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 by The Gene Watson Fan Site, during 2006, 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 Al Perkins, which he submitted to this site on Thursday 3 August 2006.

Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Al Perkins, who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.





Al Perkins
This quote was submitted on Thursday 3 August 2006.

'I don't really know a lot about Gene Watson.

I hear good things about him and his traditional style.

I did hear him briefly at a festival in Holland a couple of years back when I was there with Chris Hillman.

Gene's whole band sounded good at the time'

Thank you, Al Perkins, for your support of Gene Watson.



About Al Perkins...



Al Perkins, a legend of popular music, was born on Tuesday 18 January 1944 in Odessa, Texas and learned to play Hawaiian steel guitar at the age of nine.

Playing in West Texas bands throughout the 1960s, it wasn't until his release from the United States Army Reserves in the early 1970s that Al Perkins' musical career took off with California country rockers Shiloh.



Al Perkins found himself hired to play in the new incarnation of The Flying Burrito Brothers and recorded the seminal live album 'The Last of The Red Hot Burritos' (A&M Records, 1972).  The band split up, and Al Perkins, along with former Byrd Chris Hillman joined Manassas.

Led by Stephen Stills, Manassas were one of the most talented units in music at the time and were equally at home with Latin jams, rock music, blues, country music, folk music and bluegrass.

With the release of a second album, Stephen Stills was drawn more towards his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash, so Al Perkins and Chris Hillman found themselves joining up with Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield and Poco founding member) and John David Souther in The Souther Hillman Furay Band.

In the mid-1970s, Al Perkins moved into producing records, but did tour with Michael Nesmith (Wednesday 30 December 1942 - Friday 10 December 2021) and Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman.



Al Perkins managed to also continue working as a session player and found himself contributing to many of the notable albums of the time, including The Eagles' 'On The Border' (Asylum Records, 1974); Al Perkins played pedal steel guitar on the track 'Ol' '55' (written by Tom Waits), which featured lead vocals by Glenn Frey (Saturday 6 November 1948 - Tuesday 19 January 2016) and Don Henley.

 

Al Perkins played on the two solo albums of Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973), 'GP' (Reprise Records, 1973) and 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974).



'GP' (Reprise Records, 1973) was Gram Parsons' debut solo album, which was originally released in a gatefold sleeve in 1973, received critical acclaim upon release, but it failed to reach the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart; the album included the following tracks:

'Still Feeling Blue', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)
'We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning', which was written by Joyce Ann Allsup (1939 - Sunday 15 May 2016)
'A Song For You', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)
'Streets of Baltimore', which was written by Tompall Glaser (Sunday 3 September 1933 - Tuesday 13 August 2013) and Harlan Howard (Thursday 8 September 1927 - Sunday 3 March 2002)
'She', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Chris Ethridge
'That's All It Took', which was written by Darrell Edwards, Charlotte Grier and George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 - Friday 26 April 2013)
'The New Soft Shoe', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)
'Kiss The Children', which was written by Ric Grech (Friday 1 November 1946 - Saturday 17 March 1990)
'Cry One More Time' (written by Peter Wolf and Seth Justman)
'How Much I've Lied', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) and David Rivkin
'Big Mouth Blues', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)

Personnel involved in the recording of Gram Parsons' 'GP' (Reprise Records, 1973) included the following:

Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) (vocals, acoustic guitar)
Emmylou Harris (vocals)
Barry Tashian (vocals, rhythm guitar)
Ric Grech (Friday 1 November 1946 - Saturday 17 March 1990) (bass guitar)
John Conrad (bass)
Ronnie Tutt and John Guerin (drums)
Sam Goldstein (drums)
Glen D. Hardin (piano, organ, bandleader)
James Burton (electric guitar, Dobro)
Al Perkins and Buddy Emmons (Wednesday 27 January 1937 - Wednesday 29 July 2015) (pedal steel guitar)
Byron Berline (fiddle)
Alan Munde (banjo on 'Still Feeling Blue')
Ron Hicklin, Tom Bahler, Mitch Gordon and Lewis Morford (backing vocals on 'Kiss The Children')
Hal Battiste (baritone saxophone on 'Cry One More Time')



Gram Parsons' 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974) was his second solo album, which was compiled from Summer 1973 recording sessions and was released four months after his death (from a heroin and alcohol overdose), which occurred in September 1973.

Gram Parsons' 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974) received great critical acclaim upon its release, but failed to find commercial success, a fate shared with Gram's previous efforts solo and with The Flying Burrito Brothers; the album peaked at No.195 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.

Gram Parsons' 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974) included the following tracks:

'Return of The Grievous Angel', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)
'Hearts On Fire' (written by Walter Egan and Tom Guidera)
'I Can't Dance', which was written by Tom T. Hall (Monday 25 May 1936 - Friday 20 August 2021)
'Brass Buttons', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)
'$1000 Wedding', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973)

Medley Live from Northern Quebec:
(a) 'Cash On The Barrelhead', which was written by Charlie Louvin (Thursday 7 July 1927 - Wednesday 26 January 2011) and Ira Louvin (Monday 21 April 1924 - Sunday 20 June 1965)
(b) 'Hickory Wind', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Bob Buchanon

'Love Hurts', which was written by Boudleaux Bryant (Friday 13 February 1920 - Thursday 25 June 1987)
'Ooh, Las Vegas', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Ric Grech (Friday 1 November 1946 - Saturday 17 March 1990)
'In My Hour of Darkness', which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Emmylou Harris

Personnel involved in the recording of Gram Parsons' 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974) included the following:

Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 - Wednesday 19 September 1973) (lead vocals, acoustic guitar)
Emmylou Harris (vocals on all songs, except 'Brass Buttons')
Glen D. Hardin (piano, electric piano on 'Brass Buttons')
James Burton (electric lead guitar)
Emory Gordy Jr. (bass)
Ronnie Tutt (drums)
Herb Pedersen (acoustic rhythm guitar, electric rhythm guitar on 'I Can't Dance')
Al Perkins (pedal steel guitar)

Guest musicians involved in the recording of Gram Parsons' 'Grievous Angel' (Reprise Records, 1974) included the following:

Bernie Leadon (acoustic guitar on 'Return of The Grievous Angel', electric lead guitar on 'Hearts On Fire', Dobro on 'In My Hour of Darkness')
Byron Berline (fiddle on 'Return of The Grievous Angel', 'Medley Live From Northern Quebec' & 'In My Hour of Darkness', mandolin on 'Medley'
N.D. Smart (drums on 'Hearts On Fire' and 'In My Hour of Darkness')
Steve Snyder (vibes on 'Medley Live From Northern Quebec')
Linda Ronstadt (harmony vocal on 'In My Hour of Darkness')
Kim Fowley (Friday 21 July 1939 - Thursday 15 January 2015), Phil Kaufman, Ed Tickner, Jane & Jon Doe (background blah-blah on 'Medley Live From Northern Quebec')



Michael Nesmith (Wednesday 30 December 1942 - Friday 10 December 2021) recorded Al Perkins' 'Capsule', which was co-written with Michael Nesmith, David Mackay, Paul Leim, John A. Hobbs (Saturday 11 February 1928 - Wednesday 12 June 2019) and Lenny Castro, and included the track on 'Infinite Rider On The Big Dogma' (The Pacific Arts Corporation Inc., 1979); Al Perkins also played lead guitar and slide guitar on the album.

In the 1980s, Al Perkins continued his production work.

Al Perkins also toured with Chris Hillman as a duo, which later developed into The Desert Rose Band, before joining Dolly Parton in 1986, touring and recording with her for several years before moving to Nashville.



In 1987, Al Perkins played steel guitar on four tracks, 'Several Hearts', 'Cheap Motels', 'If You Count Goodbye' and 'Comin' Back', all of which were included on Bobby Durham's debut album, 'Where I Grew Up' (United States: Hightone Records, 1987 / England: Demon Records, 1987).

It was in the early 1990s, while Al Perkins was in Nashville, that he reunited with Emmylou Harris on a new project, The Nash Ramblers; Al Perkins had previously worked with Emmylou Harris.



For ‘Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers: Live At The Ryman’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1992), Emmylou Harris and her band, obviously inspired by the history of the famous auditorium, responded by putting together a stunning 'live' set spanning the history of country music; the album won a Grammy Award in 1992.

Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers' 'Live At The Ryman’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1992), which was released on Friday 10 January 1992, was a 'live' album by Emmylou Harris and her then-newly formed acoustic backing band, The Nash Ramblers, which was recorded at the one-time home of The Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, between Tuesday 30 April 1991 and Thursday 2 May 1991.

The Nash Ramblers included the following musicians:

Sam Bush (fiddle, mandolin, vocals)
Roy Huskey Jr. (Monday 17 December 1956 - Saturday 6 September 1997) (double bass, vocals)
Larry Atamanuik (drums)
Al Perkins (banjo, guitar, resonator guitar, vocals)
John Randall Stewart (guitar, mandolin, vocals)

Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers' 'Live At The Ryman’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1992) included the following tracks:

'Guitar Town' (written by Steve Earle)
'Half As Much', which was written by Curley Williams (Wednesday 3 June 1914 - Saturday 5 September 1970)
'Cattle Call', which was written by Tex Owens (15 June 1892 - Sunday 9 September 1962)
'Guess Things Happen That Way', which was written by 'Cowboy' Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 - Thursday 8 August 2013)
'Hard Times', which was written by Stephen Foster (4 July 1826 - 13 January 1864)
'Mansion On The Hill' (written by Bruce Springsteen)
'Scotland', which was written by Bill Monroe (Wednesday 13 September 1911 - Monday 9 September 1996)
'Montana Cowgirl' (written by Ray Park)
'Like Strangers', which was written by Boudleaux Bryant (Friday 13 February 1920 - Thursday 25 June 1987)
'Lodi' (written by John Fogerty)
'Calling My Children Home', which was written by Doyle Lawson, Charles Waller (Saturday 19 January 1935 - Wednesday 18 August 2004) and Robert Yates
'If I Could Be There', which was written by Kieran Kane and Jamie O'Hara (Friday 18 August 1950 - Thursday 7 January 2021)
'Walls of Time', which was written by Bill Monroe (Wednesday 13 September 1911 - Monday 9 September 1996) and Peter Rowan
'Get Up John', which was written by Bill Monroe (Wednesday 13 September 1911 - Monday 9 September 1996), Marty Stuart and Jerry Sullivan
'It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go', which was written by Nanci Caroline Griffith (Monday 6 July 1953 - Friday 13 August 2021) / 'Abraham, Martin & John' (written by Richard Holler)
'Smoke Along the Track' (written by Alan Rose)

Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers' 'Live At The Ryman’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1992) reached No.32 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1992; a companion video recording of the concert was released on VHS.

In 2001, The Gibson Guitar Company called Al Perkins 'the world's most influential Dobro player', and began producing an 'Al Perkins Signature' Dobro, in 2001, which was designed and autographed by Al Perkins.

Al Perkins continued to tour and record and is well known for his work with Kevin Montgomery.

Al Perkins has played and toured with a diverse group of artists, including Bob Dylan, Cher, Rita Coolidge, Dan Fogelberg (Monday 13 August 1951 - Sunday 16 December 2007) and Dwight Yoakam, and has also found time to appear with his long-time associate, Chris Hillman, and with veteran country music singer Michael Martin Murphey.

Today, in 2006, Al Perkins is equally at home in the recording studio, adding his timeless pedal steel guitar sound to albums by a number of distinctive artists, including Julie Roberts, as he is adding lap steel guitar to the dynamic live appearances of Kevin Montgomery, or complementing Chris Hillman's traditional bluegrass sound with his signature Dobro playing.

• Visit Al Perkins' official site at alperkinsmusic.com