Gene Watson’s Peers within the country music industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as ‘the singer’s singer’ – and rightly so!
All of Gene Watson’s Peers, who were contacted by The Gene Watson Fan Site, during 2014, were most gracious with their time and words.
It is here, within this special part of The Gene Watson Fan Site, that you have an opportunity to read a quote from Bryan White, which he submitted to this site on Thursday 18 September 2014.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Bryan White who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Bryan White
This quote was submitted on Thursday 18 September 2014.
‘I remember hearing Gene for the first time when I was a little kid. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan. Gene has one of the best and smoothest voices in country music.
He makes it look effortless’
Thank you, Bryan White, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Bryan White…
Bryan White was born on Sunday 17 February 1974 in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Raised in Oklahoma City by a musical family, Bryan White began playing the drums at the age of five through the instruction of his father. Bryan White also played in his mother’s rock band and his father’s country band as a teenager, and was encouraged to take up singing after his mother heard him sing during a sound check.
During his late teens, Bryan White also sold t-shirts for the band Pearl River, in which his friend Derek George played guitar. Pearl River regularly let Bryan White onstage to perform a song during their concerts.
Bryan White also befriended two record producers, Billy Joe Walker Jr. (1953 – Tuesday 25 July 2017), who was also a session guitarist, songwriter and New Age musician, and Kyle Lehning, the latter who helped him sign a recording contract with Asylum Records in 1994 at the age of twenty years old.
On Tuesday 11 October 1994, Bryan White saw the release of his self-titled debut album, ‘Bryan White’ (Asylum Records, 1994), which included four tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘Eugene You Genius’ (written by Lonnie Wilson and Billy Lawson) (No.48, 1994)
‘Look At Me Now’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro) (No.24, 1994)
‘Someone Else’s Star’, which was written by Skip Ewing and Jim Weatherly (Wednesday 17 March 1943 – Wednesday 3 February 2021) (No.1 for one week in September 1995)
‘Rebecca Lynn’ (written by Don Sampson and Skip Ewing) (No.1, 1995)
Bryan White’s self-titled debut album, ‘Bryan White’ (Asylum Records, 1994), also included the following tracks:
‘You Know How I Feel’, which was written by Bryan White, Derek George and Jim Weatherly (Wednesday 17 March 1943 – Wednesday 3 February 2021)
‘This Town’ (written by Greg Barnhill and Jan Buckingham)
‘Me & The Moon’ (written by John Tirro and Sam Gay)
‘Nothing Less Than Love’, which was written by Wayne Tester and Norman Russell ‘Rusty’ Young (Saturday 23 February 1946 – Wednesday 14 April 2021)
‘Going, Going, Gone’ (written by Bob DiPiero, John Scott Sherrill and Steve Cropper)
‘Helpless Heart’ (written by Paul Brady)
Bryan White’s self-titled debut album, ‘Bryan White’ (Asylum Records, 1994), reached No.13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1995.
Sawyer Brown recorded Bryan White’s ‘I Don’t Believe In Goodbye’ (co-written with Scotty Emerick and Mark Miller) and included the track on ‘Greatest Hits: 1990 – 1995’ (Curb Records, 1995); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1995.
In 1996, Bryan White earned the Country Music Association (CMA) ‘Horizon Award’, along with the Academy of Country Music (ACM) ‘Top Male Vocalist’ Award.
On Tuesday 26 March 1996, Bryan White saw the release of ‘Between Now & Forever’ (Asylum Records, 1996), which included four tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘I’m Not Supposed To Love You Anymore’ (written by Skip Ewing and Donny Kees) (No.4, 1996)
‘So Much For Pretending’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro) (No.1, 1996)
‘That’s Another Song’ (written by John Paul Daniel, Monty Powell, Doug Pincock and Jule Medders) (No.15, 1996)
‘Sittin’ On Go’ (written by Josh Leo and Rick Bowles) (No.1, 1997)
Bryan White’s ‘Between Now & Forever’ (Asylum Records, 1996) also included the following tracks:
‘Still Life’ (written by Mac McAnally)
‘Blindhearted’ (written by Bryan White and Randy Goodrum)
‘Nickel In The Well’ (written by Chris Waters and Lonnie Wilson)
‘Between Now & Forever’, which was written by Bryan White, Don Pfrimmer (Thursday 9 September 1937 – Monday 7 December 2015) and George Teren
‘A Hundred & One’ (written by Rich Wayland, Kye Fleming and Mary Ann Kennedy)
‘On Any Given Night’ (written by Bryan White, Allison Mellon and Jeff Ross)
On Tuesday 23 September 1997, Bryan White saw the release of ‘The Right Place’ (Asylum Records, 1997), which included four tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘Love Is The Right Place’ (written by Marcus Hummon and Tommy Sims) (No.4, 1997)
‘One Small Miracle’ (written by Bill Anderson and Steve Wariner) (No.16, 1997)
‘Bad Day To Let You Go’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and Bob DiPiero) (No.30, 1998)
‘Tree of Hearts’ (written by Skip Ewing and Don Sampson) (No.45, 1998)
Bryan White’s ‘The Right Place’ (Asylum Records, 1997) also included the following tracks:
‘What Did I Do (To Deserve You)’ (written by Jamie Houston, Andy Goldmark and James Dean Hicks)
‘Never Get Around To It’ (written by Bryan White and Derek George)
‘Leave My Heart Out of This’ (written by Skip Ewing and Bob DiPiero)
‘The Natural Thing’ (written by Allyson Taylor and Larry Byrom)
‘We Could Have Been’ (written by Don Cook and John Barlow Jarvis)
‘Call Me Crazy’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro)
On Tuesday 4 November 1997, Shania Twain saw the release of ‘Come On Over’ (Mercury Records, 1997); one of the included tracks was ‘From This Moment On’ (written by Shania Twain and Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange), which was a duet with Bryan White, and reached No.6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1998.
Diamond Rio recorded Bryan White’s ‘Imagine That’ (co-written with Derek George and John Tirro) and included the track on ‘Greatest Hits’ (Records, 1997); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in early 1998.
LeAnn Rimes recorded Bryan White’s ‘When Am I Gonna Get Over You’ (co-written with John Tirro) and included the track on ‘Sittin’ On Top of The World’ (Curb Records, 1998); this track featured guest vocals from Bryan White.
Lila McCann recorded Bryan White’s ‘You’re Gone’ (co-written with Steve Wariner) and included the track on ‘Something in The Air’ (Asylum Records, 1999).
Mac McAnally recorded Bryan White’s ‘Just One Forever’ (co-written with Mac McAnally) and included the track on ‘Word of Mouth’ (DreamWorks Nashville Records, 1999).
On Tuesday 24 August 1999, Bryan White saw the release of ‘How Lucky I Am’ (Asylum Records, 1999), which included two tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘You’re Still Beautiful To Me’ (written by Bryan Adams and Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange) (No.39, 1999)
‘God Gave Me You’ (written by Andy Goldmark, James Dean Hicks and Jamie Houston) (No.40, 1999)
Bryan White’s ‘How Lucky I Am’ (Asylum Records, 1999) also included the following tracks:
‘Everywhere I Turn’ (written by Bruce Miller and James LeBlanc)
‘Heaven Sent’ (written by Tim DuBois and Mike Reid)
‘The Stayin’ (written by Scotty Emerick, John Tirro and Derek George)
‘That Good’ (written by Andy Goldmark, James Dean Hicks and Jamie Houston)
‘Love Me Like You Mean It’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro)
‘Love Happens Just Like That’ (written by Tim Nichols and Annie Roboff)
‘Shari Ann’ (written by Bryan White and Max Carl)
‘Two In A Million’ (written by Tim Menzies and Gary Harrison)
‘How Lucky I Am’ (written by Marcus Hummon and Annie Roboff)
‘You’ll Always Be Loved (By Me)’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro)
On Friday 15 October 1999, Bryan White saw the release of a Christmas extended play (EP) disc, ‘Dreaming of Christmas’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1999), which included the following tracks:
‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’
‘Winter Wonderland’
‘Holiday Inn’
‘I Can’t Wait ‘Til Christmas’
‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’
‘One Bright Star’
Shortly after the release of Bryan White’s ‘How Lucky I Am’ (Asylum Records, 1999), Asylum Records closed its Nashville division. The label’s parent company, Warner Music Group, issued a ‘Greatest Hits’ (Warner Music Group, 2000) album in 2000.
On Tuesday 31 October 2000, Bryan White saw the release of ‘Greatest Hits’ (Asylum Records / Warner Music Group, 2000), his first greatest hits collection, which included one new track, which was a hit single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘How Long’ (written by Andrew Williams and David Williams) (No.56, 2000)
Bryan White’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (Asylum Records, 2000) also included the following tracks:
‘Love Is The Right Place’ (written by Marcus Hummon and Tommy Sims) (No.4, 1997)
‘Rebecca Lynn’ (written by Skip Ewing and Don Sampson) (No.1 for one week in January 1996)
‘Sittin’ On Go’ (written by Josh Leo and Rick Bowles) (No.1 for one week in May / June 1997)
‘I’m Not Supposed To Love You Anymore’ (written by Skip Ewing and Donny Kees) (No.4, 1996)
‘From This Moment On’ (written by Shania Twain and Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange) (No.6, 1998) / this track was a duet with Shania Twain
‘That’s Another Song’ (written by John Paul Daniel, Monty Powell, Doug Pincock and Jule Medders) (No.15, 1996)
‘So Much For Pretending’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro) (No.1 for one week in September 1996)
‘The Way You Look At Me’ (written by Scotty Emerick and John Tirro) / this track was previously un-released
‘One Small Miracle’ (written by Bill Anderson and Steve Wariner) (No.16, 1997)
‘Look At Me Now’ (written by Bryan White, Derek George and John Tirro) (No.24, 1994)
‘Someone Else’s Star’, which was written by Skip Ewing and Jim Weatherly (Wednesday 17 March 1943 – Wednesday 3 February 2021) (No.1 for one week in September 1995)
It was also in 2000 when Bryan White sang several of the songs which were featured in the animated movie, ‘Quest For Camelot’.
Wynonna recorded Bryan White’s ‘Sometimes I Feel Like Elvis’ (co-written with Neil Thrasher and Derek George) and included the track on ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love’ (Curb Records / Asylum Records, 2003).
With his fourth album, ‘How Lucky I Am’ (Asylum Records, 1999), being less commercially successful, Bryan White started doubting himself and his talent, which landed him in a deep depression, forcing him to take some time off until 2005, when he began work on another album.
A second Christmas (extended play) EP disc, ‘My Christmas Project’ (Bryan White Independent Release, 2006), followed in 2006 and was a self-release.
In July 2009, Bryan White released a new single from the album, ‘The Little Things’, which he stated ‘was a record that I had to make. It’s my most personal to date. ‘Dustbowl Dreams’ (Just A Pup Records / 101 Distribution, 2009) was for my healing’.
On Monday 28 September 2009, Bryan White saw the release of ‘Dustbowl Dreams’ (Just A Pup Records / 101 Distribution, 2009), which included the following tracks:
‘Dustbowl Dreams’
‘Say When’
‘The Little Things’
‘Get It Together’
‘When You Come Around’
‘Hands of Time’
‘Beautiful Place’
‘A Place To Come Home’
‘Erika’s Song’
‘On My Own’ (Hymn of The Road)
‘Dustbowl Dreams’ (Reprise)
‘Call Me Crazy’
On Monday 24 September 2012, Bryan White launched a ‘Kickstarter’ project for a new record, which he planned to create without the help of a record label.
On Wednesday 24 October 2012, the ‘Kickstarter’ project funding period closed. Bryan White raised $34,889 in total.
On Wednesday 20 March 2013, Bryan White announced to his ‘Kickstarter’ backers that the album would include the following tracks: ‘Another Day In The Sun’, ‘Born To Be Somebody’, ‘Feels Like Home’, ‘What I Already Know’, ‘Catch My Breath’, ‘Finding Me’ and ‘So Much For Pretending’.
On Monday 17 June 2013, in an update to his financial backers, Bryan White announced that the album would be called ‘Shine’ (Bryan White Independent Release, 2013) and that seven songs had already been recorded and were awaiting overdubs on the vocals.
Bryan White is married to actress Erika Page White, and together they have two sons, Justin and Jackson. They live in Nashville and are very active with their children’s lives, as well as their community. They also sponsor a girl from Ecuador.
• Visit Bryan White’s official site at bryanwhite.com