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Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site

On Friday 7 February 2020, Gene Watson became the newest member of The Grand Ole Opry / Photo Credit: Chris Hollo

Gene Watson: 'My Gospel Roots' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2017)

Gene Watson: 'My Gospel Roots' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2017)

Gene Watson's 'My Gospel Roots' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2017) was officially released, by Fourteen Carat Music, on Friday 8 December 2017

Gene Watson's Fan Site includes the latest Gene Watson tour date information

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site includes the latest Gene Watson tour date information

Gene Watson: 'Real.Country.Music' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016)

Gene Watson Fan Site Discography

Gene Watson's 'Real.Country.Music' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016) was officially released, by Fourteen Carat Music, on Friday 26 February 2016

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site has been active since September 2004

Gene Watson: 'Back in The Fire & At Last' (Morello Records, 2016)

Gene Watson's Fan Site Discography

Gene Watson's 'Back in The Fire & At Last' (Morello Records, 2016) was officially released, by Morello Records, on Friday 11 November 2016

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site has been active since September 2004

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site has been active since September 2004

Gene Watson's Fan Site includes the latest Gene Watson tour date information

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Gene Watson's Fan Site includes the latest Gene Watson tour date information

Gene Watson's Fan Site

Induct Gene Watson into The Country Music Hall of Fame

Gene Watson Fan Site includes an 'Induct Gene Watson into The Country Music Hall of Fame' Petition - please add your signature and help us to achieve our objective.

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Original Gene Watson Fan Site

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Home News Country Music People Promotion of Gene Watson Fan Site, August 2019

Gene Watson News

Gene Watson's Story Behind Recording 'Fourteen Carat Mind' in 1981

Details
Published: 09 January 2021

Gene Watson: 'Old Loves Never Die' (MCA Records, 1981)

Saturday 8 January 2021
 is an important date in the life and country music career of Gene Watson; it is the 39th anniversary of 'Fourteen Carat Mind' reaching No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart.

Gene Watson

'Fourteen Carat Mind', which was written by Dallas Frazier and Larry Lee Favorite (Saturday 6 January 1940 - Saturday 26 May 2001), and was included on Gene Watson's 'Old Loves Never Die' (MCA Records, 1981), and was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles for one week in January 1982.



Between 1975 and 1989, Gene Watson maintained a position as one of country music's most consistent hitmakers, taking twenty-one singles into Billboard's Top Ten.  Surprisingly, only one made it to the top spot, 'Fourteen Carat Mind'.

Gene Watson first heard the song while listening to demo tapes on his tour bus after the rest of the band had gone to sleep.  Gene could easily have overlooked it because it was on an unusual tape configuration.  Gene was going through a box of cassettes.  He got down to the bottom of the box and there was this one reel-to-reel tape down there.  Gene started to discard it, but then thought, 'No, I've got to hear what's on this tape'.

Gene Watson hooked up the old antique reel-to-reel recorder and threaded the tape on there, which was a very cumbersome job in itself, and it was the voice of one of Nashville's most renowned songwriters, Dallas Frazier, demoing one of his newest creations, 'Fourteen Carat Mind'.  After the first verse, Gene Watson knew he was going to record it.

Gene Watson was known for years for his 'greaser' hairstyle, but 'Fourteen Carat Mind' coincided with a new set of dry curls and a brand new beard.

Gene Watson displayed his fresh look on the cover of his 'Old Loves Never Die' (MCA Records, 1981) album, and 'Fourteen Carat Mind' was the first single, which made its debut on Billboard's country music singles chart on Saturday 3 October 1981, and began Gene's new year in grand fashion, reaching No.1 in January 1982 (Saturday 9 January 1982 - Saturday 16 January 1982).

The guys in Gene Watson's road band had been badgering him to let his hair grow out and let his beard grow, and he acknowledged that this occurred at the same time as his only Billboard chart-topping record.  Gene Watson admitted that it was a drastic change in appearance and generated a lot of conversation, but as far as he was concerned, the simultaneous new look and the success of 'Fourteen Carat Mind' was strictly coincidental.


Gene Watson performing 'Fourteen Carat Mind' on Ray Stevens 'CabaRay' / courtesy of raystevenscabaray.com

Gene Watson's 'Old Loves Never Die' (MCA Records, 1981), which was produced by Russ Reeder and Gene Watson for G-J Productions, and was recorded at Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville (Recording and Mixing Engineer: Jim Williamson), reached No.57 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1981.



Gene Watson re-recorded 'Fourteen Carat Mind', which was written by Dallas Frazier and Larry Lee Favorite (Saturday 6 January 1940 - Saturday 26 May 2001), and included the track on 'A Way to Survive' (Step One Records, 1997).



Gene Watson re-recorded 'Fourteen Carat Mind', which was written by Dallas Frazier and Larry Lee Favorite (Saturday 6 January 1940 - Saturday 26 May 2001), and included the track on 'Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits' (Fourteen Carat Music, 2012).

Gene Watson: 'Old Loves Never Die' (MCA Records, 1981)

'Old Loves Never Die'
MCA Records MCA5241 (1981)

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