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 2006, 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 Dallas Harms, which he submitted to this site on Friday 10 February 2006 (the quote was actually received via postal mail).

Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to Dallas Harms who has made a special contribution to a 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 Larry Delaney of Country Music News Canada, without whose kind assistance, this 'Peer's Quote' about Gene Watson from Dallas Harms would not have been possible.





Dallas Harms
This quote was submitted on Friday 10 February 2006.

'What could I say about Gene Watson that hasn't already been said.

Musicians, background singers, studio engineers and producers will say Gene has a God-given gift that delivers a vocal performance that inspires and charms all who are involved creating his music in the studio or live performances.

That same connection also affects the heart of all his listeners.

Gene is way above the ordinary, in a league of his own - like George Jones (Saturday 12 September 1931 - Friday 26 April 2013) and Merle Haggard (Tuesday 6 April 1937 - Wednesday 6 April 2016)!

It doesn't get better than that!'

Thank you, Dallas Harms, for your support of Gene Watson.





Country Music News Canada was a Canadian monthly periodical published in Ottawa by Larry Delaney and Joanne Delaney.  It called itself 'The 'Voice of Country Music in Canada'.



Editor / publisher Larry Delaney is considered an expert on Canadian country music, its performers and songwriters, and owns one of the most extensive library collections of Canadian recorded country music.

Larry Delaney is an eleven-time recipient of the Canadian Country Music Association’s prestigious 'Country Music Person of the Year' industry award, was among the inaugural inductees of The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and was inducted into the CCMA’s 'Hall of Honour' in 1996.

Joanne Delaney handled some of the creative and administrative tasks of the periodical and was inducted, along with her husband, into Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

Country Music News Canada was published monthly since April 1980 and its mission had been to provide Canadian country music artists, songwriters and the industry with accurate and meaningful print media exposure in Canada and around the world.  It was the only national print media serving Canadian country music artists and fans of the genre.

In March 2012, the final issue of Country Music News Canada was published.



About Dallas Harms...



Dallas Harms was a singer, guitarist and record producer who was born Dallas Leon Harms in Jansen, near Saskatoon, Canada on Thursday 18 July 1935.

Dallas Harms was raised in Hamilton, Ontario where, inspired by Hank Williams (Monday 17 September 1923 - Thursday 1 January 1953), he began his career in the mid-1950s.

In 1959, Dallas Harms made his first record, for Reo Records.



Between 1972 and 1974, Dallas Harms enjoyed country music hit singles for Columbia Records with the following tracks:

'In The Loving Arms of My Marie' (No.8, 1972)

'Old Ira Gray' (No.15, 1973) / this track was also recorded by Gene Watson, as 'Mr. Candyman', who included it on 'In Other Words' (Canada: Mercury Records / Polygram Records, 1992 / United States: Broadland International Records, 1992)

'Little Annie Brown' (No.29, 1973)

'Ruby's Lips' (No.35, 1974)



Between 1975 and 1979, Dallas Harms enjoyed country music hit singles, for Broadland International Records, in Canada, with the following tracks:

'Paper Rosie' (No.21, 1975) / this track was also recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on 'Paper Rosie' (Capitol Records, 1977); Gene Watson's version of the track reached No.3 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1977

'Georgia, I'm Cheating On You Tonight' (No.28, 1976)

'It's Crying Time For Me' (No.9, 1977)

'The Fastest Gun' (No.9, 1978)

'I Picked A Daisy' (No.7, 1978)

'The Ballad of The Duke' (No.6, 1979)

Other country music artists who have recorded Dallas Harms songs include Billy Walker (Monday 14 January 1929 - Sunday 21 May 2006), George Hamilton IV (Monday 19 July 1937 - Wednesday 17 September 2014) and The Osborne Brothers (Sonny Osborne & Bobby Osborne).

Several of Dallas Harms' songs were recorded by Orval William Prophet (Thursday 31 August 1922 - Wednesday 4 January 1984).

In 1975 and, then annually between 1977 and 1979, Dallas Harms received Big Country Awards for 'Top Composer', and in 1978, 1979 and 1985 (the last shared with Mike 'Pepe' Francis), awards for 'Top Producer'.



In 1975, Dallas Harms saw the release of 'Paper Rosie' (Broadland International Records, 1975), which was produced by Gary Buck (Thursday 21 March 1940 - Tuesday 14 October 2003), and included 'Old Ira Gray', a track which Gene Watson recorded, under the title 'Mr. Candyman', for Broadland International Records in 1992.

Dallas Harms won awards for 'Best Single', for 'Paper Rosie' (No.21, 1975) and for 'Georgia, I'm Cheating On You Tonight' (No.28, 1976); both chart placings refer to the Canadian RPM country music singles chart.

In 1978, Dallas Harms also won a 'Best Album' Award for 'The Fastest Gun' (Broadland International Records, 1978); the album reached No.11 on the Canadian RPM Country Albums Chart in 1978.



Dallas Harms recorded a number of albums, as an artist, in his own right, including 'Paper Rosie' (Broadland International Records, 1975), 'The Fastest Gun' (Broadland International Records, 1978) and 'Painter of Words' (Broadland International Records, 1979).

  

Dallas Harms' 'Painter of Words' (Broadland International Records, 1979), which was produced by Gary Buck (Thursday 21 March 1940 - Tuesday 14 October 2003), included the following tracks:

'Shelly's Last Request'
'You're A Memory'

'Mama Sold Roses' / this track was also recorded by Gene Watson, who included it on 'Reflections' (Capitol Records, 1978)

'I Might Be In Tulsa (For A While)'
'I'll Miss You Tomorrow'
'The Legend of The Duke'
'Rendezvous For Lovers'

'Old Ira Gray (The Children's Candyman)' / this track was also recorded by Gene Watson, as 'Mr. Candyman', who included it on 'In Other Words' (Canada: Mercury Records / Polygram Records, 1992 / United States: Broadland International Records, 1992)

'Little Annie Brown'
'In The Loving Arms of My Marie'

Dallas Harms undertook several tours across Canada, including one in 1976 with Ian Tyson.  Dallas Harms also performed in New Zealand and, in 1980 and 1981, in England.



It was also in 1979 when Dallas Harms saw the release of 'The Best of Dallas Harms' (Westwood Records, 1979).

Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'Paper Rosie' and included the track on 'Paper Rosie' (Capitol Records, 1977); the track reached No.3 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1977.



Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'The Old Man & His Horn' and included the track on 'Beautiful Country' (Capitol Records, 1977); the track reached No.11 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1977.



Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'Cowboys Don't Get Lucky All The Time' and included the track on 'Beautiful Country' (Capitol Records, 1977); the track reached No.11 on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1978.



Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'Mama Sold Roses' and included the track on 'Reflections' (Capitol Records, 1978).



In 1978, Billy Walker (Monday 14 January 1929 - Sunday 21 May 2006) saw the release, on Scorpion Records, of a non album single, 'You're A Violin That's Never Been Played' (written by Dallas Harms); the track reached No.82 on the Billboardd country music singles chart in 1978.



In 1982, Dallas Harms saw the release of 'Out of Harms Way' (RCA Records, 1982), which was released on RCA Records and included the popular 'Honky Tonkin' (All Night Long)' (No.1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart in January 1983), 'Country Fever' (No.5, 1983) and 'Fooling With Fire' (No.8, 1983).

In 1983 and 1984, Dallas Harms also won the CCMA Awards as 'Producer of The Year' in 1983 (the second again shared with Mike Francis).

Dallas Harms also won the CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) Awards as 'Producer of The Year' in 1983 and 1984 (the second again shared with Mike Francis).

Dallas Harms also produced singles and/or albums for Terry Carisse (Saturday 11 July 1942 - Sunday 22 May 2005), Larry Mattson, Wayne Rostad, Roni Sommers, Paul Weber and many others.

Though he was largely inactive as a performer after the mid-1980s, Dallas Harms continued to write songs.

Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'Get Along Little Doggie' and included the track on 'Memories to Burn' (Epic Records, 1985).

In 1989, Dallas Harms was inducted as a member into The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.



Dallas Harms' best-known title, 'Paper Rosie,' a standard of the Canadian country repertoire, was heard on the soundtrack of the 1990 United States feature film 'Another 48 Hours', which starred Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte.

Gene Watson recorded Dallas Harms' 'Mr. Candyman' and included the track on 'In Other Words' (Canada: Mercury Records / Polygram Records, 1992 / United States: Broadland International Records, 1992).

Dallas Harms' successful run of hit singles, on the RPM country music singles chart in Canada, included the following:

'In The Loving Arms of My Marie' (No.8, 1972)

'Old Ira Gray' (No.15, 1973)

'Little Annie Brown' (No.29, 1973)

'Ruby's Lips' (No.35, 1974)

'Paper Rosie' (No.21, 1975)

'Georgia, I'm Cheating On You Tonight' (No.28, 1976)

'Julie, I Think It's Going To Rain' (No.23, 1977)

'It's Crying Time For Me' (No.9, 1977)

'Master of The Classical Guitar' (No.18, 1978)

'The Fastest Gun' (No.9, 1978)

'I Picked A Daisy' (No.7, 1978)

'Lean On Me' (No.23, 1979)

'The Ballad of The Duke' (No.6, 1979) / this track was a fine tribute to John Wayne (Sunday 26 May 1907 - Monday 11 June 1979)

'Rendezvous For Lovers' (No.45, 1979)

'Shelley's Last Request' (No.31, 1980)

'You're A Memory' (No.27, 1980)

'Honky Tonkin' (All Night Long)' (No.1, 1982)

'Country Fever' (No.5, 1983)

'Fooling With Fire' (No.8, 1983)

'Get Along Little Doggie' (No.14, 1984)





In January 2013, it was announced that Larry Delaney, editor / publisher of Country Music News Canada, which ceased publication in March 2012, after serving the Canadian country music industry for thirty-two years, was now providing the Canadian country music industry with coverage in the United Kingdom-based monthly publication Country Music People.



Larry Delaney’s 'CANCOUNTRY' report in the glossy, full-colour magazine, Country Music People, features current news and coverage in support of Canadian country artists and industry.  The column debuted in the January 2013 issue of Country Music People and featured a historical overview of the Canadian country music scene as an introduction to the magazine’s readers.

All Canadian artists, record labels, publicists and event promoters, are urged to service Larry Delaney with new CD releases, press releases and tour schedules, for inclusion in Country Music People’s 'Cancountry' report.

CD product can be sent to:
Larry Delaney, 152 Crichton Street, Ottawa, ON K1M 1W2

Country Music People reaches country music fans and the music industry worldwide.



John Hogan recorded Dallas Harms' 'Paper Rosie' and included the track on 'Back To Basics' (Irish Music, 2015).

On Saturday 12 October 2019, Dallas Harms passed away.

• Visit Canadian Country Music Association's Dallas Harms Profile at ccma.org