‘Beautiful Country’
Capitol Records ST-11715 (1977)
Gene Watson’s ‘Beautiful Country’ was released by Capitol Records in October 1977 and reached No.32 on the Billboard Top Country Album Chart in 1977.
Gene Watson’s ‘Beautiful Country’ discography information is presented on the Gene Watson Fan Site for educational purposes only and no infringement of copyright is intended.
About Gene watson’s ‘Beautiful Country’…
Album Sleeve Notes
‘At the Fan Fair in Nashville recently, I was emceeing the Capitol Records Show and at that time, I introduced Gene Watson as ‘the next Merle Haggard‘ (Tuesday 6 April 1937 – Wednesday 6 April 2016), and I really meant it. He is a song stylist whose phrasing reminds you of Merle, but there is enough difference to indicate that he isn’t trying to be Merle.
Gary Gene Watson has been building a ladder of success and the rings in that ladder have been some of the biggest country hits in the last three years. There was ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon’, ‘Where Love Begins’, ‘You Could Know As Much About A Stranger’, ‘Because You Believed In Me’ and ‘Paper Rosie’.
And, you’re saying to yourself, is that the guy who sang all those songs?
My friend, he’s right inside this album with another batch of good listening.
Who is Gene Watson? Here are a few facts:
Lives in Houston, Texas, worked on automobiles for ten years as a mechanic and body man, does not like for fans to kiss him (it embarrasses him), has strange hobby – likes to grow ivy in pots, CB handle: ‘Hail Ball’ because an old car he was driving was caught in a hail storm, married, two children (15 and 13) boy and girl, went to Central High in the big town of Direct, Texas (population: 150).
Gene is good-natured, a pleasure to know. It is difficult to convey to you on paper his friendliness and his ability to sing a country song. In another three years, he will be country music’s biggest star. It’s nice to know that we fans of his know it first’
Ralph Emery (Friday 10 March 1933 – Saturday 15 January 2022)
Host of ‘Pop Goes The Country’, a national syndicated television show in the United States’
Photographs for ‘Beautiful Country’ were taken by George Jerman.
‘Beautiful Country’
Capitol Records ST11715 (1977)
1 ‘The Old Man & His Horn’
Writer: Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019)
Publishers: Doubleplay Music / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Recording Engineer: Joe Mills)
Gene Watson re-recorded ‘The Old Man & His Horn’, which was written by Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019), and included the track on ‘Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2012).
2 ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All The Time’
Writer: Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019)
Publishers: Doubleplay Music / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Recording Engineer: Joe Mills)
Gene Watson’s recording of ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All The Time’, which was written by Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019), was also included on the soundtrack of ‘Convoy’ (United Artists Records, 1978).
The soundtrack for ‘Convoy’ (United Artists Records, 1978) included the following tracks:
• ‘Convoy’, which was written by William Dale Fries Jr./ C.W. McCall (Thursday 15 November 1928 – Friday 1 April 2022) and Chip Davis / this track was recorded by William Dale Fries Jr. (as C.W. McCall) / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for six weeks in December 1975 / January 1976, and No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music singles chart on Saturday 10 January 1976
• ‘Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue’ (written by Richard Leigh) / this track was recorded by Crystal Gayle / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for four weeks in August / September 1977, and No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music singles chart in 1977
• ‘Blanket On The Ground’, which was written by Roger D. Bowling (Sunday 3 December 1944 – Sunday 26 December 1982) / this track was recorded by Billie Jo Spears (Friday 14 January 1938 – Wednesday 14 December 2011) / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in April / May 1975
• ‘Keep It On The Sunny Side’, which was written by Alvin Pleasant (A.P.) Delaney Carter (15 December 1891 – Monday 7 November 1960) and Gary Garett / this track was recorded by Doc Watson (Saturday 3 March 1923 – Tuesday 29 May 2012)
• ‘Okie From Muskogee’, which was written by Merle Haggard (Tuesday 6 April 1937 – Wednesday 6 April 2016) and Ray Burris / this track was recorded by Merle Haggard / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for four weeks in November / December 1969
• ‘Lucille’, which was written by Roger D. Bowling (Sunday 3 December 1944 – Sunday 26 December 1982) and Hal Bynum (Saturday 29 September 1934 – Thursday 2 June 2022) / this track was recorded by Kenny Rogers (Sunday 21 August 1938 – Friday 20 March 2020) / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for two weeks in April 1977, and No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music singles chart in 1977
• ‘Southern Nights’, which was written by Allen Toussaint (Friday 14 January 1938 – Tuesday 10 November 2015) / this track was recorded by Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017) / No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for two weeks in March / April 1977, and No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music singles chart in 1977
• ‘Walk Right Back’ (written by Sonny Curtis) / this track was recorded by Anne Murray / No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978
• ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All The Time’, which was written by Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019) / this track was recorded by Gene Watson / No.11 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978
• ‘I Cheated On A Good Woman’s Love’ (written by Del Bryant) / this track was recorded by Billy ‘Crash’ Craddock / No.4 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978
Gene Watson re-recorded ‘Cowboys Don’t Get Lucky All The Time’, which was written by Dallas Harms (Thursday 18 July 1935 – Saturday 12 October 2019), and included the track on ‘Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2012).
3 ‘I Won’t Be Sleeping Alone’
Writers: Charles Robert Stewart and Jerry Bob Abbott
Publishers: Pantego Sound / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Recording Engineer: Joe Mills)
Jeff Woolsey recorded ‘I Won’t Be Sleeping Alone’ (written by Charles Robert Stewart and Jerry Bob Abbott) and included the track on ‘The Real Me’ (Shuffle One Records, 2016).
4 ‘Hey, Barnum & Bailey’
Writers: Jerry Bob Abbott, Charles Robert Stewart and Kenneth Hagler
Publishers: Pantego Sound / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Bradley’s Barn, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee (Recording Engineer: Joe Mills)
Joe Stampley recorded ‘Hey, Barnum & Bailey’ (written by Jerry Bob Abbott, Charles Robert Stewart and Kenneth Hagler) and included the track on ‘Red Wine & Memories’ (Epic Records, 1978).
5 ‘I’d Love To Live With You Again’
Writer: George ‘Dicky’ Overbey (Monday 11 May 1942 – Saturday 4 October 2014)
Publishers: Back Bay Music / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
In 1968, Darrell McCall recorded ‘I’d Love To Live With You Again’, which was written by George ‘Dicky’ Overbey (Monday 11 May 1942 – Saturday 4 October 2014); the track was released, as a non-album single, on Westside Records, in 1968.
Faron Young (Thursday 25 February 1932 – Tuesday 10 December 1996) recorded ‘I’d Love To Live With You Again’, which was written by George ‘Dicky’ Overbey (Monday 11 May 1942 – Saturday 4 October 2014), and included the track on ‘A Man & His Music’ (Mercury Records, 1974).
6 ‘I Don’t Need A Thing At All’
Writer: Joe Allen
Publishers: Joe Allen Music / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
Gene Watson re-recorded ‘I Don’t Need A Thing At All’ (written by Joe Allen) and included the track on ‘The Good Ole Days‘ (Step One Records, 1996).
Gene Watson re-recorded ‘I Don’t Need A Thing At All’ (written by Joe Allen) and included the track on ‘Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2012).
Jordan Mogey recorded ‘I Don’t Need A Thing At All’ (written by Joe Allen) and included the track on ‘Alone With You’ (Jordan Mogey Independent Release / ISG Records, 2015).
7 ‘Raining In Dallas’
Writers: John Gostick and Richard Moreland
Publishers: Calloway Music
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
8 ‘It Don’t Hurt Me Half As Bad’
Writers: Joe Allen, Deion Lay and Bucky Lindsay
Publishers: Combine Music Corporation / BMI
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
Ray Price (Tuesday 12 January 1926 – Monday 16 December 2013) recorded ‘It Don’t Hurt Me Half As Bad’ (written by Joe Allen, Deion Lay and Bucky Lindsay) and included the track on ‘Town And Country’ (Dimension Records, 1981).
9 ‘I Knew We Could Never Love For Long’
Writer: David Barnes
Publishers: Neverbreak Music / ASCAP
Produced by Russ Reeder
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
10 ‘He Little Thinged Her Out of My Arms’
Writer: Hank Cochran (Friday 2 August 1935 – Thursday 15 July 2010)
Publishers: Tree International / BMI
Produced by Bob Webster (1930 – Thursday 22 February 2007)
Recorded at Cowboy Jack Clement (Sunday 5 April 1931 – Thursday 8 August 2013) Studios, Nashville (Recording Engineer: Jim Williamson)
On Monday 26 September 2005, England’s Hux Records released Gene Watson’s ‘Beautiful Country’, along with Gene Watson’s ‘Because You Believed in Me‘ (Capitol Records, 1977), as a special 2-for-1 CD set.
‘Beautiful Country’
Capitol Records ST11715 (1977)
Personnel involved in the recording of Gene Watson’s ‘Beautiful Country’ (Capitol Records, 1977) included the following:
Dale Sellers, Jimmy Colvard (1943 – 1977), Dave Kirby (Sunday 10 July 1938 – Saturday 17 April 2004) and Harold Bradley (Saturday 2 January 1926 – Thursday 31 January 2019) (guitar)
Lloyd Green (steel guitar)
Joe Allen (bass)
Buddy Harman (Sunday 23 December 1928 – Thursday 21 August 2008) and Kenny Malone (Thursday 4 August 1938 – Thursday 26 August 2021) (drums)
Hargus ‘Pig’ Robbins (Tuesday 18 January 1938 – Sunday 30 January 2022) (piano)
Buddy Spicher and Tommy Williams (fiddle)
The Nashville Edition: Joe Babcock, Hurshel Wayne Wiginton (Saturday 29 January 1938 – Monday 6 March 2017), Dolores Edgin and Wendy Suits (vocals)