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 2017, 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 Erin Enderlin, which she submitted to this site on Monday 4 September 2017.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Erin Enderlin who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Erin Enderlin
This quote was submitted on Monday 4 September 2017.
‘Gene Watson’s voice has that piercingly beautiful lonesome quality that can shatter a country music heart.
From ‘Farewell Party‘, which was written by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 – Thursday 26 July 2007) to ‘Use Me Again‘, which was written by Billy Lawson, Curly Putman (Thursday 20 November 1930 – Sunday 30 October 2016) and Dale Dodson, you won’t find a better representation of the genre‘
Thank you, Erin Enderlin, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Erin Enderlin…
Erin Enderlin, who is a country music traditionalist in the spirit of Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) and Emmylou Harris, and loves roots-country music, hails from Conway in Arkansas.
Erin Enderlin’s grandparents first introduced her to country music at an early age, and she was drawn especially to the music of George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 – Friday 26 April 2013), Tammy Wynette (Tuesday 5 May 1942 – Monday 6 April 1998), Conway Twitty (Friday 1 September 1933 – Saturday 5 June 1993), Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Nanci Caroline Griffith (Monday 6 July 1953 – Friday 13 August 2021), Keith Whitley (Thursday 1 July 1954 – Tuesday 9 May 1989), Trisha Yearwood, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride and Patty Loveless.
The Conway, Arkansas-raised Erin Enderlin wrote her first songs while in fourth grade, then performed them for her music classmates.
Right out of high school, Erin Enderlin moved to Nashville, in 2000, in order to pursue her passion for country music.
Erin Enderlin’s gamble paid off and she soon started getting cuts as a songwriter.
Erin Enderlin’s songs have been recorded by a number of acclaimed artists, including Alan Jackson, Joey + Rory, Randy Travis, Lee Ann Womack, Terri Clark and Luke Bryan.
Alan Jackson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Monday Morning Church’ (co-written with Brent Baxter) and included the track on ‘What I Do’ (Arista Nashville Records, 2004); the track, which reached No.5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2004, featured background vocals from Patty Loveless.
In 2005, Alan Jackson’s recording of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Monday Morning Church’ (co-written with Brent Baxter) won a Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Award as one of the ten ‘Songs I Wish I’d Written’.
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Not Enough Tequila’ (co-written with Jim ‘Moose’ Brown) and included the track on ‘Life Goes On’ (Mercury Records, 2005).
Lee Ann Womack recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Last Call’ (co-written with Shane McAnally) and included the track on ‘Call Me Crazy’ (MCA Records, 2008); the track, which reached No.14 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2008, and No.77 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music singles chart in 2008, was subsequently included on ‘Definitive Collection’ (United States: MCA Records, 2014 / United Kingdom & Ireland: Hump Head Country, 2014).
In 2009, Lee Ann Womack‘s recording of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Last Call’ (co-written with Shane McAnally) earned Erin a Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Award.
Luke Bryan recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘You Don’t Know Jack’ (co-written with Shane McAnally) and included the track on ‘Tailgates & Tanlines’ (Capitol Nashville Records, 2011).
In 2011, Erin Enderlin toured with Jamey Johnson and Willie Nelson on the ‘Country Throwdown Tour’, as a member of their Bluebird Cafe songwriter stage.
Joey + Rory – Joey Marie Martin Feek (Wednesday 10 September 1975 – Friday 4 March 2016) and Rory Lee Feek – recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Waiting For Someone’ (co-written with Rory Lee Feek) and included the track on ‘His & Hers’ (Vanguard Records / Sugar Hill Records, 2012).
On Tuesday 13 August 2013, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘I Let Her Talk’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2013), which included the following tracks:
‘Unbroken
‘I Let Her Talk’ (official video)
‘Countryside’
‘Good Kinda Pain’
‘Get That At Home’
‘Finding My Voice’
‘Monday Morning Church’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Brent Baxter)
‘Last Call’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Shane McAnally)
‘You Don’t Know Jack’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Shane McAnally)
Erin Enderlin’s ‘I Let Her Talk’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2013) earned praise from Billboard and American Songwriter, and led to shows with, amongst others, Willie Nelson, Marty Stuart, Kip Moore and Terri Clark.
On Friday 6 September 2013, Erin Enderlin made her debut on the hallowed stage of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Tyler Farr recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Cowgirl’ (co-written with Shane Minor and Phil O’Donnell) and included the track on ‘Redneck Crazy’ (Columbia Records, 2013).
Travis List recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘I’ve Got One of Those Too’ (co-written with by Jimmy Melton) and included it on ‘This Corner’ (WJO Records, 2014); the track was a duet with Kristy Cox, Travis List’s wife.
Gene Watson also recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘I’ve Got One of Those Too’ (co-written with Jimmy Melton) and included the track on ‘Outside The Box‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2022); the track was a duet with Rhonda Vincent.
In 2017, Tara Thompson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Single Wide’ (co-written with Tara Thompson, Alex Kline and Nicole Witt) for Big Machine Records.
It was also in 2017 when Tara Thompson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘White Trash Female – WTF’ (co-written with Tara Thompson, Alex Kline and Kimberly Kelly) for Big Machine Records.
On Friday 1 September 2017, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Whiskeytown Crier’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2017), which was produced by Jamey Johnson and Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, and included the following tracks:
Intro – John Scott Sherrill’s unmistakable baritone introduces listeners to the theme of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Whiskeytown Crier’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2017) and setting before the music kicks off with back-to-back murder ballads
‘Caroline’ (written by Jim ‘Moose’ Brown and Erin Enderlin) / this track featured background vocals from Chris Stapleton
‘Baby Sister’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Shane McAnally and Felix McTeigue)
‘Ain’t It Just Like A Cowboy’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Heather Little)
‘The Blues Are Alive & Well’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Jim ‘Moose’ Brown and Shane McAnally) / this track was also recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘Outside The Box‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2022)
About this track, Erin Enderlin stated ‘I’d been listening to a lot of Merle Haggard (Tuesday 6 April 1937 – Wednesday 6 April 2016), and I was thinking I wanted to write a song that did some phrasing like he does. I actually got to hang out with Merle some and, before I could stop myself, I said, ‘Oh, I’m trying to write a song like you write. I mean, just the phrasing, but I mean, obviously it’s not like you, because you’re amazing’.
Erin Enderlin later admitted that Merle Haggard told her he approved.
‘Home Sweet Home To Me’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Paul Sikes)
‘Til It’s Gone’ (written by Jon Randall, Jim ‘Moose’ Brown and Erin Enderlin)
‘The Coldest In Town’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Steve Leslie) / this track was a duet with Randy Houser
‘Whole Nother Bottle of Wine’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Heidi Newfield and Jim ‘Moose’ Brown)
‘Broken’ (written by Erin Enderlin)
‘Hickory Wind’, which was written by Gram Parsons (Tuesday 5 November 1946 – Wednesday 19 September 1973) and Bob Buchanan / this track featured guest vocals from Ricky Skaggs and Jon Randall
‘Jesse Joe’s Cigarettes’ (written by written by Erin Enderlin and Shane McAnally)
‘His Memory Walks On Water’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Irene Kelley) / this track featured background vocals from Chris Stapleton
‘Til I Can Make It On My Own’, which was written by Billy Sherrill (Thursday 5 November 1936 – Tuesday 4 August 2015), Tammy Wynette (Tuesday 5 May 1942 – Monday 6 April 1998) and George Richey (Saturday 30 November 1935 – Saturday 31 July 2010)
Personnel involved in the recording of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Whiskeytown Crier’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2017) included the following:
Gary Burnette and Jamey Johnson (acoustic guitar)
Jim ‘Moose’ Brown (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, mandolin)
Tommy Hardin (drums, percussion)
Troy Lancaster (electric guitar)
Kevin ‘Swine’ Grantt (electric upright bass)
Tammy Rogers King (fiddle, mandolin)
‘Cowboy’ Eddie Long, Dan Dugmore and Paul Franklin (steel guitar)
Muscadine Bloodline (Gary Stanton and Charlie Muncaster) recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘WD-40’ (co-written with Alex Kline) and included the track on ‘Muscadine Bloodline’ (CN Records, 2017).
Erin Enderlin has emerged as one of those artists who other artists are listening to, including Merle Haggard (Tuesday 6 April 1937 – Wednesday 6 April 2016), who dubbed Erin Enderlin as ‘a wonderful singer’, Miranda Lambert called her ‘a badass’, and Lee Ann Womack said that ‘She’s a great writer and singer’. I’m always excited to hear her stuff’.
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Weddings, Funerals & Empty Hotel Bars’(co-written with Stephanie Lambring) and included the track on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018).
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Watered Down Whiskey’ (co-written with Terri Clark and Alex Kline) and included the track on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018).
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘As Long As There’s A Bar’ (co-written with Terri Clark) and included the track on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018).
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘Right Where You Left Me’ (co-written with Terri Clark and Alex Kline) and included the track on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018).
Terri Clark recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘The One That Got Away’ (co-written with Terri Clark and Alex Kline) and included the track on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018).
On Friday 26 April 2019, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Chapter One: I Don’t Give A Damn’ (Black Crow Productions / Blaster Records, 2019), which included the following tracks:
‘Broken’ (written by Erin Enderlin) / the original version of this track was included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Whiskeytown Crier’ (Erin Enderlin Music, 2017)
‘Til It’s Gone’
‘Tonight I Don’t Give A Damn’ / this track referenced Gene Watson‘s ‘Farewell Party‘, which was written by by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 – Thursday 26 July 2007) / ‘Gene Watson singing ‘Farewell Party’, single barrel, double shot on ice’ / Gene Watson‘s recording of ‘Farewell Party’, which was included on ‘Reflections‘ (Capitol Records, 1978), reached No.5 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1979, and No.9 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in 1979
On Friday 28 June 2019, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Chapter Two: I Can Be Your Whiskey’ (Black Crow Productions / Blaster Records, 2019), which included the following tracks:
‘I Can Be Your Whiskey’
‘A Man With 18 Wheels’ (written by Bobby Carmichael and Leslie Satcher) / the original version of this track was recorded by Lee Ann Womack, who included it on her self-titled debut album, ‘Lee Ann Womack’ (Decca Records, 1997)
‘Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)’ (written by Hugh Moffatt and Pebe Sebert) / the original version of this track was recorded by Dolly Parton, who included it on ‘Dolly, Dolly, Dolly’ (RCA Victor Records, 1980); Dolly Parton’s version of ‘Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)’ was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in September / October 1980
On Friday 23 August 2019, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Chapter Three: Whatever Gets You Through The Night’ (Erin Enderlin Productions / Blaster Records, 2019), which included the following tracks:
‘Sweet Emmylou’ (written by Rory Lee Feek and Catherine Britt) / the original version of this track was recorded by Joey Marie Martin Feek (Wednesday 10 September 1975 – Friday 4 March 2016) and Rory Lee Feek,, who included it on Joey + Rory’s ‘The Life of A Song’ (Vanguard Records / Sugar Hill Records, 2008)
‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’
‘Use Me Again’, which was written by Billy Lawson, Curly Putman (Thursday 20 November 1930 – Sunday 30 October 2016) and Dale Dodson / the original version of this track was recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘A Taste of The Truth‘ (Shanachie Records, 2009)
On Friday 1 November 2019, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Faulkner County’ (Black Crow Productions, 2019), which was produced by Jamey Johnson and Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, and included the following tracks:
‘I Can Be Your Whiskey’
‘Whatever Gets You Through The Night’ / this track featured background vocals from Dillon Carmichael
‘The Queen of Marina Del Rey’
‘Tonight I Don’t Give A Damn’ / this track referenced Gene Watson‘s ‘Farewell Party‘, which was written by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 – Thursday 26 July 2007) / ‘Gene Watson singing ‘Farewell Party’, single barrel, double shot on ice’ / Gene Watson‘s recording of ‘Farewell Party’, which was included on ‘Reflections‘ (Capitol Records, 1978), reached No.5 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1979, and No.9 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in 1979
‘Use Me Again’, which was written by Billy Lawson, Curly Putman (Thursday 20 November 1930 – Sunday 30 October 2016) and Dale Dodson / the original version of this track was recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘A Taste of The Truth‘ (Shanachie Records, 2009) / Erin Enderlin’s version of ‘Use Me Again’ featured background vocals from Ronnie Bowman
‘Broken’ (written by Erin Enderlin) / the original version of this track was included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Whiskeytown Crier’ (Erin Enderlin Music, 2017)
‘Hell Comin’ Down’
‘A Man With 18 Wheels’ (written by Bobby Carmichael and Leslie Satcher) / the original version of this track was recorded by Lee Ann Womack, who included it on her self-titled debut album, ‘Lee Ann Womack’ (Decca Records, 1997)
‘Hometown Jersey’
‘Til It’s Gone’
‘These Boots’ / this track is the full band version
‘Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)’ (written by Hugh Moffatt and Pebe Sebert) / the original version of this track was recorded by Dolly Parton, who included it on ‘Dolly, Dolly, Dolly’ (RCA Victor Records, 1980); Dolly Parton’s version of ‘Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)’ was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in September / October 1980
‘Sweet Emmylou’ (written by Rory Lee Feek and Catherine Britt) / the original version of this track was recorded by Joey Marie Martin Feek (Wednesday 10 September 1975 – Friday 4 March 2016) and Rory Lee Feek, who included it on Joey + Rory’s ‘The Life of A Song’ (Vanguard Records / Sugar Hill Records, 2008) / Erin Enderlin’s version of ‘Sweet Emmylou’ featured background vocals from Vince Gill and Alison Krauss
‘Run Baby Run’
On Friday 15 October 2021, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc, which was produced by Erin Enderlin and (engineer) Justin Courtelyou, and included the following tracks:
‘Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Ben Chapman)
‘If I’m Not In Hell’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Kayla Ray and Kimberly Kelly)
‘If There Weren’t So Many Damn Songs’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Kayla Ray) / this track featured guest vocals from Terri Clark
‘Cut Through Me’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Leslie Satcher) / this track featured guest vocals from Rosanne Cash
‘When I’m Drinking Whiskey’ (written by Erin Enderlin)
‘Barroom Mirrors’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Jordan Lehning and James Dupré)
Personnel involved in the recording of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021) included the following:
Erin Enderlin (lead vocals, acoustic guitar)
Kyle Blunt (assistant engineer)
Justin Courtleyou (mixing)
Amy Brown (mastering)
Jenee Fleenor (fiddle)
Megan Jane (drums)
Rachel Loy (bass)
Justin Schipper (steel guitar)
Melonie Cannon (harmony vocals)
Gene Watson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘I’ve Got One of Those Too’ (co-written with Jimmy Melton) and included the track on ‘Outside The Box‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2022); the track was a duet with Rhonda Vincent.
Gene Watson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘They Played It’ (co-written with Jim ‘Moose’ Brown) and included the track on ‘Outside The Box‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2022).
Gene Watson recorded Erin Enderlin’s ‘The Blues Are Alive & Well’ (co-written with Jim ‘Moose’ Brown and Shane McAnally) and included the track on ‘Outside The Box‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2022).
On Friday 28 October 2022, Julie Roberts saw the release of ‘Ain’t In No Hurry’ (Julie Roberts Independent Release, 2022), which was produced by Shooter Jennings and Erin Enderlin, and included the following tracks:
‘Ain’t In No Hurry (written by Erin Enderlin, Brent Cobb and Ben Chapman)
‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Waylon Payne and Mae Estes)
‘Devil’s Pool’, which was written by Julie Roberts, Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002), Shooter Jennings and Richard Jason Collum
‘Music City’s Killing Me’ (‘New York City’s Killing Me’) (written by Ray LaMontagne) / this track was a duet with Jamey Johnson
‘All By My Damn Self’ (written by Julie Roberts and Richard Jason Collum)
‘Do Ya’, which was written by Kay Toinette Oslin (Friday 15 May 1942 – Monday 21 December 2020) / the original version of this track was recorded by Kay Toinette Oslin, who included it on ’80’s Ladies’ (RCA Records, 1987); Kay Toinette Oslin’s version of the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in December 1987
‘(When You Wake Up) In The Bed You Made’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Buddy Lee Owen and Galen Griffin)
‘Easy Street’, which was written by Bobby Emmons and Lincoln Wayne ‘Chips’ Moman (Saturday 12 June 1937 – Monday 13 June 2016)
‘A Little Crazy’s Kinda Nice’ (written by Jason Matthews and Rebecca Lynn Howard) / this track was a duet with Randy Houser
‘Big Moon’ (written by John Doe)
‘The Concept of You’ (written by Michael James Farmer)
‘The King & His Crown’ (written by Julie Roberts, Arlis Albritton and Cliff Cody)
‘The Song Goes With Me’ (written by Julie Roberts, Darrell Clark and Marcus Hummon)
‘I Think You Know’ (written by Jessi Colter)
On Friday 18 November 2022, Erin Enderlin saw the release of ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Black Crow Productions, 2022), which was produced by Erin Enderlin, and included the following tracks:
‘White Wine Fever’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Sunny Sweeney and Ben Chapman) / this track featured guest vocals from Terri Clark
‘Cut Through Me’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Leslie Satcher) / this track, which featured guest vocals from Rosanne Cash, was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘I’d Do It Different’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Ben Chapman)
‘Somebody’s Shot of Whiskey’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Ben Chapman) / this track was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘Weddings, Funerals & Empty Hotel Bars’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Stephanie Lambring) / this track was also recorded by Terri Clark, who included it on ‘Raising The Bar’ (BareTrack Records, 2018)
‘If I’m Not In Hell’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Kayla Ray and Kimberly Kelly) / this track was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘If There Weren’t So Many Damn Songs’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Kayla Ray) / this track, which featured guest vocals from Terri Clark, was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘Not Enough Tequila’ (written by Erin Enderlin and Jim ‘Moose’ Brown)
‘When I’m Drinking Whiskey’ (written by Erin Enderlin) / this track was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘Barroom Mirrors’ (written by Erin Enderlin, Jordan Lehning and James Dupré) / this track was originally included on Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Erin Enderlin Independent Release, 2021), a six-track extended play (EP) disc
‘Livin’ For Today’ (written by Erin Enderlin)
Personnel involved in the recording of Erin Enderlin’s ‘Barroom Mirrors’ (Black Crow Productions, 2022) included the following:
Erin Enderlin (lead vocals)
Erin Enderlin and Ben Chapman (acoustic guitar)
Jenee Fleenor (fiddle, mandolin)
Megan Jane (drums)
Rachel Loy and Adam Chaffins (bass)
Justin Schipper and Mike Johnson (steel guitar)
Melonie Cannon, Adam Chaffins, Holy McCubbin and Jim ‘Moose’ Brown (harmonies)
• Visit Erin Enderlin’s official site at erinenderlin.com