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 2018, 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 Phil Thomas, which he submitted to this site on Tuesday 3 April 2018.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Phil Thomas who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Sean Brady would also like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Monte Warden (Phil Thomas’ son-in-law), without whom this Gene Watson ‘Peer’s Quote’ from Phil Thomas would not have been possible.
Phil Thomas
This quote was submitted on Tuesday 3 April 2018.
‘Hey, Gene Watson!
I’m Phil Thomas and I was a writer on ‘Drinkin’ My Way Back Home‘ – along with Don Scaife and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010).
And, I gotta tell you, I was a big Gene Watson fan before I ever got that cut.
But I sure did enjoy the ride we had on that. It was a fun time.
I was a young writer and everybody was chasing Gene Watson, so we caught you on that one.
And, I wish you all the luck.
I still see you on ‘Larry’s Country Diner’ around.
I still miss country music so much on the radio.
But, anyhow, we had a good run at it.
And, I thank you again for a great cut, buddy!’
Thank you, Phil Thomas, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Phil Thomas…
Phil Thomas was born Phil Sidney Thomas into poverty in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1944 and was raised in public housing in Lauderdale Courts in Memphis.
Phil Thomas became a Screaming Eagle for the 101st US Army Airborne, started quarterback for Mississippi State University, became a college graduate, and a football coach; all of this before taking his passion and penchant for storytelling and embarking on a remarkable five-decade songwriting career.
Phil Thomas’ remarkable five-decade songwriting career saw him sell over thirty-five plus million records, with cuts by a number of legendary country music artists, including Johnny Paycheck (Tuesday 31 May 1938 – Wednesday 19 February 2003), George Strait, Barbara Mandrell, Alabama, Randy Travis, Gene Watson, John Conlee, Red Sovine (Wednesday 17 July 1918 – Friday 4 April 1980), Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 – Thursday 31 March 2011), and Dottie West (Tuesday 11 October 1932 – Wednesday 4 September 1991).
Phil Thomas had a wonderful sense of humour, which was marked as much by its hilarity and quickness, as much as it was by its complete absence of malice.
Tommy Vig Orchestra recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘I Miss You Today’ (co-written with Tommy Vig) and included the track on ‘The Sound of The Seventies’ (Milestone Records, 1968).
In 1977, Shylo – Danny Hogan (bass, vocals), Perry York (drums, tambourine, vocals) and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010) (guitar, vocals) – recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Drinkin’ My Way Back Home’, which was co-written by with Don Scaife and Ronny Scaife; the track, which was a non-album cut on Columbia Records, reached No.63 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1977.
Johnny Paycheck (Tuesday 31 May 1938 – Wednesday 19 February 2003) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Colorado Cool-Aid’ and included the track on ‘Take This Job & Shove It’ (Epic Records, 1977); the track, which reached No.50 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978, was subsequently included on Johnny Paycheck’s ‘Johnny Paycheck – Live At Gilley’s’ (Westwood One, 1985 / Atlantic Records and Q Records, 1999).
Johnny Paycheck’s recording of Phil Thomas’ ‘Colorado Cool-Aid’ was the ‘B’ side of ‘Take This Job & Shove It’ (written by David Allan Coe), which was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for two weeks in January 1978.
In 1978, Red Sovine (Wednesday 17 July 1918 – Friday 4 April 1980) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Colorado Cool-Aid’; the track was subsequently included on ‘The Best of Red Sovine’ (Tee Vee Records, 1986).
In 1985, Johnny Paycheck (Tuesday 31 May 1938 – Wednesday 19 February 2003) saw the release of ‘Johnny Paycheck – Live At Gilley’s’ (Westwood One, 1985), which included a ‘live’ recording of ‘Colorado Cool-Aid’ (written by Phil Thomas); the album, which was recorded ‘live’ at Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas on Wednesday 9 October 1985, was subsequently re-issued by Atlantic Records / Q Records in 1999.
Johnny Paycheck (Tuesday 31 May 1938 – Wednesday 19 February 2003) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Me & The I.R.S.’ and included the track on ‘Johnny Paycheck’s Greatest Hits 2′ (Epic Records, 1978) and ‘Armed & Crazy’ (Epic Records, 1978); the track reached No.33 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978.
Johnny Paycheck’s recording of Phil Thomas’ ‘Me & The I.R.S.’ was the ‘B’ side of ‘Georgia In A Jug’, which reached No.17 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978.
Johnny Paycheck’s recording of Phil Thomas’ ‘Me & The I.R.S.’ was subsequently included on ‘The Soul & The Edge: The Best of Johnny Paycheck’ (Epic Records / Legacy Recordings, 2002).
Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 – Thursday 31 March 2011) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Hard Earned Country Livin’ and included the track on ‘Naturally Country’ (Capitol Records, 1983).
Dottie West (Tuesday 11 October 1932 – Wednesday 4 September 1991) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Eyes of A Storm’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Just Dottie’ (Permian Records, 1984).
Dottie West’s ‘Just Dottie’ (Permian Records, 1984), which was her last album release, was subsequently re-issued, in 2000, by First Generation Records, under the title of ‘Just Dottie Again’ (First Generation Records, 2000).
Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 – Thursday 31 March 2011) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Most of All I Remember You’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Mel McDaniel With Oklahoma Wind’ (Capitol Records, 1984); the track reached No.59 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1984.
Gene Watson recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Drinkin’ My Way Back Home’, which was co-written with Don Scaife and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Little By Little‘ (MCA Records, 1984); the track, which reached No.10 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1984, was subsequently included on Gene Watson‘s ‘Texas Saturday Night‘ (MCA Records / Curb Records, 1985).
Alabama recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Fireworks’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010) and Kenny Durham, and included the track on ’40 Hour Week’ (RCA Records, 1985).
In 1985, Tari Hensley recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Hard Baby To Rock’ (co-written with Mark Collie and David Luttrell); the track was released as a non-album single on Mercury Records.
Randy Travis recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘My Heart Cracked (But It Did Not Break)’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010) and Don Singleton, and included the track on ‘Storms of Life’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1986).
In 1986, Tee Vee Records released ‘The Best of Red Sovine’ (Tee Vee Records, 1986); one of the included tracks was Phil Thomas’ ‘Colorado Cool-Aid’, which Red Sovine (Wednesday 17 July 1918 – Friday 4 April 1980) had recorded in 1978.
Randy Travis recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Anything’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Always & Forever’ (Warner Bros. Records, 1987).
John Schneider recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘I Lost My Head Last Night’, which was co-written with Jim Sales and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘You Ain’t Seen The Last of Me’ (MCA Records, 1987).
Mel McDaniel (Sunday 6 September 1942 – Thursday 31 March 2011) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Now You’re Talking’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Now You’re Talking’ (Capitol Records, 1988); the track reached No.64 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1987, and No.42 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in 1987.
Pake McEntire recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Just Across Town’ (co-written with Mark Wright and Joe Scaife) and included the track on ‘My Whole World’ (RCA Records, 1988).
In 1988, Paul Proctor recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Tied To The Wheel of A Runaway Heart’, which was co-written with Mark Collie, Bobby Neal and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010); the track reached No.96 on the Billboard country music singles chart in November 1988.
Barbara Mandrell recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Mirror, Mirror’ (co-written with Bobby Barker) and included the track on ‘I’ll Be Your Jukebox Tonight’ (Capitol Records, 1988), the track, which reached No.49 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1989, became Barbara Mandrell‘s final charting single on the Billboard country music singles chart.
Susi Beatty recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Hard Baby To Rock’ (co-written with David Luttrell and Mark Collie) and included the track on ‘One of A Kind’ (Starway Records, 1990).
Shane Barmby (Monday 1 February 1954 – Thursday 27 October 2022) recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘A Cowboy Callin’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010) and included the track on his second album, ‘Jukebox Symphony’ (Mercury Records, 1990).
Tamarack recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Far From Home’ and included the track on ‘Fields of Rock & Snow’ (SGB Records, 1991).
George Strait recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Baby Your Baby’ (co-written with Hal Newman) and included the track on the soundtrack album ‘Pure Country’ (MCA Records, 1992).
Noel Haggard recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Cowgirl Blues’ (co-written with Luke Reed) and included the track on ‘One Lifetime’ (Atlantic Records, 1997).
Montgomery Gentry – Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry (Wednesday 5 April 1967 – Friday 8 September 2017) – recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Black Jack Fletcher & Mississippi Sam‘, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010) and Don Scaife, and included the track on ‘Carrying On’ (Columbia Records, 2001).
Gene Watson re-recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Drinkin’ My Way Back Home’, which was co-written with Don Scaife and Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Best of the Best: 25 Greatest Hits‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2012).
John Conlee recorded Phil Thomas’ ‘Walkin’ Behind The Star’, which was co-written with Ronny Scaife (1947 – Wednesday 3 November 2010), and included the track on ‘Classics 2’ (Rose Colored Records, 2015).
On Saturday 5 January 2019, Phil Thomas‘ family lost a giant of a man.
‘It is with the heaviest broken heart and profound sadness to let y’all know that Brandi’s dad, Phil Thomas, crossed over peacefully, just weeks after his cancer diagnosis.
Phil lived, loved, and was loved in ways most never come close. He was a marvelous father to Brandi and Kori, a magical and cinematic grandfather to Brooks, Van, and Sam…and the best father-in-law any man ever had.
His life was wholly an American triumph’
• Phil Thomas
(1944 – Saturday 5 January 2019)