Now in his seventy-second year, there’s no real question that Gene Watson is one of the most enduring figures of recent times in terms of his impact on the genre of country. He’s notched up twenty-three different top ten singles over the course of his career to date, but what really defines him these days are his live performances, which continue to thrill fans across the United States thanks to his prodigious touring schedule. Watson’s sets run through his entire back catalogue, with his signature track ‘Farewell Party’ getting an extended airing. He generally tends to lean towards the slower numbers in his repertoire, although that’s not to say that there’s no vitality to them; they’re brought to life especially impressively by the live ensemble that he’s put together, with drums, slide guitar and harmonica amongst the plethora of instrumentation backing him up. Watson rarely tours outside of his native U.S., but continues to show little sign of slowing down in his homeland, having released his latest album, My Heroes Have Always Been Country, earlier this year.
Dan Deacon
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