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 during 2013, 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 Diana Jones, which she submitted to this site on Wednesday 4 December 2013.

Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Diana Jones who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star Hero'.





Diana Jones
This quote was submitted on Wednesday 4 December 2013.

'Gene Watson's voice and delivery are like going to the source of pure and classic country, from a time when it was being invented'

Thank you, Diana Jones, for your support of Gene Watson.



About Diana Jones...



Diana Jones is an award-winning singer-songwriter, who is based in Nashville.

Diana Jones grew up in the north-east with no art or music in her home, the adopted daughter of a chemical engineer.

During her childhood and adolescence, Diana Jones felt an almost mystical, seemingly inexplicable attraction to rural Southern music, but it wasn’t until her late twenties, when she located her birth family in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee, that her deep affinity for traditional folk and Appalachian music began to make sense.



On Thursday 16 October 1997, Diana Jones saw the release of 'Imagine Me' (New Shoes Records, 1997), which included the following tracks:

'There's A Fire'
'Same Sky'
'In Broad Daylight'
'To Rise'
'Rough Land'
'The River'
'Imagine Me'
'The Rain Knows
If You Were Mine'
'Where The Sun Goes'

In 1998, Diana Jones saw the release of 'The One That Got Away' (New Shoes Records, 1998).



On Tuesday 27 June 2006, Diana Jones saw the release of 'My Remembrance of You' (New Song Recordings, 2006), which included the following tracks:

'Pretty Girl' (written by Diana Jones)
'My Beloved' (written by Diana Jones)
'All My Money On You' (written by Diana Jones)
'Pony' (written by Diana Jones)
'A Hold On Me' (written by Diana Jones)
'Up In Smoke' (written by Diana Jones)
'Cold Grey Ground' (written by Diana Jones)
'Fever Moon' (written by Diana Jones)
'Lay Me Down' (written by Diana Jones)
'Willow Tree' (written by Diana Jones)
'My Remembrance of You' (written by Diana Jones)

The release of Diana Jones' 'My Remembrance of You' (NewSong Recordings, 2006) earned her a nomination as 'Best Emerging Artist' at The Folk Alliance Awards, and lead to tours with Richard Thompson and Mary Gauthier, appearances at folk festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, and covers of her songs by Gretchen Peters and Joan Baez.



Joan Baez recorded Diana Jones' 'Henry Russell's Last Words' and included the track on 'Day After Tomorrow' (Proper Records, 2008), an album which was Grammy Award-nominated.



Gretchen Peters & Tom Russell recorded Diana Jones' 'If I Had A Gun' (co-written with Rebecca Folsom, Celeste Krenz and Elizabeth Barnez) and included the track on 'One To The Heart, One To The Head' (Frontera Records / Scarlet Letter Records, 2009).

 

In May 2007, Diana Jones saw the release of 'Radio Soul' (Diana Jones / Jonathan Byrd Independent Release, 2007), a self-released album recorded under the name of 'Byrdjones', which was a collaboration with fellow contemporary folk singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd.  Diana Jones and Jonathan Byrd assembled the album in preparation for a series of tours in which they split the bill across parts of Europe and the United States.

Diana Jones & Jonathan Byrd's 'Radio Soul' (Diana Jones / Jonathan Byrd Independent Release, 2007), which was produced by Diana Jones, included the following tracks:

'Radio Soul' (written by Jonathan Byrd and Diana Jones)
'Poor Boy' (written by Jonathan Byrd)
'Maryville' (written by Diana Jones)
'The Things of This World' (written by Jonathan Byrd)
'Reckon I Did' (written by Jonathan Byrd)

'My Remembrance of You' (written by Diana Jones) / this track is a re-recording / the original version of this track was included on Diana Jones' 'My Remembrance of You' (New Song Recordings, 2006)

'The Other Side' (written by Diana Jones)
'Orphan's Home' (written by Diana Jones)
'Velma' (written by Jonathan Byrd)
'Blue Eyes', which was written by Alvin Pleasant (A.P.) Delaney Carter (15 December 1891 - Monday 7 November 1960)
'That Better Day' (written by Diana Jones)



On Monday 23 February 2009, Diana Jones saw the release of 'Better Times Will Come' (Proper Records, 2009), which included the following tracks:

'Better Times Will Come' (written by Diana Jones)
'All God's Children' (written by Diana Jones)
'Henry Russell's Last Words' (written by Diana Jones)
'If I Had A Gun' (written by Liz Barnez, Rebecca Folsom, Diana Jones and Celeste Krenz)
'Soldier Girl' (written by Diana Jones)
'Cracked & Broken' (written by Diana Jones)
'Ballad of The Poor Child' (written by Diana Jones)
'Appalachia' (written by Diana Jones)
'Evangelina' (written by Diana Jones)
'Something Crossed Over' (written by Diana Jones)
'The Day I Die' (written by Diana Jones)

Notable names lending a hand on Diana Jones' 'Better Times Will Come' (Proper Records, 2009) included Mary Gauthier, Nanci Caroline Griffith (Monday 6 July 1953 - Friday 13 August 2021) and Betty Elders, along with The Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor.



On Tuesday 5 April 2011, Diana Jones saw the release of 'High Atmosphere' (Proper Records, 2011), which included the following tracks:

'High Atmosphere' (written by Diana Jones)
'I Don't Know' (written by Diana Jones)
'Sister' (written by Diana Jones)
'I Told The Man' (written by Diana Jones)
'Little Lamb' (written by Sally Barris and Diana Jones)
'Poverty' (written by Diana Jones)
'My Love Is Gone' (written by Diana Jones)
'Don't Forget Me' (written by Diana Jones)
'Funeral Singer' (written by Diana Jones)
'Poor Heart' (written by Diana Jones)
'Drug For This' (written by Diana Jones)
'Motherless Children' (traditional)

 

The release of both 'Better Times Will Come' (Proper Records, 2009) and 'High Atmosphere' (Proper Records, 2011) helped to establish Diana Jones' reputation as one of the premier artists in the folk music / Americana world.



On Monday 8 July 2013, Diana Jones saw the release, in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe, of 'Museum of Appalachia Recordings’ (Proper Records, 2013), which was appropriately recorded at The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee and was produced by Diana Jones and Matt Combs; the album, which was subsequently released in the United States by Goldmine Records on Tuesday 5 November 2013, included the following tracks:

'O Sinner' (written by Diana Jones)
'Drunkard's Daughter' (written by Diana Jones and Meg Bruan)
'Song For A Worker' (written by Diana Jones)
'Sparrow' (written by Diana Jones)
'Ohio' (written by Diana Jones)
'Love O Love' (written by Diana Jones)
'Orphan's Home' (written by Diana Jones)
'Goldmine' (written by Diana Jones)
'Satan' (written by Diana Jones and Donna Ulisse)
'Tennessee' (written by Diana Jones)
'The Other Side'(written by Diana Jones)

Personnel involved in the recording of Diana Jones' 'Museum of Appalachia Recordings’ (Proper Records, 2013) included the following:

Diana Jones (vocals, guitar, tenor guitar)
John Lilly and Laurelyn Dossett (harmony vocals)
Shad Cobb (harmony vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar)
Matt Combs (harmony vocals, fiddle, viola, mandolin, mandola, banjo)



At the time of the acquisition of this Gene Watson 'Peer's Quote', in December 2013, Diana Jones was maintaining an active touring schedule in Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with dates in the United States.

Diana Jones has performed and toured with Nanci Caroline Griffith (Monday 6 July 1953 - Friday 13 August 2021), Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, Mary Gauthier, Ralph Stanley (Friday 25 February 1927 - Thursday 23 June 2016) and Janis Ian.

In addition to her musical career, Diana Jones is an accomplished portrait artist and is currently at work on a memoir.



On Friday 25 September 2020, Diana Jones saw the release of 'Songs To A Refugee' (Proper Records, 2020), which included the following tracks:

'El Chaparral'
'I Wait For You'
'Song To A Refugee'
'We Believe You'
'Mama, Hold Your Baby'
'Santiago'
'Ask A Woman'
'The Life I Left Behind'
'Where We Are'
'Humble'
'Love Song To A Bird'
'The Sea Is My Mother'
'The Last Words'





• Visit Diana Jones' official site at dianajonesmusic.com