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 2021, 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 Karen Brooks, which she submitted to this site on Saturday 12 June 2021.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Karen Brooks who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Karen Brooks
This quote was submitted on Saturday 12 June 2021.
‘I didn’t know Gene, but my good friend, Joe Allen, knew him well.
Joe Allen wrote many songs for Gene, and is a bass player.
Joe Allen said Gene was a wonderful man.
Joe Allen wrote a song for Gene that I find my self quoting all the time.
Whenever I have to leave a friend or relative after a visit, I will say ‘I wish I had a circle driveway, so I could drive around and wave goodbye all day’
Thank you, Karen Brooks, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Karen Brooks…
Karen Brooks was born in Dallas, Texas on Friday 30 April 1954.
Karen Brooks attended Justin F. Kimball High School; one of her schoolmates was Stevie Ray Vaughn (Sunday 3 October 1954 – Monday 27 August 1990) (Class of 1972).
Karen Brooks was formerly married to Gary P. Nunn, with whom she had one child, a son, Lukin Tolliver Nunn.
Karen Brooks’ mother, Lynn Brooks, was a make-up artist in the motion-picture industry.
During the latter half of the 1970s, and the early half of the 1980s, Karen Brooks lent her vocals to recordings by a number of distinguished artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker (Monday 16 March 1942 – Friday 24 October 2020), David Allan Coe, Steven Fromholz (Friday 8 June 1945 – Sunday 19 January 2014), Gary P. Nunn, Townes Van Zandt (Tuesday 7 March 1944 – Wednesday 1 January 1997), Anne Murray, and Emmylou Harris.
Karen Brooks remained a popular background singer for much of the late 1970s.
Karen Brooks is an acclaimed country music songwriter, who is best known for a series of singles recorded by Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Patty Loveless, Tanya Tucker, Russell Smith (Friday 17 June 1949 – Friday 12 July 2019), David Allan Coe, Crystal Gayle, and Exile.
Jerry Jeff Walker (Monday 16 March 1942 – Friday 24 October 2020) recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Couldn’t Do Nothin’ Right’ (co-written with Gary P. Nunn) and included the track on ‘It’s A Good Night For Singing’ (MCA Records, 1976).
Rosanne Cash recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Couldn’t Do Nothin’ Right’ (co-written with Gary P. Nunn) and included the track on ‘Right Or Wrong’ (Columbia Records, 1980); the track reached No.15 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1980.
In February 1981, David Allan Coe saw the release of ‘Invictus (Means) Unconquered’ (Columbia Records, 1981); one of the included tracks was ‘As Far As This Feeling Will Take Us’ (written by Buzz Rabin and William ‘Flash’ Gordon), which was a duet with Karen Brooks.
David Allan Coe recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘The Best Game in Town’, which was co-written with David Allan Coe and Shel Silverstein (Thursday 25 September 1930 – Monday 10 May 1999), and included the track on ‘Invictu (Means) Unconquered’ (Columbia Records, 1981); the track was a duet with Karen Brooks.
David Allan Coe’s ‘Invictu (Means) Unconquered’ (Columbia Records, 1981) also included ‘London Homesick Blues’, which was written by Gary P. Nunn.
In August 1981, David Allan Coe saw the release of ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ (Columbia Records, 1981); one of the included tracks was ‘We Got A Bad Thing Going’ (written by David Allan Coe), which was a duet with Karen Brooks.
Emmylou Harris recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Tennessee Rose’ (co-written with Hank DeVito) and included the track on ‘Cimarron’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1981); the track reached No.9 on the Billboard country music singles chart in early 1982.
In the 1980s, Karen Brooks headed to California to work alongside Rodney Crowell, where she eventually picked up a recording contract with Warner Bros. Nashville Records.
In June 1982, Karen Brooks saw the release of her debut album, ‘Walk On’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1982), which included three tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘New Way Out’ (written by Randy Sharp) (No.17, 1982)
‘If That’s What You’re Thinking’ (written by Randy Sharp) (No.21, 1983)
‘Walk On’ (written by Karen Brooks) (No.30, 1983
Karen Brooks’ debut album, ‘Walk On’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1982), also included the following tracks:
‘Country Girl’ (written by Albert Lee, Tony Colton and Ray Smith)
‘Shame On The Moon’ (written by Rodney Crowell)
‘Every Beat of My Heart’ (written by Karen Brooks and Troy Seals)
‘Shores of White Sand’ (written by John Wesley Routh)
‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, which was written by Hal David (Wednesday 25 May 1921 – Saturday 1 September 2012) and Burt Bacharach (Saturday 12 May 1928 – Wednesday 8 February 2023)
‘Candy Man’ (written by Beverly Ross and Frederick Neil)
‘Under The Stars’ (written by Karen Brooks and Hank DeVito)
Karen Brooks’ debut album, ‘Walk On’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1982), reached No.38 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1982.
In September 1982, T.G. Sheppard saw the release of ‘Perfect Stranger’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1982); one of the included tracks was ‘Faking Love’ (written by Bobby Braddock and Matraca Berg), which was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in February 1983, and was a duet with Karen Brooks.
David Allan Coe recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Don’t Be A Stranger’ (co-written with David Allan Coe) and included the track on ‘Castles In The Sand’ (Columbia Records, 1983); the track was a duet with Eve Shapiro.
In June 1984, Karen Brooks saw the release of ‘Hearts On Fire’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1984), which included three tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Born To Love You’, which was written by Charlie Black (Wednesday 23 November 1949 – Friday 23 April 2021) and Layng Martine Jr. (No.40, 1984)
‘Tonight I’m Here With Someone Else’ (written by Dave Loggins) (No.19, 1984) / this track also reached No.14 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in 1984
‘A Simple I Love You’ (written by Karen Brooks and Randy Sharp) (No.63, 1984) / this track was also recorded by Holly Dunn (Thursday 22 August 1957 – Tuesday 15 November 2016), who included it on ‘Getting It Dunn’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1992)
Karen Brooks’ ‘Hearts On Fire’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1984) also included the following tracks:
‘Showdown’
‘A Little Common Kindness’ (written by Randy Sharp)
‘Bull Rider’
‘Hearts On Fire’ (written by Eric Kaz and Randy Meisner)
‘Give It Up’ (written by Randy Sharp)
‘Way We Make A Broken Heart’
‘On The Boulevard’
Karen Brooks’ ‘Hearts On Fire’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1984) reached No.40 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1984.
In June 1985, Karen Brooks saw the release of ‘I Will Dance With You’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1985), which included one track, which was a hit single on the Billboard country music singles chart:
and
Johnny Cash
(Friday 26 February 1932 – Friday 12 September 2003)
‘I Will Dance With You’ (written by Jack Wesley Routh) (No.45, 1985) / this track was a duet with Johnny Cash (Friday 26 February 1932 – Friday 12 September 2003)
Karen Brooks’ ‘I Will Dance With You’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1985) also included the following tracks:
‘Nobody’s Angel’
‘Hard Way’
‘Have A Heart’
‘Last Time’
‘I Do Blues’
‘Last One To Know’
‘Other Night’
‘Too Bad For Love’ (written by Karen Brooks and Randy Sharp)
‘Beyond The Great Divide’
On Friday 2 August 1985, The Children’s Television Workshop released ‘Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird’, which was commonly shortened to ‘Follow That Bird’, a 1985 American musical road-comedy film, which was directed by Ken Kwapis, and starred many Sesame Street characters (both puppets and live actors).
‘Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird’ was produced by The Children’s Television Workshop, Jim Henson Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures, and was filmed at the Toronto International Studios, and on location in the Greater Toronto Area, in Canada.
One of the tracks included on the soundtrack for ‘Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird’ (The Children’s Television Workshop / Jim Henson Productions / Warner Bros. Pictures, 1985) was ‘I’m So Blue’ (written by Randy Sharp and Karen Brooks), which featured vocals from Carol Edwin Spinney (Tuesday 26 December 1933 – Sunday 8 December 2019) as Big Bird, and for which Karen Brooks won a Grammy for award.
David Allan Coe recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Couldn’t Do Nothin’ Right’ (co-written with Gary P. Nunn) and included the track on ‘Son of The South’ (Columbia Records, 1986); the track was a duet with Karen Brooks.
Crystal Gayle recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Nobody’s Angel’ (co-written with Randy Sharp) and included the track on ‘Nobody’s Angel’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1988); the track reached No.22 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1988.
Patty Loveless recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘Blue Memories’ (co-written with Paul Kennerley) and included the track on ‘On Down The Line’ (MCA Records, 1990); the track, which reached No.22 on the Billboard country music singles chart in July 1991, was re-recorded by Patty Loveless, who included it on ‘Mountain Soul II’ (Saguaro Road Records, 2009), with Vince Gill and Rebecca Lynn Howard as background singers with a Bluegrass music arrangement.
In July 1992, Karen Brooks & Randy Sharp saw the release of ‘That’s Another Story’ (Mercury Records, 1992), which was produced by David Malloy and Randy Sharp, and included two tracks, which were released as singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart:
‘Baby, I’m The One’ / this track was released as a single in 1992, but it did not chart
‘That’s Another Story’ (written by Karen Brooks, Randy Sharp and David Malloy) / this track was released as a single in 1992, but it did not chart
Karen Brooks & Randy Sharp’s ‘That’s Another Story’ (Mercury Records, 1992) also included the following tracks:
‘All I Need’
‘Good Love Is Hard To Find’
‘Search Goes On’
‘Last Call For Love’ (written by Randy Sharp and Joe Gayden)
‘If You Don’t Really Love Her’ (written by Randy Sharp and John Davis)
‘You Can Always Count On Me’
‘He Loves Me’
‘Pretending’
‘I’m Only Human’
‘It’s Not All Over’
Holly Dunn (Thursday 22 August 1957 – Tuesday 15 November 2016) recorded Karen Brooks’ ‘A Simple I Love You’ (co-written with Randy Sharp) and included the track on ‘Getting It Dunn’ (Warner Bros. Nashville Records, 1992).
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