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 2023, 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 Zack Van Arsdale, which he submitted to this site on Sunday 16 April 2023.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to Zack Van Arsdale who has made a special contribution to a unique part of this online ‘celebration of a Lone Star Hero’.
Zack Van Arsdale
This quote was submitted on Sunday 16 April 2023.
‘Gene put on a truly great show at Opryland and I talked with him afterwards.
I gave him my CD and he said, ‘Thanks, Zack, we will listen to it on the bus, while heading to our gig in the next town.
Keep on pluggin’.
He was very friendly’
Thank you, Zack Van Arsdale, for your support of Gene Watson.
About Zack Van Arsdale…
Zack Van Arsdale was born in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Utah, Yokohama, Japan, and Paris, France.
Zack Van Arsdale’s songs have been recorded by an acclaimed number of artists, including Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002), Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis (Sunday 29 September 1935 – Friday 28 October 2022), Jessi Colter, Marty Robbins (Saturday 26 September 1925 – Wednesday 8 December 1982), Joe Sun (Saturday 25 September 1943 – Friday 25 October 2019), and George Hamilton IV (Monday 19 July 1937 – Wednesday 17 September 2014).
Zack Van Arsdale has been a staff writer for Buckhorn Music, with Kris Kristofferson, and at Cedarwood Publishing, and was creative manager for Tompall Glaser’s Glaser Music, Waylon Jennings’ Baron Music, and Jack Clement’s Jack Music, and at Mel Tillis‘ Saw Grass Music.
Zack Van Arsdale has recorded a number of albums in Nashville, including ‘All of The Above’, ‘Song After Song’, ‘Radio Ready’ and ‘New Day’.
Following the huge success of the film, ‘Easy Rider’ (Columbia Pictures, 1969), Dennis Hopper (Sunday 17 May 1936 – Saturday 29 May 2010) invited Zack Van Arsdale to live in Taos, New Mexico, where Zack appeared as Dennis’ side-kick troubadour in ‘The American Dreamer’, an American television documentary in 1971.
Starting an acting career, Zack Van Arsdale later took on acting roles with Burt Reynolds (Tuesday 11 February 1936 – Thursday 6 September 2018), Joe Don Baker, Jerry Reed (Saturday 20 March 1937 – Monday 1 September 2008), and Bo Hopkins (Wednesday 2 February 1938 – Saturday 28 May 2022).
Zack Van Ersdale has also been on the road with Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002), Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson.
George Hamilton IV (Monday 19 July 1937 – Wednesday 17 September 2014) recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘Tumbleweed’ and included the track on ‘West Texas Highway’ (RCA Victor Records, 1971).
Joan Baez recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘Tumbleweed’ and included the track on ‘Come From The Shadows’ (A&M Records, 1972).
Jessi Colter recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘Love Me Back To Sleep’ and included the track on ‘That’s The Way A Cowboy Rocks & Rolls’ (Capitol Records, 1978).
Joe Sun (James Joseph Paulsen) (Saturday 25 September 1943 – Friday 25 October 2019) recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘Born Too Late’ and included the track on ‘Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)’ (Ovation Records, 1978).
Jerry Lee Lewis (Sunday 29 September 1935 – Friday 28 October 2022) recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘(Home Away From Home) I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (co-written with Michael Clark) and included the track on ‘Jerry Lee Lewis Keeps Rockin’ (MCA Records, 1978); the track, which reached No.10 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978, was also included on ‘The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer, No Filler!’ (Rhino Records, 1993), a box set, which included 42 songs from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, including 27 charting singles.
Joe Sun (James Joseph Paulsen) (Saturday 25 September 1943 – Friday 25 October 2019) recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘(Home Away From Home) I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (co-written with Michael Clark) and included the track on ‘Out of Your Mind’ (Ovation Records, 1979).
Ray Lynam recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘(Home Away From Home) I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (co-written with Michael Clark) and included the track onsaw the release of ‘Shades of Ray Lynam’ (Ritz Records, 1982); the track was subsequently included on the second CD of ‘The Essential Ray Lynam’ (Rosette Records, 2015), a 2-CD set, which included 32 of Ray Lynam’s finest recordings.
In 1982, Zack Van Arsdale saw the release of ‘Audiograph Alive’ (Audiograph Records, 1982), which included the following tracks:
‘While The Night Is Young’
‘Home Away From Home) I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Michael Clark)
‘Branded’
‘Crossfire’
‘Help’
‘Somewhere Between’
‘Country & Rock ‘N’ Roll’
‘When The Lady Is In Love’
‘I Hope You Find Someone’
‘Makin’ A Livin’
‘Rock Bottom Blues’
Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002) recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (co-written with Michael Clark) and included the track on ‘Waylon Jennings & Company’ (RCA Victor Records, 1983); the track featured guest vocals from James Garner (Saturday 7 April 1928 – Saturday 19 July 2014).
In 1986, New World Pictures released ‘Uphill All The Way’, an American comedy Western film, which was directed by Frank Q. Dobbs (Saturday 29 July 1939 – Wednesday 15 February 2006), and starred Roy Clark (Saturday 15 April 1933 – Thursday 15 November 2018), Mel Tillis (Monday 8 August 1932 – Sunday 19 November 2017), Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017), Burl Ives (Monday 14 June 1909 – Friday 14 April 1995), Sheb Wooley (Sunday 10 April 1921 – Tuesday 16 September 2003), Glen Campbell (Wednesday 22 April 1936 – Tuesday 8 August 2017) and Burt Reynolds (Tuesday 11 February 1936 – Thursday 6 September 2018).
A soundtrack album for New World Pictures’ ‘Uphill All The Way’ was released, and one of the included tracks was ‘Never Thought I’d Ever Be An Outlaw’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale), which was performed by Waylon Jennings (Tuesday 15 June 1937 – Wednesday 13 February 2002).
In 2011, Zack Van Arsdale saw the release of ‘All of The Above’ (Flashville Records, 2011), which was produced by Zack Van Arsdale, and included the following tracks:
‘Born Too Late’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Straight Home To You’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Terrance Alan)
‘Country Song Backwards’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Too Late To Go Home Early’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Got It Goin’ On’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Dave MacDonald)
‘El Rayo The Outlaw’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Bob Melton)
‘What Kinda Bull’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Dave MacDonald)
‘One Heart’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Heaven’s Left Corner’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Two Less Lonely People’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Love Dance’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Lean Joe Jimmy’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Dave MacDonald)
‘All of The Above’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Exception To The Rule’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Terrance Alan)
‘Dancin’ In The Fire’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Theresa K. Young)
‘I’m Goin’ To Church Today’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Crazy Horse Could Not Be Broken’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale)
‘Sympathetic Scarecrow’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale) / this track was featured in two Dennis Hopper (Sunday 17 May 1936 – Saturday 29 May 2010) films, ‘The Last Movie’ (Universal Pictures, 1971) and ‘The American Dreamer’ (American television documentary in 1971)
Personnel involved in the recording of Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘All of The Above’ (Flashville Records, 2011) included the following:
Kim Morrison (backing vocals)
Dave Francis (bass guitar)
Steve Holland (drums)
Dug Grieves (electric guitar)
Dennis Wage and Dwain Rowe (keyboards)
Pat McGrath (rhythm guitar)
Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘All of The Above’ (Flashville Records, 2011) was produced at Mainframe Record Studio in Nashville, and was dedicated to Charlene Van Arsdale.
Gene Watson recorded Zack Van Arsdale’s ‘(Home Away From Home) I’ll Find It Where I Can’ (co-written with Michael Clark) and included the track on ‘Real.Country.Music‘ (Fourteen Carat Music, 2016).
Note from Gene Watson
‘This is a great up-tempo song that I heard recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis (Sunday 29 September 1935 – Friday 28 October 2022).
I’ve had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to record it for years and years, but this was finally the right time for it’
Zack Van Arsdale is also well known for being ‘The Song Doctor’, curing, recording, producing, and plugging songs for other writers and artists.
Zack Van Arsdale: ‘Wings of A Silver Eagle’ (written by Zack Van Arsdale and Terrance Alan)
Flashville Music BMI
Studio 33 Production
Produced by Eb Lottimer and Zack Van Arsdale
Directed by Eb Lottimer
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