On Monday 14 October 2024, Gene Watson, having announced his ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon’ 2025 Tour, reflected on the use of historic press release photos.
‘Just this week, we announced my upcoming 2025 tour, which we are calling the ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon‘ Tour to celebrate 50 years since my first national single release.
I had been on a small, independent label, based in Texas, and we had released ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon‘, which was written by Kent Westberry and Vincent Wesley Matthews (1940 -Saturday 22 November 2003), where it hit No.1 in several states around Texas.
A Capitol Records promotion man, Ed Keeley, heard the song, and recommended to the Capitol label heads that they sign me and release this record nationally.
I was thrilled to be on such a prestigious label, and they rush-released the single.
If it hadn’t already been No.1 on so many prestigious stations, it would have been No.1 nationally, but it did go to No.3, and was also the year’s end No.4 over all other songs released in 1975.
I was asked which historic photo to place on the press release, and I chose the one on the back of the album cover of ‘Love In The Hot Afternoon‘ (Capitol Records, 1975). The album came out in August 1975, and reached No.5 on the Album Chart.
This photo, used for the press release, with no hat, brought up further discussion on when I started wearing a hat.
I don’t know the exact year, but I definitely was not wearing a cowboy hat when I signed to Capitol, and I only wore one for just a few years.
I just never felt I was a ‘hat act’. So, I’ve been a non-hat act for many, many years.
Below are some of my early press images that you may recall.
For all the 2025 shows (with more being added), just look at the website tour pages – here and here – for all the details.
I hope to see you out at one of the concerts nearest you!’
Source
Gene Watson on Facebook