He got a standing ovation during his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
When country music duo The Wilburn Brothers heard Watson singing at a nightclub in Houston, they invited him to go with them. So, Watson did a couple of shows with The Wilburn Brothers in Nashville and North Carolina.
The duo also got Watson on the Grand Ole Opry, where he received a standing ovation for his performance of Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Help It if I’m Still in Love With You” and “It Is No Secret What God Can Do.”
His voice became even better as he aged.
And the singer said it’s because he learned to take care of it properly. He admitted to drinking a lot and smoking like a freight train but gave up all that.
He was diagnosed with cancer.
In 2000, Watson was diagnosed with colon cancer – where he went through surgery and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, he didn’t have insurance, so Watson had to work throughout his illness. He stayed on the road and even re-recorded some of his hits. Two years later, he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Indeed, he’s one of a kind. When you take a look at Gene Watson songs recorded since the early 1960s, you’ll feel his absence from the genre would leave a gaping hole in your heart. Of course, other artists could have recorded these country classics, but never with the same power and intensity Watson has given to them.
