 WELCOME!
You can also contact Gene at:
Facebook.com
MySpace.com
LinkedIn.com
Plaxo.com
Thanks for stopping by
-- hope you like my new website!
Thanks to Dale Watson for 6 and 1/2 great
years, 17 European tours, 1 Australian tour, and 20
Grand Ole Opry appearances. I have decided to
travel less and enjoy Texas more, but I'll continue my
musical endeavors.
Please check out my new EDGAR WINTER
ENTRANCE
artifacts section, as well as the
TREAT HER RIGHT artifacts
section. (This
song has a life of its own!)
NEWS
ARCHIVES
RECENT NEWS AND NEW NEWS:
The band has been so busy with
our travels and recording schedule that I haven't
reported any news in a while. Since last May we have had
the pleasure of working with a new drummer named Dave
Bowen. He has been impressing crowds and fellow
musicians alike with his considerable talents. You can
check out his
myspace page.
In January, we had the honor to perform
at the Texas delegates' Black Tie and Boots Inaugural
Ball. What an experience! In February, we had a fun trip
performing on a cruise ship and making ports of call
throughout the Caribbean. In March, the Austin Music
Awards inducted Dale into its' Class of 2008-2009 Music
Hall of Fame. Dale also took prominent places in polls
voted by Austin Chronicle Readers as "Austin Musician of
the Year," as well as "Male Vocalist of the Year." The
band took the number five spot in the poll for "Austin
Band of the Year," and garnered the number two spot for
"Best Country Band."
In April, the band played the newly
revamped Willie's Place in Carl's Corner, Texas and did
a live broadcast performance for Sirius XM satellite
radio said to be heard by 20 million people! That
appearance also previewed our new album entitled "Truckin'
Sessions Volume 2." The release date for the album is
April 21st and we are also going to Europe to promote
its release there. (Please see
my calendar for specific
dates.) After returning to the States in May, we tour a
few cities as well as continuing to play our Texas
residency gigs. We depart for a longer European tour in
June with performances in Croatia, Norway, Sweden and
the UK, just to name a few stops on the tour. Late
summer happily finds us in the relatively cool clime of
the Pacific Northwest and the mountains of Idaho. We are
looking forward to seeing our many fans and friends
along the way.
2007 - 2008 AUSTIN MUSIC
AWARDS
On March 12, 2008 I had
the honor of performing at the 2007-2008 Austin Music
Awards presented by the Austin Chronicle. As part of
a a star-studded band that included Burnin' Mike Vernon (Three
Balls of Fire), Mike Buck (Fabulous Thunderbirds, Leroi
Bros.), Spot Barnett (Doug Sahm, Bobby "Blue" Bland),
and Al Gomez ( Westside Horns), I backed my
long-time friend Roy Head as well as his talented son,
Sundance. It was an historic night; both Roy and Spot
Barnett were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Click here to see some photos.
And just when I thought that night could
not be more special, a second honor was bestowed on me
-- in the form of a note from Margaret Moser,
illustrious First Lady of the Austin Music Awards,
Austin Chronicle, et.al.:
"Thank you for having played this year’s Austin
Music Awards show with Roy during South by
Southwest. We had a banner year returning to the
Music Hall and there’s no question in my mind that
this set was THE set."
"In a show with killer sets back-to-back, yours
really made the show stellar. Loved seeing the
Westside Horns with you and Roy too!"
GENE LABELED AS ARRANGER - CONDUCTOR!
I recently acquired a page
from the music biz magazine CashBox, dated May
14, 1966. The page features an ad for three
records that were being promoted by legendary R&B
pioneer Don Robey, the man behind Duke, Peacock, and
Backbeat record labels. The ad places Roy Head in
the company of Bobby "Blue" Bland and Little Junior
Parker -- a soulful trio indeed. Roy's 45 rpm
record of "Wigglin' & Gigglin' " is one of many on which
I played bass and/or guitar. However, when I think of
this record, here's what makes it special to me: the
label states "Arranged & Conducted by Gene Kurtz."
Now THAT was unique in my recording career!
You can
see it yourself here. (The label pictured is
from the UK pressing of the Backbeat record).
MORE FAME FOR GINNY'S LITTLE
LONGHORN
Hmmm, what can I say? You just gotta
see it to believe it!
WORLD CAFÉ
APPEARANCE
Dale
Watson and the band recently had the pleasure of
recording a segment for the popular NPR show, World
Cafe, heard on nearly 200 stations nationwide. The live
music performance, as well as David Dye's interview with
Dale aired on December 12th, 2007. To listen to the
show,
click here.
GINNY'S
AMONG ESQUIRE'S BEST
Dale Watson has helped make Ginny's Little Longhorn an
internationally known venue. This unique little
place inspired two of Dale's best known songs -- "Honkiest-Tonkiest
Beer Joint," and "No Fussin', No Cussin'." The bar
has become known to people all over Europe and Australia
through these tunes, as well as his legion of fans in
the U.S. Recently, Esquire Magazine named Ginny's Little
Longhorn one of the best bars in America. You can read
the review of the honky tonk's chicken "poop" bingo game
on Sundays and cast your vote to increase Ginny's
ranking by
clicking here.
ROY HEAD ON
SHINDIG
Visit this YouTube link to see a great video of
Roy Head's appearance on the 60's TV show, "Shindig"
performing "Treat Her Right." I have a different
video of Roy performing this song in
my video player....check it
out, too!
ROY HEAD AND THE TRAITS REUNION
On October 20, 2007 I participated in a
rare reunion of Roy Head and The Traits. Actually, this
was essentially a reunion of the ORIGINAL Traits....
formed in 1957. I didn't play with the group until 1963,
but I was asked to play guitar on this special occasion,
which included Roy Head and his son, Sundance..... only
a few months after his numerous American Idol
appearances. The Traits were inducted to the Rockabilly
Hall of Fame as part of the band's Golden Anniversary
Celebration. It was fun to play again with Roy and
drummer Gerry Gibson, who were still in the band when I
joined. It's also great to get to know the other members
of the original Traits after hearing their names for
many years. They're wonderful guys, and I'm proud to
know them and to share a common musical legacy with
them.
For more details of this event, read Michael Corcoran's
article in the Austin American-Statesman, October 20,
2007
EXCELLENT ARTICLES
Be sure to check out the 3 articles about
"Treat Her Right," Roy Head, and Gene Kurtz....written
by Margaret Moser and featured in the Austin Chronicle
(8-30-07 issue). This is an impressively written
presentation of the song, Roy, and yours truly. I
hope you find it enjoyable.
To read the article,
click here.
TEXAS STATE MUSICIAN
On
April 19, 2007 the Texas Legislature and the Texas
Commission on the Arts appointed Dale Watson as the
Texas State Musician for 2007. He was selected for his
years of excellence and dedicated commitment to the arts
in Texas. Congratulations, Dale!
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE
GRAVE
Dale Watson’s new
album From the Cradle to the Grave is available
worldwide NOW on
Hyena Records!
Dale
wrote and recorded the album (with the band’s help) in a
fascinating old cabin outside of Hendersonville, TN. The
cabin belonged to Johnny Cash for many years. Shortly
before Cash’s death, the cabin was sold to Johnny
Knoxville of “Jackass” fame. Knoxville suggested to his
friend, Dale, that he use the cabin to write some songs.
The project continued to expand and ultimately we
recorded “live” in the cabin recorded by engineers from
Advanced Micro Devices.
Positive reviews are already streaming
in; read some of them here.
Read more about it in
Hyena Records "From
The Cradle To The Grave" release profile.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE FEATURE - ROY
HEAD
Andrew Dansby wrote a very good
in-depth feature about Roy Head for the Houston
Chronicle;
you can read it here.
THANKS, STEVE
Our good friend Steve Pacholl from Minneapolis took some
great pictures of Dale, James Intveld, and the band
during our January, 2007 appearance on the Opry at the
Ryman Auditorium. Some of my favorites have been
added to my Photo Album.
 ROY
HEAD ---
BLUE SUEDE NEWS
My
ol' podnah Roy Head has been getting a lot of press
lately. He's currently featured on the cover of
Blue Suede News, issue #79, Summer 2007.
The magazine contains a lengthy article entitled "Treat
Her Right After Forty Years" written by Howard A.
DeWitt. It's really great to see Roy in the
spotlight once again. He's definitely one of a
kind!
MY BUDDY, WINKER
I’ve
just added some new photos that I hope y'all will enjoy.
Like many of the photos that are on my site, these were
taken by Winker, a unique and extremely valuable
contributor to the Austin Music Scene. Nightly, this
fabulous guy takes pictures of musicians in action...and
he does it virtually unsung and surely underappreciated.
He’s a great photographer and a great asset to the
musical community.
AUSTRALIA
Dale and the band
enjoyed a memorable trip to Australia in late February,
2007. The audiences in Melbourne, Sydney, and Newcastle
were especially enthusiastic. Many thanks to Karl
Bergersen and all of our Aussie musician friends for
helping us have a helluva time.
SUNDANCE!
Congratulations are in order to Jason “Sundance” Head,
who recently appeared on “American Idol.” Sundance is
the son of my ol’ runnin’/rockin’ buddy Roy Head and has
a great singing voice. He made it to the final 16 in
Hollywood, and deserved to go much, much further. You
rock, Sundance!
ROY HEAD – TREAT HER
RIGHT – TEXAS MONTHLY
Speaking of Roy Head,
he is one of the eight Texas acts featured in the March
2007 issue of Texas Monthly. The article by Michael Hall
is entitled “The Songs Remain the Same,” and includes
some terrific photographs of Roy, Archie Bell, Barbara
Lynn, and other Texas legends.
BURNETT JONES
I’d like to call
attention to the debut album by Burnett Jones. I played
bass on this project which was recorded and co-produced
by Tommy Detamore at Cherry Ridge Studios in
Floresville, Texas. The wonderful young people that
comprise the Burnett Jones band did a super job and
guest musicians such as Bobby Flores, Joel Guzman, and
Pauline Reese add their artistic touches.
Congratulations to everyone involved.
DALE WATSON FINDS
"JUSTICE" IN CALIFORNIA
from the Austin Statesman, February 1, 2007
Austin country singer
Dale Watson heads to Los Angeles on Saturday to begin
filming a video for his new single, "Justice For All,"
with pals Johnny Knoxville and "Desperate Housewives"
actor James Denton.
The song is from "From
the Cradle to the Grave," which comes out on Hyena
Records just in time for South by Southwest. The new
album was recorded at a log cabin in Tennessee that once
belonged to Johnny Cash. "Jackass" instigator Knoxville
bought the cabin last year.
- Michael Corcoran
OPRY
I recently performed
on the Grand Old Opry for the 14th time...all with Dale
Watson. This particular appearance was really special
because it took place at the storied Ryman Auditorium,
and because we shared that historic stage with so many
legendary artists including Charley Pride, Jack Greene,
John Conlee, The Whites, Ralph Stanley, Jeannie Seely,
Jimmy C. Newman, George Hamilton IV, and the Del McCoury
Band. Just standing backstage in that kind of
environment is a thrill.
FRIDAY
NIGHT LIGHTS
Dale
and the band appeared on a recent episode of the NBC TV
series, Friday Night Lights.” I honestly think the
series is refreshingly good network programming. To see
a segment of the episode that featured us,
click here and select Chapter 6 of Episode 113.
I’ve been playing with
Dale Watson and his Lonestars for four years now. So,
when Dale announced that he would take a hiatus from
performing for at least the first six months of 2006, I
had to wonder what I was going to do during his
absence. As it turned out, I was fortunate to work with
some very interesting artists with widely diverse
musical styles: James Hand, Bobby Doyle and Joyce Webb (
Tate), Kevin Banford, Jon Blondell, The Pedernales
Playboys, Rosie Flores, Cowboy Johnson, The John Bendele
Band, and Chris Reeves. Recording projects included
Danny Fast Fingers and the Burnett Jones band.
The best news is that Dale Watson is back, having worked
out his ability to see his kids in Baltimore and to keep
the music going here in Texas. And it is definitely
going! Despite the hiatus, we managed to do the
following:
The movie premier of
“Crazy Again,” a documentary about Dale’s experiences,
which was sold out at it’s screening during the 2006
SXSW film festival.
A Midwestern tour took us to Minneapolis, Madison,
Chicago, Iowa City, Kansas City, and Ft. Worth. The trip
also included the “American Music Festival” in Berwyn,
Illinois; Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa; and
our Midwestern “home-away-from-home,” the Oneida Casino
near Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Another highlight was playing the Americana Music
Association’s festival in Nashville, where we shared the
stage with country icon, Marty Stuart.
Dale and the band won an award for “Contemporary Classic
Album” at the recent “11th Annual Academy of Western
Artists.” The award was for the album, “Whiskey or
God.”
Last October, Dale
Watson and His Lonestars appeared as musical guests on
the Austin stop of the “The OCC in America” tour. The
cast of the Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper”
roared into town, along with the incredible custom bikes
that have made the Orange County Choppers name famous.
Dale’s album “Whiskey or God” was nominated for Best
Country Album in the 49th Grammy Awards.
Our
most recent European trip with Dale and James Hand was a
huge success. Audiences were treated to some real Texas
music by two performers who deliver “the real thing.”
We are fortunate to have so many wonderful fans that
packed our shows in Holland, England, Scotland, Germany,
and Switzerland. Thanks to one and all!
Best
Regards,
Gene
|
v
