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 Chuck Cusimano, which he submitted to this site on Sunday 28 September 2014.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Chuck Cusimano who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Chuck Cusimano
This quote was submitted on Sunday 28 September 2014.
‘Howdy, Sean, I finally got your message.
In 1974 / 1975, I had my own band in Lubbock, Texas.
When the song, ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon‘, which was written by Kent Westberry and Vincent Wesley Matthews (1940 – Saturday 22 November 2003), played on the radio, I knew it was going to be a hit!
I learned it and it filled the dancefloor with waltzing couples.
Later on, we were playing in a small lounge as the house band and Gene Watson came to appear.
We backed him up and instantly, Gene and I became friends.
We backed him several times after that also.
It was either the second or third time that Gene came that he brought a guitar player with him; Danny Rainwater (passed away on Friday 28 December 2018) and I also became friends.
After Gene had his complete band together, he came to Lubbock again. ‘Farewell Party‘, which was written by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 – Thursday 26 July 2007), was huge!
By this time, I had the house band at The Red Raider and I sang the song, more than likely, every night.
Gene and his band were due in on a Saturday night and, on the night before, (Friday), I made the announcement of the coming attraction and, while doing so, a waitress handed me a bar napkin that read, ‘Sing ‘Farewell Party‘, Gene Watson’. So, I said, ‘Here’s one by the great Gene Watson now, by request. Come in tomorrow night and hear him do it!’
I sing with my eyes closed a lot! Or even if I have them open, a lot of times, I’m not really seeing anything.
At the end of the song, I hit the high note and we finished the song as close to the record as we could.
Someone was standing right in front of me clapping. I opened my eyes and there stood Gene Watson!
I apologised for doing his song, and explained that I didn’t know he was in the house.
He said, ‘Who do you think requested it? I even signed it!’
I always tell people, ‘Gene Watson is the best singer I ever stood on the bandstand with!’
I have been in the music business, consistently, since 1973′
Thank you, Chuck Cusimano, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Chuck Cusimano…
Chuck Cusimano was born to a working cowboy father, Louie, and it is said that his mother, Judy, in her younger years, could ‘cowboy’ as good as most men also. The Cusimanos are from the Trinidad, Colorado area and have worked on various ranches in south-eastern Colorado and north-eastern New Mexico.
Chuck Cusimano and his brother, Jay, mostly grew up on the Box Ranch North of Branson, Colorado. The boxes ran close to 100,000 acres and had from 900 to 1,200 mother cows, depending on the condition of the water and grass, a direct result of what kind of a yearly rainfall the range had received. The boys just naturally followed in their Dad’s footsteps and were soon in demand on various Ranches as ‘day help’.
Besides being a cowboy for a living, Chuck Cusimano’s Dad, Louie, headed up a Western Swing dance band in the area and played music, three nights a week for many years. It was natural for the music to become a part of Chuck Cusimano’s makeup.
When he was fourteen years old, Chuck Cusimano took an interest in playing the guitar as he sat and watched his Dad give guitar lessons to a teenage neighbour. The guitar really intrigued young Chuck Cusimano; he stated ‘In 1963, I heard Buck Owens (Monday 12 August 1929 – Saturday 25 March 2006) sing a song about a guy in the movies, ‘Act Naturally’ and, when I heard that electric guitar, I knew I wanted to do that every day for the rest of my life!’
In 1968, Chuck Cusimano entered the United States Navy and spent four years on active duty doing four Vietnam cruises. It was during this time that a friend aboard the ship convinced Chuck Cusimano that he should sing. ‘I was too timid or embarrassed to try to sing where somebody could hear me at the time, but my friend from Arkansas thought I sounded good and since he didn’t know any of the songs I liked to sing, I started singing’.
When the ship was in Long Beach, California for some repairs in 1969, Chuck Cusimano found out about a country music bar, Foothill’s Club, and went to visit and listen to country music. Chuck Cusimano met the bandleader, William (Billy) Robert Mize (Monday 29 April 1929 – Wednesday 1 November 2017), who took a shine to Chuck after hearing him sing.
After hearing some of the songs which Chuck Cusimano had been writing, William (Billy) Robert Mize (Monday 29 April 1929 – Wednesday 1 November 2017) declared that Chuck could do something in the country music business.
In 1972, Chuck Cusimano left the United States Navy and went back to Colorado to work on a ranch for about a year. Chuck Cusimano then decided that, if he was going to try the country music business, he’d better get started.
By May 1973, Chuck Cusimano was working six nights a week with Merle David and his band in Odessa, Texas. Then, Chuck Cusimano moved onto Lubbock, Texas where he put his first band together. Band members came and went, as did nightclubs.
Chuck Cusimano did almost a year on the road with a band out of Nashville and also with a band out of Detroit, Michigan eventually coming back to Lubbock, Texas for a few years, and then to a ranch job in New Mexico, where he also played music four nights a week.
In 1997, Chuck Cusimano recorded an album in Colorado Springs, Colorado which remained on the shelf for twelve years; the album was released, in 2008, as ‘Swing Me A Song’ (Cusimusico Records, 2008), and included the following tracks:
‘Swing Me A Song’
‘Troubles In The Bottle’
‘Please Sing Silver Wings Again’
‘Neon Sun’
‘Baby Buggy Boogie’
‘When She Does Me Right’
‘You Ain’t Here To Hear Me Say Goodbye’
‘Houston’s Just Another Name For Blue’
‘Let Me Off In Texas’
‘Where In The Devil Did I Get A Little Angel Like You’
In 2010, Gena Roberts saw the release of ‘Shuffle Back To Me’ (Terajay Entertainment Records, 2010), which included the following tracks:
‘Shuffle Back To Me’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘If This Ain’t A Heartache’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘You Taught Me All I Know’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Nothing Left To Lose’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘It’s Your Love’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘The Pen’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Pretty Tears’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘You Are My Rainbow’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘When He Does Me Right’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Hold Me In Your Arms’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
Steel Country recorded eight of Chuck Cusimano’s songs and included the tracks on ‘Country, Hard As Steel’ (Crusin Debi Do Records, 2010), including the following:
‘Something Ain’t Wrong’ (written by Donnie Barrow and Chuck Cusimano)
‘Reason Enough’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘You’ve Still Got Him In Your Eyes’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Where That Little Light Shines’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Shuffleitis’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Looking Like Heaven’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Shade of Blue’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Taters & Beans’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
Joe Paul Nichols recorded three of Chuck Cusimano’s songs and included the tracks on ‘The Best of Joe Paul Nichols, Volume 2’ (Heart of Texas Records, 2010).
Lonnie Spiker recorded Chuck Cusimano’s ‘Another Day In The Life Of A Fool’ and included the track on ‘Coming To A Honky Tonk Near You’ (Megalith Records, 2010).
Robert Joe Vandygriff recorded Chuck Cusimano’s ‘Glory Ride’ and included the track on ‘The Cowboy Ain’t Dead Yet, Volume 3’ (CSp Records, 2011).
Robert Joe Vandygriff recorded Chuck Cusimano’s ‘We Were Cowboys’ and included the track on ‘The Cowboy Ain’t Dead Yet, Volume 3’ (CSp Records, 2011).
In 2011, Chuck Cusimano saw the release of ‘I Wrote This’ (Cusimusico Records, 2011), which included the following tracks:
‘Man In The Moon’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘That’s All’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Time Off For Bad Behaviour’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘All The Love In San Antone’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Damned Demons’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Gonna Go Dancin’ Tonight’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘San Antonio Waltz’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Honey Money’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘I Wrote This’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Two Steppin’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Gone For Good’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘San Antonio Blues’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Won’t Be Christmas’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Ten Dollar Toy’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
In 2013, Chuck Cusimano turned sixty-five years of age and, since 2003, had lived in Fort Worth, Texas. Chuck Cusimano plays guitar in four country music bands in the Fort Worth area, and writes, records and publishes country music through his Cusimusico BMI publishing company.
It was also in 2013 when Chuck Cusimano saw the release of ‘The Tyler Sessions’ (Cusimusico Records, 2013), which included the following tracks:
‘A Better Mind To Stay’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Nashville Runaround’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Twenty Twenty’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘I Miss Her Enough’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Silver Wings Was On The Jukebox’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Another Day In The Life Of A Fool’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘If This Ain’t A Heartache’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘I’ll Get By In Style’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Boredom To Bedroom’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Shuffle Back To Me’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Nothing Left To Lose’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘Home Is Where The Hurt Is’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘One Man’s Success’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
‘The Pen’ (written by Chuck Cusimano)
Besides featuring Chuck Cusimano on vocals, lead and rhythm guitar and background vocals, Chuck Cusimano’s ‘The Tyler Sessions’ (Cusimusico Records, 2013) also featured Reggie Rueffer (fiddle), Junior Knight (steel guitar and Dobro), David Mitchell (bass and drums), Floyd Domino (piano) and Gena Roberts-Hamilton (harmony vocals).
Myra Rolen recorded Chuck Cusimano’s ‘Beginning of The End’ and Chuck Cusimano’s ‘That’s Why There’s Honky Tonks In Texas’, and included both tracks on her third traditional country music album, ‘Hold That Thought’ (Pretty World Records, 2014), which was released in February 2014.
Myra Rolen‘s ‘Hold That Thought’ (Pretty World Records, 2014), also included the following tracks:
‘Hold That Thought’, which was written by Ray Griff (Monday 22 April 1940 – Wednesday 9 March 2016) and Tommy Rocco / the original version of this track was recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘Uncharted Mind‘ (Step One Records, 1993)
‘Can’t Hang Up The Phone’
‘You Put Out An Old Flame Last Night’ (written by Dave Lindsey and Ernie Rowell) / the original version of this track was recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘Sometimes I Get Lucky‘ (MCA Records, 1983) / this track was also re-recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on ‘Gene Watson…Then & Now‘ (Koch Records Nashville, 2005)
‘Crying Steel Guitar’
‘Looking For Love’
‘Sometimes You Just Cant Win’
‘Truth Is, I’m A Liar’
‘It’s Your Turn’
(photo taken in April 2016)
Myra Rolen‘s third traditional country music album, ‘Hold That Thought’ (Pretty World Records, 2014), was produced by Chip Bricker, the then piano player with Gene Watson‘s highly acclaimed Farewell Party Band and owner of Smart Productions in Nash, Texas.
Portions of the Chuck Cusimano biography are credited to Dan Beavers, who published it in 2013.
Jesse Jones recorded Chuck Cusimano’s ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is’ and included the track on ‘Meanwhile In This Honky Tonk’ (Jesse Jones Independent Release, 2019).
• Visit Chuck Cusimano’s official site at chuckcusimano.com