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Watson’s appearance pleases this fan
By Mary Madewell
Published October 1, 2009
Gene Watson is my favorite singer, and you will find me sitting as close to the stage as possible when he appears tonight at the Red River Valley Fair. I probably know the words to the songs he will be singing by heart — unless he throws in one or two surprises.
Gene could sing any music genre he chooses, but you won’t hear him straying far from traditional country, which has been his bread and butter even before anyone ever heard the steamy “Love In A Hot Afternoon,” which bolted him to stardom in 1975 when Capital Records picked him up.
But I was a Watson fan before that. In my younger days, I enjoyed visiting Mickey Gilley’s honky tonk in Houston on occasion. Gene was a regular performer there while he worked as a mechanic to support wife, Mattie, and their two children. Enough said about those days.
Paris claims Gene as a native son. Although he was born in Palestine, his family moved here when he was young. He has relatives galore in Paris — most of them singers in the churches they attend.
I remember hearing him locally for the first time shortly following the release of “Paper Rosie.” It was in 1977, if my memory serves me, at the Bogota rodeo. The next day a group of local musicians, many of them family members, had an afternoon party to celebrate his new found stardom and my family was privileged to attend. Gene was under the weather that day, but the rest of us enjoyed an afternoon of music just the same.
Not too many years ago, Gene was gracious enough to spend a couple of hours doing an interview with me — on his tour bus. That was one of the most thrilling moments of this Gene Watson fan’s life. We talked about his love for music, his memories of growing up in Paris and his love for tinkering with cars. I learned then he loves to visit with family and friends and can been found quite often at a relative’s mechanic shop here. I also learned if you meet him in town and want to visit, that’s OK. Just don’t bring up the singing business. Like any other profession, when he’s “off the clock” he doesn’t want to spend his leisure time talking music.
I have a token from that afternoon interview — an autographed photograph, which I keep in my office. Talking about a Gene Watson fan, the only other photographs in my office are of my newest grandchild and a calendar, which has photographs of two older grandchidren. But my husband understands. He’s a Gene Watson fan as well. I thought one night after the fair John was going to take off with Gene on the bus. The singer needed a bus driver to finish out a tour, and John is licensed to drive a bus. But Gene found someone else, I know to John’s disappointment.
Expect tonight’s performance to be classic Gene Watson. He will reminisce some about his younger days in Paris as he sings the songs he knows his fans want to hear, including those from his Top 10 repertoire including Number 1 records “Where Love Begins,” “Paper Rosie,” “Should I Go Home Or Should I Go Crazy,” and “You’re Out Here Doing What I’m Here Doing Without.” Top 5 records include “Love In The Hot Afternoon,” “Nothing Sure Looked Good On You,” “What She Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Her,” “Memories To Burn,” “Don’t Waste It On The Blues,” “Pick The Wildwood Flower,” (one of my favorites) along with “Farewell Party,” Gene’s signature song.
Gene says he never knows what he is going to sing at any one given performance. He says his band can tell what is coming next by his introduction to the song.
In addition to those songs mentioned above, I’m putting in some early requests including “Speak Softly Your Are Speaking To My Heart,” “One And One And One,” “Snake In The House,” “Glass Hearts,” “This Dream’s On Me,” “Raisin’ Cane in Texas,” “Sometimes I Get Lucky And Forget,” “One Sided Conversation,” “The Old Man And His Horn,” “We’ve Got a Pulse,” “No Goodbyes” and “Change Her Mind.”
And, I hope he includes a song or two from the gospel album he made with his sisters.
I’ll be in line following tonight’s show to pick up a copy of his latest album, “A Taste Of Truth,” and get his autograph again.
If by some strange chance you miss Gene at the fair tonight, you can catch him on the Grand Ole Opry show Saturday in Nashville. Or if you hurry, he’ll be in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Sunday at the Country Tonight Theater.
By the way, here’s an early Happy Birthday wish. Gene turns 66 Sunday, Oct. 11.
Mary Madewell is the managing editor of The Paris News.
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