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 2014, 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 Sammy Sadler, which he submitted to this site on Thursday 11 September 2014.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Sammy Sadler who made a special contribution to this unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Sammy Sadler
This quote was submitted on Thursday 11 September 2014.
‘Gene Watson is one of the greatest country music singers of our time, he is truly a singers’ singer’
Thank you, Sammy Sadler, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Sammy Sadler…
Sammy Sadler was born on Wednesday 23 August 1967 in Memphis, Tennessee and was raised in Bonham, Texas.
In 1988, Sammy Sadler signed to Evergreen Records, and reached the Billboard country country music singles chart in January 1989 with a cover of Aaron Neville’s ‘Tell It Like It Is’. The track, ‘You Made It Easy’, also charted.
However, before his third chart entry, ‘Once In A Lifetime Thing’, in January 1990, Sammy Sadler was wounded in a bizarre incident.
On the evening of Thursday 9 March 1989, on Nashville’s famed Music Row, when Sammy Sadler and a friend, Cash Box Magazine chart director, Kevin Hughes, were approached by a masked man who shot them both, killing Kevin Hughes.
The man opened fire, fatally wounding Kevin Hughes and leaving Sammy Sadler for dead. ‘I lost my friend, my career was over. One day I was on the Billboard, Cashbox and Indie World Charts. It was all ahead of me and in a minute it was gone. The attack changed my life forever’, said Sammy of the infamous night on Nashville’s Music Row.
It would take more than a decade before the details were learned of an elaborate chart-fixing scheme at the now defunct magazine and, before the masked gunman, Richard D’Antonio, was identified, tried, convicted and sentenced for the crime, which has famously become known as ‘Murder On Music Row’.
Kevin Hughes had been the target, and Sammy Sadler happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At the time of the acquisition of this Gene Watson ‘Peer’s Quote’, in September 2014, Sammy Sadler was living in Texas.
On Wednesday 17 September 2014, it was reported that Richard D’Antonio, who was serving a life sentence, had died in prison on Wednesday 10 September 2014; officials with the Tennessee Department of Correction stated that Richard D’Antonio had died of natural causes at Lois DeBerry Special Needs Facility.
Sammy Sadler, who was ever the optimist, picked up the pieces and continued where he left off. Nevertheless, it took him well over a decade to begin re-establishing his career.
On Tuesday 9 March 2004, Sammy Sadler saw the release of ‘Hard On A Heart’ (Tri Records, 2004), which included the following tracks:
‘I Know A Place’ (written by Tommy Lee James and Harry Stinson)
‘Any Four Walls’ (written by John Wesley Ryles)
‘Freedom Feels Like Loneliness Today’
‘That Ole Gravel Road Was Easy Street’ (written by Billy Lawson and Roger Murrah)
‘Nobody Knows’ (written by Jeff Raymond)
‘Hard On A Heart’ / this track reached the Top 10 of the Texas Music Chart in 2004, and reached No.1 in Europe for seven weeks in 2004
‘Wild Thing In Me’ (written by Jamie Robinson)
‘No Place To Land’
‘Sweet Distraction’ (written by Billy Kirsch and Tom Nichols)
‘It’s Killing Me To Watch Love Die’
In 2009, Sammy Sadler signed to E1 Music, which was formerly known as Koch Records, and saw the release, on Tuesday 29 September 2009, of ‘Heart Shaped Like Texas’ (S Records, 2009), which was his first nationally released album in the United States since the shooting.
Sammy Sadler’s ‘Heart Shaped Like Texas’ (S Records, 2009), which was produced by Jerry Cupit (1954 – Wednesday 10 September 2014), included the following tracks:
‘I Wanna Be Loved By You’ (written by Bernie Nelson and Shane Teeters)
‘I’ll Always Have Denver’ (written by Bill Anderson and Steve Wariner) / this track featured guest vocals from Steve Wariner
‘Heart Shaped Like Texas’ (written by Ted Hewitt and Jerry Kilgore)
‘I Know A Place’ (written by Tommy Lee James and Harry Stinson)
‘John 3:16’ (written by Doug Deforest)
‘Tryin’ To Get The Girl’, which was written by Keith Follesé, Wade Kirby and Kim Chadwick Tribble (Wednesday 14 November 1951 – Thursday 26 August 2021)
‘Thinking About Mexico’ (written by Bart Butler and Tony Ramey)
‘No Place To Land’ (written by Tom Paden)
‘If This Ain’t Heaven’ (written by Kevin Fisher and Jeff Silbar)
‘That Ole Gravel Road’ (written by Billy Lawson and Roger Murrah)
‘Thank God’, which was written by Jimmy Carr, Jerry Cupit (1954 – Wednesday 10 September 2014) and Sammy Sadler
Despite rave reviews for the singles, ‘I’ll Always Have Denver’ (written by Bill Anderson and Steve Wariner) and ‘No Place To Land’ (written by Tom Paden), E1 Music ultimately closed, and Sammy Sadler’s recording career ended.
Since that time, Sammy Sadler continued to play to fans, with two successful tours, one with Doug Stone in 2012, and the other lasting from 2015 until 2016 with Ken Mellons and Jeff Carson (Monday 16 December 1963 – Saturday 26 March 2022), which was called the ‘Taking The Country Back Tour’.
Record promoter Chuck Dixon, who was suspected of ordering the hit against Kevin Hughes, was reported to have died mysteriously in 2013, and triggerman Richard D’Antonio would die in prison in 2014. The passing of both provided a newly found confidence to Sammy Sadler, who had spent years looking over his shoulder as a result of PTSD.
With the 2021 release of the singles, ‘The Church On Cumberland Road’ featuring Marty Raybon, and ‘She’s Crazy For Leaving’, which was written by Guy Clark (Thursday 6 November 1941 – Tuesday 17 May 2016) and Rodney Crowell, Sammy Sadler continued to build anticipation for ‘1989’ (BFD / Audium Nashville Records / The Orchard / Sammy Sadler, 2021), which was produced by Buddy Hyatt, Greg Cole, Chuck Rhodes and Sammy Sadler.
On Friday 11 June 2021, Sammy Sadler saw the release of ‘1989’ (BFD / Audium Nashville Records / The Orchard / Sammy Sadler, 2021), which included the following tracks:
‘Tell It Like It Is’ (written by Richard George Davis Jr. and Lee Diamond)
‘Church On Cumberland Road’ (written by Bob DiPiero, John Scott Sherrill and Dennis Anthony Robbins) / this track featured guest vocals from Marty Raybon of Shenandoah / the original version of this track was recorded by Shenandoah, who included it on ‘The Road Not Taken’ (Columbia Records, 1989); Shenandoah’s version of this track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for two weeks in April / May 1989 / this track, with its two-week run at No.1, marked the first time in country music history that a country music band’s first No.1 single spent more than one week at the top of the Billboard country music singles chart
‘The Bluest Eyes In Texas’, which was written by Tim Dubois, Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson (Wednesday 4 November 1953 – Sunday 8 April 2001) / this track featured guest vocals from Larry Stewart of Restless Heart / the original version of this track was recorded by Restless Heart, who included it on ‘Big Dreams In A Small Town’ (RCA Nashville Records, 1988); Restless Heart’s version of the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in August 1988
‘I Can’t Get Close Enough’ (written by Sonny LeMaire and James P. Pennington)
‘Darlene’ (written by Michael Geiger, Ricky Ray Rector and Woody Mullis) / this track featured guest vocals from T. Graham Brown / the original version of this track was recorded by T. Graham Brown, who included it on ‘Come As You Were’ (Capitol Records, 1988); T. Graham Brown‘s version of the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in November 1988
‘I Should Be With You’ (written by Steve Wariner) / the original version of this track was recorded by Steve Wariner, who included it on ‘I Should Be With You’ (MCA Records, 1988); Steve Wariner‘s version of the track reached No.2 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1988
‘She’s Crazy For Leaving’, which was written by Guy Clark (Thursday 6 November 1941 – Tuesday 17 May 2016) and Rodney Crowell / the original version of this track was recorded by Rodney Crowell, who included it on ‘Diamonds & Dirt’ (Columbia Records, 1988); Rodney Crowell‘s version of the track was No.1 on the Billboard country music singles chart for one week in January 1989
‘I Know A Place’ (written by Harry Stinson and Tommy Lee James)
• Visit Sammy Sadler’s official site at sammysadler.com