Gene Watson
{{short description|American country music singer (born 1943)}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Gene Watson
| image = Gene Watson 2007.jpg
| caption = Watson performing at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Gary Gene Watson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|10|11}}
| birth_place = Palestine, Texas, U.S.
| genre = Country
| occupation = Singer
| instrument = Vocals, guitar
| years_active = 1962–present
| label = Capitol, MCA, Epic, Warner Bros., Step One, Shanachie
| website = {{URL|genewatsonmusic.com}}
}}
File:Gene watson IMG 0679 Gene Watson.jpg, OnstageMagazineGroup]]
Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943){{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1993|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-726-6|page=436}} is an American country music singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," his 1981 number-one hit "Fourteen Carat Mind," and his signature 1979 song "Farewell Party." Watson's long career has included five number-one hits,Billboard, Cashbox, Radio & Records, Gavin and Music Row Music Charts 21 top tens, and 48 charted singles.
Biography
Watson was born in Palestine, Texas, United States.{{cite web |url=http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gene-watson/ |title=Gene Watson |work=Music City Roots |access-date=2016-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001609/http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gene-watson/ |archive-date=2017-02-02 |url-status=dead }} He was raised in Paris, Texas, but in 1963- he relocated to Houston. A street in Paris, Texas, is called Gene Watson Boulevard; it was named after the singer. He began his music career in the 1960s, performing in local clubs at night while working in a Houston auto body shop during the day. He recorded for only a few small, regional record labels having a regional hit "Bad Water", until 1975, when Capitol Records picked up his album Love in the Hot Afternoon and released it nationally. The title track, a mid-tempo ballad in three-quarter time, was released in June 1975, and it reached number three on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Watson's national success continued throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, as he recorded several Billboard top-40 hits, including "Where Love Begins", "Paper Rosie", "Should I Come Home (or Should I Go Crazy)", "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You", and "Farewell Party," which was released in 1979, and quickly became Watson's signature song, and the namesake of his Farewell Party Band.
In February 2012, Watson, celebrated his 50th year in the music business with the release of Best of the Best, 25 Greatest Hits. (His first single on radio was "If It Was That Easy", released in 1962). The collection of songs was re-recorded to recreate the originals as closely as possible. The project was produced by Dirk Johnson and released on Watson's own Fourteen Carat Music label. In June 2014, Watson released an 11-track CD, My Heroes Have Always Been Country,{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gene-watson-mn0000803757/biography|title=Gene Watson | Biography & History|website=AllMusic|access-date=August 11, 2021}} covering hits by some of his musical heroes, such as Merle Haggard, Ray Price, and Lefty Frizzell. On February 26, 2016, Watson released his 33rd studio album, titled, Real.Country.Music. The 13-track CD contained traditional country music and the first single release is "Enough for You", a song written by Kris Kristofferson. In 2018, Watson released a gospel music CD titled My Gospel Roots. The first single from the 13-track release, "Old Roman Soldier" hit number one on the Cashbox and Christian Servant Country Gospel charts in June 2018.
Watson was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002,{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcmhof.com/latest-inductees/13-inductees-2002|title=2002 - Texas Country Music Hall of Fame|website=Tcmhof.com|access-date=August 11, 2021}} and inducted into the inaugural class of the Houston Music Hall of Fame in August 2013. In 2018, Watson received the "Entertainer of the Year" Award from the R.O.P.E. Awards, an honor he shared with singer Jeannie Seely. It was the first time in the history of the awards that a tie occurred in any category.
Watson was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, by Vince Gill, on January 17, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://tasteofcountry.com/gene-watson-grand-ole-opry-invitation-vince-gill/|title=WATCH: Vince Gill Invites Gene Watson to Join the Grand Ole Opry|website=Tasteofcountry.com|date=18 January 2020 |access-date=August 11, 2021}}
The Farewell Party Band
{{BLP unsourced section|date=August 2021}}
The Farewell Party Band is his long-time backing band. They were named after his 1978 hit single "Farewell Party." Between 1982 and 1984, two studio albums were released credited to Gene Watson and the Farewell Party Band. The band backed Watson on one of his solo albums, and they released one studio album on their own. Several notable musicians were members of the Farewell Party Band, such as Tony Booth. While many other members have played with them since the 1980s, below is a timeline of just the members during their recorded output.
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:1200 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:0 right:0
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
Colors =
id:lead value:green legend:Lead_Guitar
id:steel value:teal legend:Steel_Guitar
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:gtr value:brightgreen legend:Guitar
id:tic value:darkblue legend:Tic_Tac_Bass
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1982
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1984
BarData =
bar:Larry text:"Larry Booth"
bar:Tiny text:"Chris ‘Tiny’ Olsen"
bar:Doug text:"Doug Boggs"
bar:Joe text:"Joe Eddie Gough"
bar:Daniel text:"Daniel Rainwater"
bar:Norm text:"Norm Castner"
bar:Tony text:"Tony Booth"
PlotData =
width:10
bar:Larry from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:bass
bar:Tiny from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:steel
bar:Doug from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:drums
bar:Joe from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:keys
bar:Daniel from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:lead
bar:Norm from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1984 color:gtr
bar:Tony from:01/01/1984 till:12/31/1984 color:tic
width:3
bar:Tony from:01/01/1984 till:12/31/1984 color:bass
}}
Discography
{{main|Gene Watson discography}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.genewatsonmusic.com Official Gene Watson website]
- [https://gene-watson.com Original Gene Watson Fan Site] - The Original Gene Watson Fan Site, as of October 2024, is 20 years online, and is recognized by Gene Watson & his management team at Lytle Management in Brentwood, TN.
{{Authority control}}
{{Gene Watson}}
{{Grand Ole Opry members}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Gene}}
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:People from Palestine, Texas
Category:Warner Records artists
Category:Capitol Records artists
Category:Step One Records artists