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 Watson's Peers, who were contacted during 2012, were most gracious with their time and words.
It is here, within this special part of The Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from Jon Vezner, which he submitted to this site on Monday 5 November 2012 / Tuesday 6 November 2012.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Jon Vezner who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.
Jon Vezner
This quote was submitted on Monday 5 November 2012 / Tuesday 6 November 2012.
'I wish I could help you more, but I never really had a lot of exposure to Gene.
I just know that he is a wonderful singer and artist.
I also want to say 'thank you' for, not only not forgetting, but respecting those more mature artists; it's a rare thing these days'.
Thank you, Jon Vezner, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Jon Vezner...
Jon Vezner, who is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, is based in Nashville and is a tunesmith of rare sensitivity and dry wit.
Jon Vezner's catalogue of recorded songs, topped by the poignant 'Where’ve You Been' (co-written with Don Henry), reflects his straight-to-the-heart sensibility and emotional awareness.
Jon Vezner weaves the particulars of his own feelings, with the lives of people he has known, into universal themes that deeply touch listeners’ emotions.
In 1990, Jon Vezner was honoured with a Grammy Award for 'Best Country Song' and The Nashville Songwriters Association 'Song of the Year' Award, for 'Where’ve You Been', the true story of Jon’s grandparents, which was co-written with Don Henry, and recorded by Kathy Mattea.
'Where’ve You Been' (written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry) was also honoured as 'Song of The Year' by the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM).
Jon Vezner was born on Wednesday 6 June 1951 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and began his musical career as lead singer and bassist in high school, going on to earn a B.A. degree in music education and music theory at Minnesota Southwest State University in the mid-1970s.
Jon Vezner’s preparation as a music educator was well earned, but songwriting was, and remains, his main interest, the next logical step in his career led him to Nashville in the 1980s.
In 1983, Jon Vezner attended his first Nashville Songwriter Association (NSAI) Spring Symposium, an intensive songwriting workshop.
By 1984, Jon Vezner began working with Ree Guyer of Wrensong Music, a music publishing company with offices in Minnesota and Nashville.
Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 - Thursday 31 March 2011) and Dave & Sugar were the first artists to record Jon Vezner's songs.
In 1984, Jon Vezner located Wrensong, a Song Publisher in Minnesota.
Jon Vezner made weekend trips to Nashville to attend seminars sponsored by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), but didn't consider moving there until Wrensong got a couple of his songs recorded by country music acts Dave & Sugar and Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 - Thursday 31 March 2011).
Wrensong set up offices on the ground floor of a house on Nashville's Music Row.
Living in the apartment upstairs was a former waitress and demo singer who had just begun her career as a recording artist: Kathy Mattea.
When Jon Vezner moved to Nashville in 1986, he and Kathy Mattea became friends and dated for a while. Friendship grew into love and they married on Valentine's Day (Sunday 14 February) in 1988.
Kathy Mattea at first resisted recording her husband's songs, but not because she didn't love them. The songs were powerfully emotional for her, but she didn't want people to think she was buoying up her husband's career through nepotism.
Jon Vezner's catalogue of recorded tunes extended to album cuts by Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap, a Billboard Top 20 single by Lorrie Morgan and a single by The Cannons, before Kathy Mattea finally overcame her resistance and recorded a couple of Jon's songs.
Kathy Mattea's gamble paid off with 'Where've You Been', a hit which lifted her career to new heights with a second consecutive CMA 'Female Vocalist Award', a Grammy Award for 'Best Female Country Performance' and sales to 'Gold' record levels.
'Where've You Been', which Jon Vezner co-wrote with fellow singer / songwriter Don Henry, told the true story of Jon Vezner's grandparents so powerfully that it earned 'Song of The Year' honours from both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) for 1990. The song was also honoured with a Grammy Award for 'Best Country Song' in 1990.
Jon Vezner was subsequently named 'Songwriter of The Year' by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). Other co-penned songs recorded by Kathy Mattea included 'A Few Good Things Remain', 'Time Passes By', 'Whole Lotta Holes', 'Who's Gonna Know' and 'All Roads To The River'.
At the time of the acquisition of this Gene Watson 'Peer's Quote', in November 2012, Jon Vezner was residing in Nashville and was writing for Warner-Chappell Music.
Jon Vezner has had various songs recorded by Janis Ian, John Mellencamp, Steve Wariner, McBride & The Ride (Terry McBride), Faith Hill and Victoria Shaw.
In 1998, Clay Walker's hit single 'Then What' (written by Jon Vezner and Randy Sharp) quickly moved up the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart to reach No.2 in April 1998.
It was also in 1998 when Diamond Rio recorded 'You're Gone' (written by Jon Vezner and Paul Williams), which reached No.4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart.
In Spring 1999, Paul Williams and Jon Vezner were asked by David Kelly (writer / producer of 'Ally McBeal', 'The Practice' and 'Picket Fences') to write the closing title song for the season finale of 'Ally McBeal'. The song, 'I Know Him By Heart', was beautifully sung by Vonda Sheppard.
Graduating with a B.A degree has also led to another labor of love for Jon Vezner, producing CD projects and earning a growing list of production credits with artists, including Danny O’Keefe, Victoria Shaw and singing legend Patti Page (Tuesday 8 November 1927 - Tuesday 1 January 2013).
Jon Vezner has seen the release of three highly acclaimed albums; 'Vezner & Songs' (Mini-Apples Music, 2003), 'We Remember' (Mini-Apples Music, 2007) and 'Catz of The Colosseum' (Mini-Apples Music, 2012).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1986
Reba McEntire recorded Jon Vezner's 'Why Not Tonight' (co-written with David Stringfellow and Nancy Montgomery) and included the track on 'What Am I Gonna Do About You' (MCA Records, 1986).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1987
Ronnie Milsap recorded Jon Vezner's 'This Time Last Year' (co-written with Tim Nichols) and included the track on 'Heart & Soul' (RCA Records, 1987).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1989
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Where've You Been' (co-written with Don Henry) and included the track on 'Willow In The Wind' (Mercury Records, 1989); the track reached No.10 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1989.
Lorrie Morgan recorded Jon Vezner's 'Trainwreck of Emotion' (co-written with Alan Rhody) and included the track on 'Let The Light On' (RCA Records, 1989); the track reached No.20 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1989.
Jon Vezner Songs: 1991
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Time Passes By' (co-written with Susan Longacre) and included the track on 'Time Passes By' (Mercury Records, 1991); the track reached No.7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1991.
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Whole Lotta Holes' (co-written with Don Henry) and included the track on 'Time Passes By' (Mercury Records, 1991); the track reached No.18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1991.
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'A Few Good Things Remain' (co-written with Pat Alger) and included the track on 'Time Passes By' (Mercury Records, 1991).
Kathy Mattea's 'Time Passes By' (Mercury Records, 1991), which was released on Tuesday 19 March 1991, was produced by Allen Reynolds, with the exception of 'From A Distance' (written by Julie Gold), a track which Kathy Mattea co-produced with Jon Vezner and Dougie MacLean.
Kathy Mattea's 'Time Passes By' (Mercury Records, 1991) also included 'Ready For The Storm', which was written by Dougie MacLean.
Jon Vezner Songs: 1992
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Slow Boat' (co-written with George Teren) and included the track on 'Lonesome Standard Time' (Mercury Records, 1992).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1993
Nanci Griffith recorded Jon Vezner's 'This Old Town' (co-written with Janis Ian) and included the track on 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' (Elektra Records, 1993).
Faith Hill recorded Jon Vezner's 'Just About Now' (co-written with Gary Burr) and included the track on 'Take Me As I Am' (Warner Bros. Records, 1993).
McBride & The Ride (Terry McBride) recorded Jon Vezner's 'Sweetwater' (co-written with Allen Shamblin) and included the track on 'Hurry Sundown' (MCA Records, 1993).
Steve Wariner recorded Jon Vezner's 'If I Didn't Love You' (co-written with Jack White) and included the track on 'Drive' (Arista Nashville Records, 1993); the track reached No.8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1993.
John Mellencamp recorded Jon Vezner's 'To The River' (a rock music version of 'All Roads To The River') (co-written with Janis Ian) and included the track on 'Human Wheels' (Mercury Records, 1993).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1994
John Wiggins & Audrey Wiggins recorded Jon Vezner's 'Has Anybody Seen Amy?' (co-written with Don Henry) and included the track on 'John & Audrey Wiggins' (Polygram Records, 1994).
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Who's Gonna Know' and included the track on 'Walking Away A Winner' (Mercury Records, 1994).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1995
Bill Miller recorded Jon Vezner's 'This Kind of Love' and included the track on 'Raven In The Snow' (Warner Bros. Records, 1995).
Victoria Shaw recorded Jon Vezner's 'Tears Dry' (co-written with Victoria Shaw) and included the track on 'In Full View' (Reprise Records, 1995).
Janis Ian recorded Jon Vezner's 'All Roads To The River' (co-written with Janis Ian) and included the track on 'Breaking Silence' (Morgan Creek Records, 1995).
Jon Vezner Songs: 1997
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'All Roads To The River' (co-written with Janis Ian) and included the track on 'Love Travels' (Mercury Records, 1997).
Clay Walker recorded Jon Vezner's 'Then What?' (co-written with Randy Sharp) and included the track on 'Rumor Has It' (Giant Records, 1997); the track reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in April 1998.
Jon Vezner Songs: 1998
Aaron Tippin recorded Jon Vezner's 'Sweetwater' (co-written with Allen Shamblin) and included the track on 'What This Country Needs' (Lyric Street Records, 1998).
Diamond Rio recorded Jon Vezner's 'You're Gone' (co-written with Paul Williams) and included the track on 'Unbelievable' (Arista Records, 1998); the track reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1998.
Vonda Shepard recorded Jon Vezner's 'I Know Him By Heart' and included the track on 'Heart & Soul: New Songs From Ally McBeal, featuring Vonda Shepard' (550 Music / Epic Records / SME Records, 1999).
Jon Vezner Songs: 2000
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'The Innocent Years' (co-written with Kathy Mattea and Sally Barris) and included the track on 'The Innocent Years' (MCA Records, 2000).
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Callin' Mt. Namy' (co-written with Kathy Mattea and Sally Barris) and included the track on 'The Innocent Years' (MCA Records, 2000).
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Trust Me' (co-written with Steve Wariner) and included the track on 'The Innocent Years' (MCA Records, 2000).
Jon Vezner Songs: 2002
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Ashes In The Wind' and included the track on 'Roses' (Narada Records, 2002).
Jon Vezner Songs: 2003
Martina McBride recorded Jon Vezner's 'Reluctant Daughter' (co-written with Sally Barris) and included the track on 'Martina' (RCA Nashville Records, 2003).
Jon Vezner Songs: 2005
Kathy Mattea recorded Jon Vezner's 'Give It Away' (co-written with Bob Halligan Jr. and Kathy Mattea) and included the track on 'Right Out of Nowhere' (Narada Records, 2005).
• Visit Jon Vezner's Official Site at jonvezner.com
• Kathy Mattea
