2006, following Gene's performance on its hallowed stage with his Farewell Party Band.

 
This shot of Gene Watson & Corey Frizzell was taken backstage at The Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

Corey Frizzell graciously provided a quote about Gene Watson (for the 'Gene's Peers' section of the Gene Watson Site) on Wednesday 16 August 2006 & you can read it here.

Joe Nichols
A native of Rogers, Arkansas where he was born in November 1976, Joe Nichols grew up surrounded by the sound of traditional country music.  Joe was particularly drawn to the classic honky tonk sounds of Gene Watson, who he regards as his ultimate country music hero.

On Friday 21 July 2006, the entertainment editor of Maxim Magazine invited Joe to pose in a fashion spread for the publication.  The theme of the fashion shoot was 'New Artists & their Heroes'.  Joe has been a fan of Gene Watson all his life & to get the opportunity to meet a man who had influenced his music so much was one that was too good to be missed.

Joe invited Gene to come to Nashville & be a part of Maxim Magazine's 'Fashion, Country Style' feature.  According to Joe after the photo shoot, Gene was everything he thought he would be; a real gentleman & lots of fun to spend the afternoon with.

Joe Nichols & Gene Watson took over Lawrence Record Shop on Nashville's Lower Broadway & between signing autographs, put their best fashion foot forward for the magazine, the results can be seen in the August 2006 issue of Maxim Magazine.

On the night of Tuesday 10 October 2006, Joe Nichols performed his set of songs immediately after his hero Gene Watson. When Joe performed his No.1 hit 'Brokenheartsville' (a track included on Joe's debut album 'A Man with a Memory' from 2002), Gene was standing in the wings & was noted singing along to the track.

This shot of Gene Watson & Joe Nichols was taken backstage at The Grand Ole Opry, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

Joe Nichols graciously provided a quote about Gene Watson (for the 'Gene's Peers' section of the Gene Watson Site) on Wednesday 23 August 2006 & you can read it here.

Joe Nichols is such a devotee of Gene Watson that he has recorded two of Gene's classic songs.



Joe recorded 'Farewell party' & included the track on his 'Revelation' album, which was released on Universal South Records in 2004.  The original version of 'Farewell party' was recorded by Gene Watson & included on the 'Reflections' album, which was released on Capitol Records in 1978.

Joe Nichols also recorded Gene Watson's 'Should I come home (or should I go crazy)' & included the track on his 'Joe Nichols III' album, which was released on Universal South Records in 2005.  The original version of 'Should I come home (or should I go crazy)' was recorded by Gene Watson & was included on the 'Should I Come Home' album, which was released on Capitol Records in 1979.

This shot of Corey Frizzell & Joe Nichols with Gene Watson was taken backstage at The Grand Ole Opry, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

Gene Watson & the Farewell Party Band
The Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Tuesday 10 October 2006

Photos Source
Sarah Brosmer, Lytle Management, Nashville, Tennessee
Corey Frizzell