Gene Watson

Gene Watson

Watson performing at the Grand Ole Opry in 2007
Background information
Birth name Gary Gene Watson
Born (1943-10-11) October 11, 1943
Origin Palestine, Texas, United States
Genres Country music
Occupation(s) Singer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1970spresent
Labels Resco, Capitol, MCA, Epic, Warner Bros., Broadland, Step One Shanachie Records Fourteen Carat Records
Website www.genewatsonmusic.com

Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943) is an American country singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit "Love in the Hot Afternoon," his 1981 #1 hit "Fourteen Carat Mind," and his signature song "Farewell Party." Watson's long career has notched six number ones,[1] 23 top tens and over 75 charted singles.

Biography

Watson was born in Palestine, Texas, in 1943.[2] 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 1974, 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 quickly reached Number three on the Billboard magazine 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 Go 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 very first single on radio "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 eleven track CD "My Heroes Have Always Been Country," all pure, classic country music, covering hits by some of his musical heroes such as Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Lefty Frizzell. On February 26, 2016 Gene Watson released his 33rd studio album titled "Real.Country.Music." This 13-track CD contains traditional country music and the first single release is "Enough For You", a song written by Kris Kristofferson.

Gene Watson was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002 and inducted into the inaugural class of the Houston Music Hall of Fame in August 2013.

Discography

Albums

Year Album Chart Positions Label
US Country
[3]
CAN Country
1974 Gene Watson Wide World
1975 Love in the Hot Afternoon 5 Capitol
1976 Because You Believed in Me 24
1977 Paper Rosie 22
Beautiful Country 32
1978 The Best 29 12
Reflections 23 14
1979 Should I Come Home 16
1980 No One Will Ever Know 45
1981 The Best 2
Between This Time and the Next Time 38 MCA
Old Loves Never Die 57
1982 This Dream's on Me 27
1983 Sometimes I Get Lucky 16
Little By Little 34
1984 Heartaches and Love and Stuff 21
1985 Greatest Hits
Memories to Burn 35 Epic
1986 Starting New Memories 49
1987 Honky Tonk Crazy 54
1989 Back in the Fire 42 Warner Bros.
1990 At Last 74
1992 In Other Words Broadland
1993 Uncharted Mind Step One
1996 The Good Ole Days
1997 Jesus Is All I Need
A Way to Survive
2001 From the Heart Row Music Group
2003 Sings Compendia
2004 Gospel Side
2005 Then and Now Koch
2007 In a Perfect World Shanachie
2009 A Taste of the Truth
2011 Your Money and My Good Looks
(with Rhonda Vincent)
56 Upper Management
2012 Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits 64 Fourteen Carat Music
2014 My Heroes Have Always Been Country 48
2016 Real Country Music

Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country
[3]
CAN Country
1975 "Bad Water" 87 Love in the Hot Afternoon
"Love in the Hot Afternoon" 3 3
"Where Love Begins" 5 4
1976 "You Could Know as Much About a Stranger" 10 42
"Because You Believed in Me" 20 Because You Believed in Me
"Her Body Couldn't Keep You (Off My Mind)" 52
1977 "Paper Rosie" 3 1 Paper Rosie
"The Old Man and His Horn" 11 9 Beautiful Country
1978 "I Don't Need a Thing at All" 8 4
"Cowboys Don't Get Lucky All the Time" 11 14
"One Sided Conversation" 8 6 Reflections
1979 "Farewell Party" 5 9
"Pick the Wildwood Flower" 5 2
"Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)" 3 6 Should I Come Home
1980 "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You" 4 3
"Bedroom Ballad" 18 43
"Raisin' Cane in Texas" 15 53 No One Will Ever Know
"No One Will Ever Know" 13 22
1981 "Any Way You Want Me" 33 Any Which Way You Can (soundtrack)
"Between This Time and the Next Time" 17 8 Between This Time and the Next Time
"Maybe I Should Have Been Listening" 23 12
"Fourteen Carat Mind" 1 5 Old Loves Never Die
1982 "Speak Softly (You're Talking to My Heart)" 9 4
"This Dream's on Me" 8 11 This Dream's on Me
"What She Don't Know Won't Hurt Her" 5 3
1983 "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without" 2 5 Sometimes I Get Lucky
"Sometimes I Get Lucky and Forget" 9 6
"Drinkin' My Way Back Home" 10 8 Little By Little
1984 "Forever Again" 10 18
"Little by Little" 33 21
"Got No Reason Now for Goin' Home" 7 15 Heartaches and Love and Stuff
1985 "One Hell of a Heartache" 43 38
"Cold Summer Day in Georgia" 24 22 Memories to Burn
"Memories to Burn" 5 2
1986 "Carmen" 32 27
"Bottle of Tears" 50 40 Starting New Memories
"Everything I Used to Do" 29 27
1987 "Honky Tonk Crazy" 43 30 Honky Tonk Crazy
"Everybody Needs a Hero" 28 46
1988 "Don't Waste It on the Blues" 5 * Back in the Fire
1989 "Back in the Fire" 20 24
"The Jukebox Played Along" 24 40
"The Great Divide" 41
1991 "At Last" 61 59 At Last
"You Can't Take It with You When You Go" 67 56
1993 "One and One and One" 66 92 In Other Words
1997 "Change Her Mind" 44 90 The Good Ole Days
"No Goodbyes" 73
2009 "We've Got a Pulse" (with Trace Adkins) A Taste of the Truth
"Staying Together" (with Rhonda Vincent)

References

  1. Cashbox, Radio & Records, Gavin Music Charts
  2. "Gene Watson". Music City Roots.
  3. 1 2 "Gene Watson | Awards". AllMusic.

External links

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