On Friday 14 March 2003, The Country Music Foundation published 'Heartaches By The Number', which celebrated country music's '500 Greatest Singles'.

Gene Watson placed two records on the list: 'Farewell Party', which was written by Lawton Williams (Monday 24 July 1922 - Thursday 26 July 2007), and 'You Could Know As Much About A Stranger' (written by Nadine Bryant).



On Wednesday 21 May 2003, Gene Watson signed a recording contract with Intersound Records, one of four record labels which were contained within the Compendia Music Group.



In June 2003, the recording sessions for Gene Watson's debut album for Intersound Records, 'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003), took place in Nashville; 'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003) was subsequently released in September 2003.

'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003) featured the cream of Nashville’s session musicians and a wealth of strong, traditional country music.

One of the session musicians featured on Gene Watson's 'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003) was the legendary piano / keyboard player Hargus 'Pig' Robbins.

Since Hargus 'Pig' Robbins' last recording session took place in 2000, one can safely assume that the tracks included on Gene Watson's 'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003) were recorded at least three years prior to the release of the album.

Nevertheless, Gene Watson's 'Gene Watson...Sings' (Intersound Records, 2003) was well worth waiting for, as it clearly demonstrated that Gene Watson could certainly hold his own among the country music artists of the day.

• Biography - 2006