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 during 2018, 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 Mo Pitney, which he submitted to this site on Sunday 30 September 2018.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Mo Pitney who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Sean Brady would also like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Max T. Barnes, without whom this Gene Watson ‘Peer’s Quote’ from Mo Pitney would not have been possible.
On Thursday 27 September 2018, Max T. Barnes & The Bloody Turnips performed at The Nashville Palace, with a special appearance by Mo Pitney and Kelli Johnson.
Mo Pitney
This quote was submitted on Sunday 30 September 2018.
‘Gene Watson is one of the most believable singers out there!
He is an artist that knows how to pick the perfect song for his voice.
Hearing his songs on the radio always puts a smile on my face!‘
Thank you, Mo Pitney, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Mo Pitney…
Mo Pitney was born Morgan Daniel ‘Mo’ Pitney in Cherry Valley, Illinois on Wednesday 24 March 1993.
Mo Pitney’s father was a part-time musician and, by the time he was six years old, Mo was learning to play the drums.
When Mo Pitney was twelve years old, he was recovering from a broken arm, when he asked his Dad to teach him to play guitar, with a towel draped over the instrument’s body, so as not to scratch the finish.
It didn’t take long for Mo Pitney to learn a couple of tunes made famous by Johnny Cash (Friday 26 February 1932 – Friday 12 September 2003), and he made his performing debut at a local open-mike show a few weeks later.
By the time he was fifteen years old, Mo Pitney had started playing banjo, got hooked on bluegrass music, and formed an acoustic band with his friends.
Discovering the music of Keith Whitley (Thursday 1 July 1954 – Tuesday 9 May 1989) opened Mo Pitney’s ears to the wave of traditionalist artists, who rode the country music singles chart in the 1990s and 2000s.
Randy Travis, George Strait and Daryle Singletary (Wednesday 10 March 1971 – Monday 12 February 2018) became key influences, as well as a number of country music legends, including Buck Owens (Monday 12 August 1929 – Saturday 25 March 2006) and Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013).
By the time he was twenty years old, Mo Pitney had moved to Nashville with an eye toward making music his career, and he landed a record contract with Curb Records.
In June 2014, Mo Pitney received an invitation to appear at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the unknown artist wowed the audience with heartfelt performances of his songs, ‘Country’ (written by Bill Anderson, Mo Pitney and Bobby Tomberlin), and ‘Clean Up On Aisle Five’ (written by Wil Nance and Mo Pitney). Mo Pitney’s brief set was received with a standing ovation.
On Tuesday 14 December 2014, Curb Records released Mo Pitney’s recording of ‘Country’ (written by Bill Anderson, Mo Pitney and Bobby Tomberlin) as a single; the track earned enthusiastic reviews, and ‘Country Rebel’ magazine declared Mo Pitney as ‘the next Randy Travis‘.
Mo Pitney’s recording of ‘Country’ (written by Bill Anderson, Mo Pitney and Bobby Tomberlin) reached No.40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2014, and No.35 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in 2014.
On Monday 31 August 2015, Curb Records released Mo Pitney’s recording of ‘Boy & A Girl Thing’ (written by Mo Pitney and Don Sampson) as a single; the track reached No.50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2015, and No.47 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in 2015.
On Friday 7 October 2016, Mo Pitney saw the release of his debut album, ‘Behind This Guitar’ (Curb Records, 2016), which included three tracks, which were released as singles:
‘Country’ (written by Bill Anderson, Mo Pitney and Bobby Tomberlin) / this track reached No.40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2014, and No.35 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in 2014
‘Boy & A Girl Thing’ (written by Mo Pitney and Don Sampson) / this track reached No.50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart in 2015, and No.47 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart in 2015
‘Everywhere’ (written by Dean Dillon, Phil O’Donnell and Mo Pitney) / this track was released as a single in 2017, but it did not appear on any chart
Mo Pitney’s debut album, ‘Behind This Guitar’ (Curb Records, 2016), also included the following tracks:
‘Clean Up On Aisle Five’ (written by Wil Nance and Mo Pitney)
‘Come Do A Little Life’ (written by Byron Hill, Wil Nance and Mo Pitney)
‘It’s Just A Dog’ (written by Jimmy Melton, Mo Pitney and Dave Turnbull)
‘I Met Merle Haggard Today’ (written by Mo Pitney and Don Sampson) / this track was a tribute to Merle Haggard (Tuesday 6 April 1937 – Wednesday 6 April 2016)
‘Take The Chance’ (written by Dean Dillon and Mo Pitney)
‘When I’m With You’ (written by David Lee Murphy and Mo Pitney)
‘Love Her Like I Lost Her’ (written by Dennis Duff and Mo Pitney)
‘Behind This Guitar’ (written by Casey Beathard, Phil O’Donnell and Don Sampson)
‘Give Me Jesus’ (written by Fernando Ortega)
Mo Pitney’s debut album, ‘Behind This Guitar’ (Curb Records, 2016), reached No.10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 2016, and No.76 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart in 2016.
In 2017, Curb Records released Mo Pitney’s recording of ‘Everywhere’ (written by Dean Dillon, Phil O’Donnell and Mo Pitney) as a single; the track did not appear on any chart.
Tony Jackson recorded Mo Pitney’s ‘I Didn’t Wake Up This Morning’ (co-written with Bill Anderson and Bobby Tomberlin) and included the track on his self-titled debut album, ‘Tony Jackson’ (DDS Entertainment, 2017).
On Friday 14 August 2020, Mo Pitney saw the release of ‘Ain’t Lookin’ Back’ (Curb Records, 2020), which was produced by Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, and included the following tracks:
‘A Music Man’ (written by Mo Pitney and Bobby Tomberlin) / this track featured guest vocals from Jamey Johnson
‘Right Now With You’ (written by Wil Nance, Paul Overstreet and Mo Pitney)
‘Ain’t Bad For A Good Ol’ Boy’ (written by Phil O’Donnell, Mo Pitney and Trent Willmon)
‘Til I Get Back To You’ (written by Tony Lane and Mo Pitney)
‘Looks Like Rain’ (written by Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, Mo Pitney and Don Sampson)
‘Boy Gets The Girl’ (written by Tony Martin, Mark Nesler and Tim Nichols)
‘Ain’t Lookin’ Back’ (written by Derek George, Tony Martin amd Wendell Mobley)
‘Old Home Place’ (written by Mitch Jayne and Dean Webb) / this track featured All-Star Band, which included James Dee (J.D.) Crowe (Friday 27 August 1937 – Friday 24 December 2021), Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and Jerry Douglas
‘Plain & Simple’ (written by Matt Jenkins, Matt Ramsey and Trevor Rosen)
‘Mattress On The Floor’ (written by Matt Alderman, Billy Montana and Randy Montana)
‘Local Honey’ (written by Wil Nance, Mo Pitney, Adam Wood and Tabitha Brown Pitney)
‘Old Stuff Better’ (written by Tim Nichols, Mo Pitney and Jimmy Yeary)
‘Jonas’ (written by Dean Dillon and Tom Douglas)
Moe Bandy recorded Mo Pitney’s ‘A Love Like That’ (co-written with Bobby Tomberlin and Bill Anderson) and included the track on ‘A Love Like That’ (Spur Records, 2020); the album was produced by Jimmy Capps (Thursday 25 May 1939 – Monday 1 June 2020).
• Visit Mo Pitney’s official site at mopitney.com
• Like Mo Pitney on Facebook