Interview with Gene Watson

© October 2010 / Bruno Michel

At the age of 67, Gene Watson, born in Palestine, TX, looks back on a career spanning four decades, going into his fifth. His musical legacy includes six number one hits and more than twenty in the Top-10-Charts.
Gene’s  first major label album was Love In The Hot Afternoon back in 1975. His latest recording, A Taste Of The Truth, was released in 2009. Other country artists have recorded many of his songs and he continues being on stage for about 150 shows each year. He is one of the true Texas Music Legends.

At his gig at the LanTex Theater in Llano, TX, I had the opportunity to talk to him.

BM: Gene, you’ve achieved so much in your musical career, it’s hard to believe that you never planned for all this success back in the early 1970’s.
GW: But that’s really true. We grew up in a working family. My dad drove us all around to find work and make a living wherever he found it. Of course I was listening to music and also my family was very much music oriented. I always liked traditional country music, but most of all I liked cars. From a very young age, all I ever wanted to do is working on cars. Having a band was kind of a side thing. People heard us and so we played night shows at local clubs and beerjoints. But we never had the idea of making it big. I always say I never did go looking for music. Music found me.

BM: You still like cars and have your own shop. Back in 2009, you were rebuilding a hot rod with a friend. I assume that project is finished. Is there a new car project you’re currently working on?
GW: That’s right, however, these days, there is no other project. I just don’t have a chance to spend a lot of time in my shop right now. As weird as it may sound, but we are more in demand right now than we were ten years ago. So I really don’t work much on cars. But we like it the way it is. I realize that I am getting older, so I want to play as long as I still can and people want to see us on stage. All these folks are living proof that we still do have a lot of fans for traditional country music out there.

BM: With five decades of experience in the music business under your belt, which advice would you give to young artists who want to start in this field today?
GW: What it takes is dedication and work. You need to be 120% convinced of what you are doing. You know, back in the days when I started, it was all about talent and being seen. That’s still the case today, even if you may need less time to succeed. For every real good singer, there are some, who probably shouldn’t be in the Country Music business. Think hard, if that is really what you want. It’s not too comfortable to live on a bus for several weeks, so you have to be really sure you can live this through.

BM: I know you consider Vince Gill one of the greatest artists out there. Is there any other singer, you never had the chance to share the stage with but would like to?
GW: Hard to tell. I’ve really played with most of my idols and it’s very comforting to know that they want to play with me. When we do records, I can rely on a fine set of musicians and I have some of the best in the business working in my band, The Farewell Party Band. When it comes to selecting singers, it’s all about who could be the best fit for a song. For example, on my last album, A Taste Of The Truth, I had this great duet, Staying Together. So I’d call Rhonda Vincent and I’d ask her, if she wanted to come to the studio and record with me. We had a duet on my last album, that was very successful, so I thought  it would be cool to do another one with her. She said yes, and I am really happy to see how great this turned out. You know, it wasn’t easy for me to imagine, how the true bluegrass fans would accept me, but they are really open minded. I have so much fun, playing with Rhonda, as we are going to again end of this month.

BM: You always said you don’t wanna be a star, you’re just a regular guy. However, with all your success came responsibilities of a star. How did you manage to balance this?
GW: Well, I still live in Texas and my management is done out of Nashville. They try not to bother me with details, so I do not have a whole lot to do with arranging things. I do separate my life, maybe, I have two personalities. If I step on the bus, I am 100% music, nothing else on my mind but trying to be even better than during the last performance. But when I get off the bus, I don’t want to hear a thing about music. I want to kick back or work on cars in my shop until the next time I get on the road.

BM: If you could relive a moment in your life, which one would that be?
GW: That would be the first time I was introduced to the Grand Ole Opry by the Wilburn Brothers. I was supposed to do one song. At the end, I got a standing ovation and the audience wanted to hear more. This was definitely something. I will always remember.

BM: Your musical legacy will stay alive for many decades to come. What do you wish people say about Gene Watson and his music in fifty years from now?

GW: I just hope they remember me as a nice guy. You should never forget that the people watching you rise are the same that watch you coming down. So you have to be friendly and know, who your fans are. You need to spend time with the people and listen to their requests. And as long as they want to hear us and I continue to be blessed to sing the way I do, we will give them what they want.

BM: Is there a song you wish you had recorded but passed it on?
GW: No.

BM: If you were to interview Gene Watson, what question would you ask him that I did not ask?
GW: What keeps Gene Watson going? The answer is, that it’s the audience. If you’re on stage and you play the first notes of a song and then you see the faces of the people when they start to smile or clap along, that’s what keeps me going. It’s really all about the fans.

BM: Thank you very much for this interview.