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 2009, 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 John Wesley Ryles, which he submitted to this site on Saturday 1 August 2009.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to John Wesley Ryles who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
John Wesley Ryles
This quote was submitted on Saturday 1 August 2009.
‘Thanks for asking.
I love Gene and have been a fan since his first record.
To me, Gene Watson is the epitome of the term ‘country singer’.
He has one of the greatest voices ever heard in country music, a unique stylist with amazing talent’
Thank you, John Wesley Ryles for your support of Gene Watson.
About John Wesley Ryles…
John Wesley Ryles was born on Saturday 2 December 1950 in Bastrop, Louisiana.
John Wesley Ryles is best known for his 1968 single ‘Kay’, which was written by Hank Mills (Thursday 9 April 1936 – Friday 11 November 2005) and reached No.9 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1968.
John Wesley Ryles is also well known for his work as a country music backing vocalist.
In March 1969, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Kay’ (Columbia Records, 1969), which included four tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Kay’, which was written by Hank Mills (Thursday 9 April 1936 – Friday 11 November 2005) (No.9, 1968)
‘Heaven Below’ (No.55, 1969)
‘The Weakest Kind of Man’ (No.57, 1970)
‘I’ve Just Been Wasting My Time’ (No.17, 1970)
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Kay’ (Columbia Records, 1969) also included the following tracks:
‘Catch The Wind’
‘Come On Home’
‘Most Beautiful Thing In The World Is A Woman’
‘We’ll Try A Little Bit Harder’
‘Wichita Lineman’ (written by Jimmy Webb)
‘Little Green Apples’
‘All I Want Is You’
‘Woman, Woman’
‘Mighty Fortress Is Our Love’
‘My Special Angel’
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Kay’ (Columbia Records, 1969) reached No.22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart in 1969.
In 1971, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Reconsider Me’ (Plantation Records, 1971), which included one track, which was a hit single on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Reconsider Me’ (written by Margaret Lewis and Mira Smith) (No.39, 1971)
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Reconsider Me’ (Plantation Records, 1971) also included the following tracks:
‘Louisiana’
‘Love of This Woman’
‘Fire & Rain’
‘I Have No One To Love Me Anymore’
‘Two Shadows On The Wall’
‘Dance Her By Me (One More Time)’
‘I Almost Called Her Name’
‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’ (written by Kris Kristofferson)
‘Mobile’
‘Rose Garden’, which was written by Joe South (Wednesday 28 February 1940 – Wednesday 5 September 2012)
‘Let Me Take Her Off Your Hands’
Following the release of ‘Reconsider Me’ (Plantation Records, 1971), John Wesley Ryles saw the release of two non-album singles, ‘Tell It Like It Is’ (written by George Davis and Lee Diamond) (No.83, 1976) and ‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ (written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright) (No.72, 1976), both of which were released by Music Mill Records.
In 1977, John Wesley Ryles signed with ABC Records and saw the release of ‘John Wesley Ryles’ (ABC / Dot Records, 1977), which included four tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Tell It Like It Is’ (written by George Davis and Lee Diamond) (No.83, 1976)
‘When A Man Loves A Woman’ (written by Andrew Wright and Calvin Lewis) (No.72, 1976)
‘Fool’ (written by Terry Skinner) (No.18, 1977) / this track was also recorded by Jeff Woolsey, who included it on ‘The Real Me’ (Shuffle One Records, 2016)
‘Once In A Lifetime Thing’ (written by Bill Rice and Jerry Foster) (No.5, 1977)
John Wesley Ryles’ self-titled album, ‘John Wesley Ryles’ (ABC / Dot Records, 1977), also included the following tracks:
‘Here I Stand’ (written by John Wesley Ryles and John Morris)
‘Lying In The Arms of Love’ (written by Kenneth E. Bell and Terry Skinner)
‘Warming Love’ (written by John Morris and Scott Morris)
‘Easy’ (written by Terry Skinner)
‘Out of Your Heart’ (written by Kenneth E. Bell and Terry Skinner)
‘In The Middle of The Night’ (written by John Wesley Ryles)
In 1978, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Shine On Me’ (ABC / Dot Records, 1978), which included two tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Shine On Me (The Sun Still Shines When It Rains)’ (No.13, 1978)
‘Kay’, which was written by Hank Mills (Thursday 9 April 1936 – Friday 11 November 2005) / (No.50, 1978) / this track was a re-release
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Shine on Me’ (ABC Records, 1978) also included the following tracks:
‘We Can Make The Pieces Fit Again’
‘Next Time’
‘Making Love Don’t Make It Love’
‘Cry No More My Lady’
‘All Day Rain’
‘I Don’t Wanna Hear Your Love Song’
‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’
‘That All Over Feeling’
In 1978, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Easy’, a non-album single, which reached No.63 on the Billboard country music singles chart.
It was also in 1978 when John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Love’s Sweet Pain’ (ABC / Dot Records, 1978), which included two tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Someday You Will’ (No.45, 1978)
‘Love Ain’t Made For Fools’ (No.33, 1979)
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Love’s Sweet Pain’ (ABC / Dot Records, 1978) also included the following tracks:
‘Patches’
‘She’s On My Mind’
‘Some Kind of Miracle’
‘When It Begins To End’
‘Love Coming Down’
‘It’s Raining Outside Your Door’
‘Don’t Waste It On Me’
‘Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers’
When ABC / Dot Records merged with MCA Records, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of ‘Let The Night Begin’ (MCA Records, 1979), which included three tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘Liberated Woman’ (No.14, 1979)
‘Always On My Mind’, which was written by Wayne Carson (Monday 31 May 1943 – Monday 20 July 2015), Mark James and Johnny Christopher (No.20, 1979)
‘Perfect Strangers’ (No.24, 1980)
John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Let The Night Begin’ (MCA Records, 1979) also included the following tracks:
‘Let The Night Begin’
‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’
‘I Surrender’
‘Mothers & Daddys’
‘Nothing But Love’
‘I Loved ‘Em All’
‘We’ve Just Got To Get Together Again’
In the years between 1981 and 1988, John Wesley Ryles saw the release of a number of non-album tracks, which were hit singles on the Billboard country music singles chart:
‘May I Borrow Some Sugar From You’ (No.52, 1981)
‘Cheater’s Trap’ (No.54, 1981)
‘Somewhere To Come When It Rains’ (No.80, 1981)
‘Mathilda’ (No.78, 1981)
‘We’ve Got To Start Meeting Like This’ (No.76, 1982) / this track was released on Primero Records
‘Just Once’ (No.80, 1982) / this track was released on Primero Records
‘She Took It Too Well’ (No.78, 1984) / this track was released on 16th Avenue Records
‘Midnight Blue’ (No.36, 1987)
‘Louisiana Rain’ (No.20, 1987) / this track was released on Warner Bros. Records
‘Nobody Knows’ (No.53, 1988)
The last record label for which John Wesley Ryles recorded was Warner Bros. Records between 1987 and 1988.
In September 1987, John Wesley Ryles recorded Tommy Rocco‘s ‘Strong Heart’, which was co-written with Charlie Black (Wednesday 23 November 1949 – Friday 23 April 2021) and Austin Roberts; the track, which was recorded for Warner Bros. Records, was released as the ‘B’ side of ‘Louisiana Rain’ (written by Richard Alves and Roger Murrah), a non-album single, which reached No.20 on the Billboard country musc singles chart in 1987.
Although John Wesley Ryles reached the Billboard Top 20 country music singles chart with ‘Louisiana Rain’ (written by Richard Alves and Roger Murrah) during his stay on Warner Bros. Records, he did not release an album for the label.
Steve Wariner recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Starting Over Again’ (co-written with Don Goodman) and included the track on ‘Life’s Highway’ (MCA Records, 1985); the track reached No.4 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1986.
Conway Twitty (Friday 1 September 1933 – Saturday 5 June 1993) recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Fifteen To Forty-Three’, which was co-written with Dan Goodman, Frank Dycus (Tuesday 5 December 1939 – Friday 23 November 2012) and Mark Sherrill, and included the track on ‘Borderline’ (MCA Records, 1987).
Since the release of his last single in 1988, John Wesley Ryles has served primarily as a background vocalist and demo singer.
John Anderson recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Warm Place In The Snow’, which was co-written with Bill Rice (Wednesday 19 April 1939 – Saturday 28 October 2023) and Mary Sharon Rice, and included the track on ‘Ten’ (MCA Records, 1988).
Mickey Gilley (Sunday 29 September 1935 – Friday 28 October 2022) recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘It’s Killing Me To Watch Love Die’ (co-written with Don Goodman) and included the track on ‘Chasing Rainbows’ (Airbone Records, 1988).
Ricky Van Shelton recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘I’m Starting Over’ (co-written with Kix Brooks and Mark Sherrill) and included the track on ‘Ricky Van Shelton III’ (Columbia Records, 1990).
Davis Daniel recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘I Saw You’ (co-written with Eddie Hill and Johnny Neel) and included the track on ‘Davis Daniel’ (Polydor Records, 1994).
Daryle Singletary (Wednesday 10 March 1971 – Monday 12 February 2018) recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Kay’ and included the track on ‘That’s Why I Sing This Way’ (Audium Records / Koch Records, 2002); the track featured guest vocals from John Wesley Ryles.
Sammy Sadler recorded John Wesley Ryles’ ‘Any Four Walls’ and included the track on ‘Hard on a Heart’ (Tri Records, 2004).
Over the years, John Wesley Ryles added his distinctive background vocals to a number of acclaimed country music albums.
Dennis Wilson, John Wesley Ryles, Harry Stinson and Ricky Van Shelton provided background vocals on ‘A Slow Burning Fire’ (written by Jan Buckingham and Valerie Smith), a track, which was included on Tammy Wynette’s ‘Higher Ground’ (Epic Records, 1987).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Mark Chesnutt‘s ‘Almost Goodbye’ (MCA Records, 1993).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, except ‘Whole Lotta Love On The Line’ (written by Aaron Tippin and Donny Kees), ‘Call of The Wild’ (written by Aaron Tippin, Buddy Brock and Michael P. Heeney) and ‘When Country Took The Throne’ (written by Aaron Tippin and Buddy Brock), on Aaron Tippin‘s ‘Call of The Wild’ (RCA Records, 1993).
In 1995, James House saw the release of ‘Days Gone By’ (Columbia Records, 1994); John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals on the following tracks:
‘A Real Good Way To Wind Up Lonesome’, which was written by James House, Dale Dodson and John Jarrard (Thursday 7 May 1953 – Thursday 1 February 2001) (No.52, 1994)
‘Little By Little’ (written by James House and Rick Bowles) (No.25, 1995)
‘This Is Me Missing You’ (written by James House, Monty Powell and Debi Cochran) (No.6, August 1995)
‘Until You Set Me Free’ (written by James House and Rafe Van Hoy) / this track was released as a single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart in 1996, but it did not chart
‘Silence Makes A Lonesome Sound’, which was written by James House, Phil Barnhart and Sam Hogin (1950 – Monday 9 August 2004)
John Wesley Ryles provided harmony vocals, on all tracks, on Rhett Akins’ ‘A Thousand Memories’ (Decca Records, 1995).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Tracy Byrd’s ‘Love Lessons’ (MCA Records, 1995).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, along with Ray Herndon and Dennis Wilson, on all tracks, on Aaron Tippin‘s ‘Tool Box’ (RCA Records, 1995).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Lonestar’s ‘Crazy Nights’ (BNA Records, 1997).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals on three newly recorded tracks, which were included on Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover to Cover’ (Mercury Records, 1997); all three tracks were produced by Keith Stegall and John Kelton:
‘It’s All The Same To Me’ (written by Jerry Laseter and Kerry Kurt Phillips) (No.19, 1997)
‘Cover To Cover’ (written by Gary Burr)
‘Bluegrass State of Mind’, which was written by Mark Collie and Alex Harvey (Monday 10 March 1947 – Saturday 4 April 2020)
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, along with Judy Rodman and Dennis Wilson, on all tracks, on Aaron Tippin‘s ‘Greatest Hits…& Then Some’ (RCA Records, 1997).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Terri Clark‘s ‘How I Feel’ (Mercury Records, 1998).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Billy Ray Cyrus’ ‘Shot Full of Love’ (Mercury Records, 1998).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Mark Chesnutt‘s ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ (Decca Records, 1999).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Tracy Byrd’s ‘It’s About Time’ (RCA Records, 1999).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Aaron Tippin‘s ‘People Like Us’ (Lyric Street Records, 2000).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on ‘Unleashed’ (Dreamworks Records, 2002), an album release from Toby Keith (Saturday 8 July 1961 – Monday 5 February 2024).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on ‘Shock’n Y’All’ (Dreamworks Records, 2003), an album release from Toby Keith (Saturday 8 July 1961 – Monday 5 February 2024).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Brooks & Dunn’s (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn) ‘Hillbilly Deluxe’ (Arista Records, 2005).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, on ‘Honky Tonk University’ (Dreamworks Records, 2005), an album release from Toby Keith (Saturday 8 July 1961 – Monday 5 February 2024).
John Wesley Ryles provided background vocals, on all tracks, with the exception of ‘Staying Together’ (written by Jerry Salley and Monty Holmes), on Gene Watson‘s ‘A Taste of the Truth‘ (Shanachie Records, 2009).
John Wesley Ryles, along with Cindy Richardson Walker, Judy Rodman and Dirk Johnson, provided background vocals, on all tracks, on Gene Watson‘s ‘Real.CountryMusic‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016).
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