“Every night, we try to do these songs a little better than we did them the night before. It keeps me going. I want these songs to sound just like they do on the record,” says country music legend Gene Watson, who will be in Douglas Saturday night playing at the Martin Centre.
Watson, 82, is a true pioneer in the country music industry. His career began in 1962 and he has been active ever since. Throughout his career, Watson has stayed true to the traditional country sound. His smooth and powerful baritone voice conveys emotion and authenticity, two qualities that country music fans instantly recognize and embrace. Watson has been able to pull his fans into his songs, forging a relationship with his audience that has not waned in the six decades he has been recording and touring.
“You’ve got to get inside the song. These aren’t easy songs to sing. I see ladies with tears streaming down their faces. It has to be more than just a song. I want to tear your insides out if I can,” he says.
Watson has charted 48 singles, including five number ones and 21 top 10 singles. In 1975, he released “Love in the Hot Afternoon,” which put him on the map. He scored his last #1 in 1981 with “Fourteen Carat Mind.” His last single to chart was 1997’s “No Goodbyes,” which hit #73 on the U.S. Country chart. Watson’s biggest hit, however, never made it to #1. It stalled at #5 on the chart in 1979 but is his best-known song. The song, “Farewell Party,” is a gut-wrenching, rip-your-soul-out story of solitude, loss, heartbreak, and regret.
“Farewell Party” was written by Lawton Williams in 1960 and has been covered by a variety of artists, including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Joe Nichols, and others. But it is Watson’s version that is the most widely known – to the point that he named his touring band The Farewell Party Band. “’Farewell Party’ is the brand that Gene Watson wears,” he says. “It’s our most requested song.”
Watson is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Texas Music Hall of Fame, and the Houston Music Hall of Fame. Out of all the accomplishments he has achieved and honors he has received, maybe the most impressive revolves around his family. Watson and his wife, Mattie, have been married for 65 years. “I was 17 and she was 15 when we married. She’s tough. This business is hard on the whole family. It’s unheard of to stay married this long in this industry. I give her all the credit. I always said that she runs the house and I run the bus. She raised the kids while I was out working,” he says.
A man of faith, Watson is also quick to give God the credit for both his family and his career. “I have more faith in the Good Lord than anything else. I’ve been through cancer and I give all the honor to Him. He’s helped us keep everything together all these years,” says Watson.
And that includes keeping his voice as rich and strong today as it was when he was charting singles. “I also give Him the praise for that. I don’t drink. I don’t dope. I try to get as much rest as I can. I don’t warm up – whatever that first song sounds like is what the audience is getting. I’m still doing these songs in the same key I recorded them in,” he states.
At the Martin, the audience can expect to take a tour with Watson through his career – all the songs he made famous and the stories behind the music. “We are going to work our way through the songs people want to hear. We’re not above doing requests, either. We do a little bit of everything. We joke around with the audience. Any age group can come. We want to play for the audience and associate with them,” he says.
Special guest Jordan Poole, a South Georgia native, will open for Watson. Tickets are still available for the show but there aren’t many left. Tickets are available at themartincentre.com and jlproductions.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.
