Gene Watson's Peers: Shawn Camp
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 2010 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
Shawn Camp, which he
submitted to this site on Friday 20 August 2010.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Shawn Camp who made a special
contribution to this unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star
Hero'.
Shawn Camp
This quote was submitted on Friday 20 August 2010
'I'm absolutely a fan of Gene Watson!
What an amazing voice. I think he is even getting better with age.
When it comes to singing, he's the best of the best. My favourite
record of his is 'Love in the hot
afternoon'.
Thank you,
Shawn Camp, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Shawn Camp...
Shawn Camp
was born Darrell DeShawn 'Shawn' Camp on Monday 29 August 1966 in
Perryville, Arkansas where he was raised by a musical family; Shawn Camp is an American musician who performs country music
& Americana music.
Shawn grew up surrounded by
music - everything from his mother's Elvis Presley collection to his father's Merle Haggard
records, to picking parties at his home to the sounds of living legends &
local heroes at the bluegrass festivals his family regularly visited.
Before he had finished high school, Shawn was playing for country dances
around his home & hitting festival stages around the American Midwest as a member
of bands with names like the Grand Prairie Boys and Freddie Sanders & Signal
Mountain.
Spotted by the Grand Ole Opry's Osborne Brothers at an Iowa festival when he
was twenty years old, Shawn Camp moved to Nashville in 1987 to play fiddle with the legendary
bluegrass act.
Over the next few years, Shawn lived the life of a sideman,
touring for short runs & long stretches alike with country stars and
newcomers, ranging from the Burch Sisters to Jerry Reed, Alan Jackson, Suzy Bogguss
& Trisha Yearwood.
Before long, Shawn became a prolific songwriter
too - thanks to a fortuitous encounter at Nashville's song-writing Mecca, the
Bluebird Café where he met songwriter Dean Miller.
In 1988, Shawn found himself in a session upstairs at the Cowboy Arms &
Recording Spa in Nashville with a band called Weary Hearts which included a
number of pickers destined for bluegrass stardom - Butch Baldassari, Ron
Block, Mike Bub & Chris Jones.
Shawn then struck up a friendship with a couple of Jack Clement's apprentice
engineers, David 'Ferg' Ferguson & Cousin Bob, and returned to work on some
demos of his own material over the next year or so.
Soon after, Jack Clement stumbled upon Shawn at John Prine's house as they
were rehearsing the Whole Damn Family, a loose 'band' of rotating players
featuring John Prine, Jim Rooney, David 'Ferg' Ferguson, Pat McLaughlin &
others who got together for an annual Christmas show.
In 1991, Shawn Camp was signed to Warner Reprise Records & saw the release
of 'Shawn Camp' (Warner Reprise Records, 1993). Shawn charted with two
minor Top 40 Billboard country music singles in 1993; 'Fallin' never felt so
good' & 'Confessin' my love' both reached No.39.
But mainstream country music success proved elusive, especially when work on
Shawn's second album ground to a halt over creative differences in 1994.
After a writing deal with Patrick Joseph Music & his stint with Warner
Reprise Records, Shawn signed with the publishing company, Forerunner, two
of whose owners were Jim Rooney & Jack Clement's long-time associate Allen
Reynolds, producer of Garth Brooks.
Staff at Forerunner included Pete Wasner (Vince Gill's piano player), George
Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt's guitar player), perennial bluegrass Grammy nominee
Tim O'Brien & Tony Arata, writer of Garth
Brooks' hit 'The dance'.
After Forerunner was sold to Universal Music Group, Shawn Camp became an in-demand co-writer
& sideman with the upper echelon of Nashville's
singer-songwriters.
Shawn Camp's first No.1 as a songwriter came in early 1998, when Garth
Brooks reached the top of the Billboard country music singles chart with
'Two Piña Coladas'. Later that same year, Brooks & Dunn also reached
No.1 with 'How long gone'.
Yet even as Shawn was scoring hits with the mainstream, he kept
close to his roots too, co-writing with friends like Guy Clark & Jim
Lauderdale, another
writer with a bluegrass background. The commercial success
of songs like 'How long gone', a No.1 for Brooks & Dunn in 1998 was matched
by critical acclaim for the likes of 'Forever ain't no trouble now', which
appeared on the 2002 Grammy Award winning Jim Lauderdale/Ralph Stanley collaboration,
'Lost in the Lonesome Pines'.
By the end of the 1990s, Shawn Camp grew intent on recording his songs in his
own voice & in 2001 he released 'Lucky Silver Dollar' (Skeeterbit Records,
2001) on his own label. Combining his own versions of songs like 'How
long gone' & 'Can't have one without the other' (previously recorded by Tracy Byrd) with
new material like 'Tune of the twenty dollar bill', the Mark Miller/Allen
Reynolds produced album earned rave reviews but gained very little radio
airplay.
Shawn continued, however, to focus on his song-writing until early
2003, when a spur-of-the-moment decision to record a couple of bluegrass
shows at a favourite hang-out resulted in 'Live at the Station Inn', which
was released
in 2004 on John Prine's Oh Boy! Records.
Shawn Camp's collaboration with Jim Lauderdale resulted in the
song 'Forever ain't no trouble now' being included on 'Lost in the Lonesome Pines'
(Dualtone Records, 2002), a 'Best Contemporary Bluegrass Album' Grammy Award
winner.
In 2002, Shawn Camp wrote a series of songs & toured as a duo with Guy Clark;
'Magnolia wind' & 'Soldier's joy, 1864', which were Camp/Clark co-writes,
were included on Guy Clark's 'The Dark' (Sugar Hill Records, 2002).
In 2004, Shawn Camp saw the release of an album of original bluegrass songs;
'Live at the
Station Inn' (Oh Boy! Records, 2004) was released on John Prine's Oh Boy! Records
label.
As
well as working as an opening act for John Prine, Shawn also played on his
albums,
including the 2006 Grammy Award winning 'Fair & Square' (Oh Boy! Records,
2006).
In
2006, Shawn Camp saw the release of 'Fireball' (Thirty Tigers Records,
2006), an album that revealed his strengths as a rootsy, yet modern country
music stylist & included songs which evoked memories of country music classics.
It was also in 2006 that Shawn was nominated as 'Songwriter of the Year' by
the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music (SPBM) & Billboard
ranked him No.10 on their 2006 list of 'Hot Country Songwriters'.
Following the release of 'Fireball' (Thirty Tigers Records, 2006), Shawn
Camp continued to write hit country songs that appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart,
including 'Would
you go with me' by Josh Turner (No.1, 2006) & 'Nobody but me'
by Blake Shelton (No.4, 2006).
Shawn Camp also co-wrote Josh Turner's 2007
single 'Firecracker' (No.1, 2007) & the George
Strait hit 'River of love' (No.1, 2009), which he performed with George Strait at the 2008 CMA
(Country Music Association) Awards show.
Shawn Camp has written (or co-written) an extraordinary catalogue of
exemplary country music material, as evidenced by the following list:
Mark Chesnutt
recorded Shawn Camp's 'This side of the door' (co-written with
Tim Mensy) & included the track on 'What
a Way To Live' (Decca Records,
1994)
Diamond Rio recorded Shawn Camp's 'You ain't in it' & included the track on
'Love A Little Stronger' (Arista Records, 1994)
Kenny Chesney recorded Shawn Camp's 'My poor old heart' (co-written with
Gary Harrison) & included the track on 'Me & You' (BNA Records, 1996)
Tracy Byrd recorded Shawn Camp's 'Cowgirl' (co-written with
Harley Allen) & included the track on 'Big
Love' (MCA Records, 1996)
Tracy Byrd recorded Shawn Camp's 'Walkin' the line' (co-written with Wynn
Varble & Randy Hardison) & included the track on 'I'm From The Country' (MCA
Records, 1998)
Tracy Byrd recorded Shawn Camp's 'Every time I do' (co-written with
Taylor Dunn) & included the track on 'I'm From The Country' (MCA
Records, 1998)
Garth Brooks recorded Shawn Camp's 'Two Pina coladas' (co-written with Sandy
Mason & Benita Hill) & included the track on 'Sevens' (Capitol Records,
1998); the track reached No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart
in 1998
Garth Brooks recorded Shawn Camp's 'I don't have to wonder' (co-written with
Taylor Dunn) & included the track on 'Sevens' (Capitol Records, 1998)
Brooks & Dunn recorded Shawn Camp's 'How long
gone' (co-written with John Scott Sherrill) & included the track on 'If You
See Her' (Arista Records, 1998); the track reached No.1 on the Billboard
country music singles chart in 1998
Randy Travis recorded Shawn Camp's 'A little bitty crack in her heart'
(co-written with Jim Rushing) & included the track on 'A Man Ain't Made of
Stone' (DreamWorks Records, 1999)
Gary Allan recorded Shawn Camp's 'Sorry' (co-written with Brice Long & Wynn
Varble) & included the track on 'Smoke Rings in the Dark' (MCA Records,
1999)
Gary Allan recorded Shawn Camp's 'Greenfields' (co-written with Frank Dycus)
& included the track on 'Smoke Rings in the Dark' (MCA Records, 1999)
Guy Clark recorded Shawn Camp's 'Sis Draper' (co-written with Guy Clark) &
included the track on 'Cold Dog Soup' (Sugar Hill Records, 1999)
Tracy Byrd recorded Shawn Camp's 'Can't have one without the other'
(co-written with Gary Scruggs) & included the track on 'It's About Time'
(RCA Records, 1999)
Tracy Byrd recorded Shawn Camp's 'Every time I do' (co-written with Taylor
Dunn) & included the track on 'It's About Time' (RCA Records, 1999)
Mark Chesnutt
recorded Shawn Camp's 'Fallin' never felt so good' (co-written with Will
Smith) & included the track on 'Lost in the Feeling' (MCA Records, 2000)
Mark Chesnutt
recorded Shawn Camp's 'Confessin' my love' (co-written with John Scott
Sherrill) & included the track on 'Lost in the Feeling' (MCA Records, 2000)
Mark Chesnutt
recorded Shawn Camp's 'It pays big money' (co-written with Randy Hardison &
Wynn Varble) & included the track on 'Lost in the Feeling' (MCA Records,
2000)
Wade Hayes recorded Shawn Camp's 'Goodbye is the wrong way to go'
(co-written with Will Smith) & included the track on 'Highways & Heartaches'
(Monument Records, 2000)
Wade Hayes recorded Shawn Camp's 'You just keep on' (co-written with Herb
McCullough & Taylor Dunn) & included the track on 'Highways & Heartaches'
(Monument Records, 2000)
Wade Hayes recorded Shawn Camp's 'I'm lonesome too' (co-written with Gary
Scruggs) & included the track on 'Highways & Heartaches' (Monument Records, 2000)
Brooks & Dunn recorded Shawn Camp's 'Lucky me, lonely you' (co-written with
Terry McBride & Ronnie Dunn) & included the track on 'Steers & Stripes' (Arista
Records, 2001)
Brooks & Dunn recorded Shawn Camp's 'Good girls go to heaven' (co-written
with Terry McBride & Ronnie Dunn) & included the track on 'Steers & Stripes'
(Arista Records, 2001)
George Strait recorded Shawn Camp's 'The middle of nowhere' (co-written with
John Scott Sherrill) & included the track on 'Road Less Travelled' (MCA
Records, 2001)
John Anderson recorded Shawn Camp's 'Baby's gone home to Mama' (co-written
with Herb McCullough) & included the track on 'Nobody's Got It All'
(Columbia Records, 2001)
Sammy Kershaw & Lorrie Morgan recorded Shawn
Camp's 'He drinks tequila' (co-written with Michele McCord) & included the
track on 'I Finally Found Someone' (BNA Records, 2001)
Garth Brooks recorded Shawn Camp's 'Big money' (co-written with Randy
Hardison & Wynn Varble) & included the track on 'Scarecrow' (Capitol
Records, 2001)
Joe Diffie recorded Shawn Camp's 'Hollow deep
as mine' & included the track on 'In Another World' (Monument Records, 2001)
Joe Diffie recorded Shawn Camp's 'The grandpa
that I know' & included the track on 'In Another World' (Monument Records,
2001)
Joe Diffie recorded Shawn Camp's 'The more you
drink, the better I look' & included the track on 'Tougher Than Nails'
(Records, 2002)
Jim Lauderdale recorded Shawn Camp's 'Redbird' & included the track on 'Lost
in the Lonesome Pines' (Dualtone Records, 2002)
Jim Lauderdale recorded Shawn Camp's 'Forever ain't no trouble now' &
included the track on 'Lost in the Lonesome Pines' (Dualtone Records, 2002)
Chris LeDoux recorded Shawn Camp's 'I would for you' & included the track on
'After The Storm' (Records, 2002)
Darryl Worley recorded Shawn Camp's 'Where you think you're going'
(co-written with Wynn Varble & Brice Long) & included the track on 'I Miss
My Friend' (DreamWorks Records, 2002)
Patty Loveless recorded Shawn Camp's 'The grandpa that I know'
(co-written with Tim Mensy) & included
the track on 'On Your Way Home' (Epic Records, 2003)
Blake Shelton recorded Shawn Camp's 'Nobody but me' (co-written with Philip
White) & included the track on 'Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill' (Warner Bros.
Records, 2004); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard country music
singles chart in 2004
Alan Jackson recorded Shawn Camp's 'Burnin' the honky tonks down' (co-written
with Billy Burnette) & included the track on 'What I Do' (Arista Records,
2004); the track featured background vocals from Richard Sterban of The Oak
Ridge Boys
Jack Clement recorded Shawn Camp's 'Off to join the world'
(co-written with Mark D. Sanders) & included the track on 'Guess Things
Happen That Way' (Dualtone Records, 2004)
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder recorded Shawn Camp's 'Sis Draper'
(co-written with Guy Clark) & included the track on 'Brand New Strings'
(Skaggs Family Records, 2004)
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder recorded Shawn Camp's 'Lonesome & dry asa
bone' (co-written with Lindsey & Tillis) & included the track on 'Brand New
Strings' (Skaggs Family Records, 2004)
Mark Chesnutt recorded Shawn Camp's 'Since
you ain't home' (co-written with Dale Dodson &
Ken Mellons) & included the track on 'Savin'
The Honky Tonks' (Vivaton Records, 2004)
Joe Diffie recorded Shawn Camp's 'The more you drink, the better I look'
(co-written with Joe Diffie) & included the track on 'Tougher Than Nails'
(Broken Bow Records, 2004)
Randy Travis recorded Shawn Camp's 'A place to hang my hat' (co-written with
Byron Hill & Brice Long) & included the track
on 'Passing Through' (Word/Warner Bros/Curb Records, 2005)
Randy Travis recorded Shawn Camp's 'My poor old heart' (co-written with Gary
Harrison) & included the track on 'Passing Through' (Word/Warner Bros/Curb
Records, 2005)
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'Would you go with me'
(co-written with John Scott Sherrill) & included the track on 'Your
Man' (MCA Records, 2006); the
track reached No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 2006 &
stayed at No.1 for two weeks
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'Baby's gone home to
Mama' (co-written with Herb McCullough) & included the track on 'Your
Man' (MCA Records, 2006)
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'No rush' (co-written with
Brice Long & Billy Burnette) & included the track on 'Your
Man' (MCA Records, 2006)
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'Loretta Lynn's
Lincoln' (co-written with Mark D. Sanders) & included the track on
'Your Man' (MCA Records, 2006)
Bradley Walker recorded Shawn Camp's 'Lost
at sea' (co-written with John Scott Sherrill) & included the track on
'Highway of Dreams' (Rounder Records, 2006)
Bradley Walker recorded Shawn Camp's 'We
know where he is' (co-written with Buddy Cannon)
& included the track on 'Highway of Dreams' (Rounder Records, 2006)
Porter Wagoner recorded Shawn Camp's 'A
place to hang my hat' (co-written with Byron Hill
& Brice Long) & included the track on 'Wagonmaster' (Anti Records, 2007)
Jim Lauderdale recorded Shawn Camp's 'Looking for a good place to land' &
included the track on 'The Bluegrass Diaries' (Yep Roc Records, 2007)
Gene Watson recorded Shawn Camp's 'Speakin' of the angel' (co-written with
Jim Rushing) & included the track on 'A
Taste of the Truth' (Shanachie Records,
2007)
Shawn Camp
originally recorded
'Speakin' of the angel'
& included the track on 'Shawn
Camp' (Warner Bros. Records/WEA
Records,
1993)
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'Firecracker'
(co-written with Pat McLaughlin & Josh Turner) & included the track on
'Everything is Fine' (MCA Records, 2007); the track
reached No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in mid-2007
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'So not my baby'
(co-written with Philips M. Lammonds) & included the track on
'Everything is Fine' (MCA Records, 2007)
Randy Travis recorded Shawn Camp's 'Til I'm dead & gone'
(co-written with John Scott Sherrill & Sarah Siskind) & included the track
on 'Around The Bend' (Warner Bros. Records, 2008)
George Strait recorded Shawn Camp's 'River of love'
(co-written with Billy Burnette & Dennis Morgan) & included the track on
'Troubadour' (MCA Records, 2008); the track reached No.1 on the
Billboard country music singles chart in early 2009
Joey + Rory recorded Shawn Camp's 'Tune of a
twenty dollar bill' (co-written with Mark D. Sanders) & included the track
on 'Life of a Song' (Vanguard Records, 2008)
Joe Nichols recorded Shawn Camp's 'Man woman'
(co-written with Marv Green) & included the track on 'Old Things New'
(Universal South Records, 2009)
John Anderson recorded Shawn Camp's 'Hawaia in Hawaii' (co-written with John
Anderson) & included the track on 'Bigger Hands' (Country Crossing Records,
2009)
John Anderson recorded Shawn Camp's 'Fade out' (co-written with John
Anderson) & included the track on 'Bigger Hands' (Country Crossing Records,
2009)
Dierks Bentley recorded Shawn Camp's 'Fallin' for you' (co-written
with Paul Kennerley) & included the track on 'Up On The Ridge' (Capitol Nashville Records, 2010)
Dierks Bentley recorded Shawn Camp's 'Fiddlin' around' (co-written
with John Scott Sherrill & Jeff Austin) & included the track on 'Up On The Ridge' (Capitol Nashville Records, 2010)
Josh Turner recorded Shawn Camp's 'Eye candy' (co-written
with Pat McLaughlin & Josh Turner)
& included the track on 'Haywire' (MCA Records, 2010)
Steff Nevers recorded Shawn Camp's 'Ain't no bad
life' & included the track on 'Ain't No Bad Life' (AGR Television Records,
2011)
Shawn Camp & Gene Watson at the BMI Event
to honour Hank Cochran in Nashville on Monday
19 June 2010
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