“Paper Rosie,” a top three Billboard Hot Country Singles hit for the great song interpreter Gene Watson, came from the pen of one of his longtime friends and peers, Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Harms.
Harms first recorded his song as the title track of a 1975 album. As a single, Harms’ recording entered the Canadian charts’ (RPM Country Tracks) top 25. Although Harms scored bigger hits, namely 1982’s “Honky Tonkin’ (All Night Long),” “Paper Rosie” played a huge role in his legacy as he entered the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and got celebrated after his Oct. 12, 2019 passing.
Two years after Harms recorded his version, a cover by Gene Watson became a hit in the states and sat atop the Canadian country charts.
