As I young man growing up in Rochester New York surrounded by rock musicians on every corner, I was destined to find my way into the mainstream of the music business. After seeing local stars such as Lou Gram (Foreigner?s lead singer), Chuck Mangione, Bat Mcgrath, I believed that I too could become a big star. As the lead singer for various local rock bands, I continued to sharpen my craft while other band members came and went. Through the ups and downs, I forged onward in search of the right project that would advance my career. Like many others before me, I headed down to Nashville; the Country Music Capital of the World. I was like a fish out of water having never sung this style of music, but it was the real life stories being told in Country Music that got to me. I realized that this was my calling my time for change. After entering a singing contest on the front porch of Mickey Gilley?s Saloon on Music Row, a talent scout approached me and said, ?son, I see something in you?. He then took me to a producer, and for the very first time in my life, I was little scared and excited all at once. After the introduction, numbers were exchanged? Thus began my journey to stardom. I returned to NY filled with hopes of building a band just to keep the dream alive. It was a very tight nit, closed-door community, and my options were not the greatest. So I had to find a job. I swept floors and became a messenger boy for the producer, RAY Doggett who produced and wrote Kenny Rogers first charted single, "We'll Always Have Each Other" (1958). He did the same for B.J. Thomas and Mickey Gilley. One day I decided to all show up at his office and said, I?m here, where do I start?? Shocked and amazed by my unexpected visit, he smiled then said, ?First, I must teach you to love people because in this business, you have to realize that these songs are not just words, they are someone's life and dreams. Then and only then will you be ready to learn what I can teach you?. So I then decided to put my dreams as a singer on hold and began working in the business. My job for the next 10 years on MUSIC ROW was making sure that the artists that were in our company were ready with song material & photos. I also had to make sure that they got to the studio on time. This took me to many states across America. One year, I traveled over 48,000 miles! I didn?t mine a bit because it gave me an opportunity to see what was going on behind the scenes. It was exactly what I had hoped for. My dedication and hard work finally paid off when Mr. Doggett approached me about my talent. He wanted to give me a chance in the studio. So he took me in to cut my first demo; a song entitled, "Thanks To You" which is now a song on my present CD, "TIME FOR CHANGE". He liked what he heard, and he started to get some good feed back from other people in the industry. He then put me on his label, I went from being a messenger boy to being a recording artist charting in 7 countries including Canada and Europe. Afterwards, I returned to NY to start up my first Country band called, Black Jack. We did well but went through many musician changes before we got in right. My demands were different because I had a taste of the great players in the 'A Studios?, and it was very hard for me to except anything less than perfection. Don?t get me wrong, the local NY musicians were good, but nothin? compared to the boys in Nashville. We finally got it together and began to attract a lot of fans. We opened for top performers like Josh Turner, Mustang Sally, Aaron Tippon, Marty Stuart, Yankee Grey, Cowboy Crush, and many others at club venues, Fairs, Festivals, and Radio Promotional Events. The band members included Jeff Gillette, Frank Marrella, Chris Prime, Jon Greeno, Gordo, Mason Tyler, John Pettigrew, Kurt Kawolski, and Ralph Baranes. One of our members, Ryan Jones, went on to play his fiddle & mandolin professionally for LO CASH Cowboys while attending college in Rochester. We bid him a good farewell as he moved to Nashville to go pro. He is still on tour today. I am so proud of these outstanding musicians. Their accomplishments and contributions will forever be appreciated. Thanks guys.
To all the aspiring musicians, I?ll leave you with this? There is no such thing as ?an over night success?. It took me 20 years to get to this point in my career and I still don't know all the answers. Keep working? hard, stay focused, and never give up on your dreams.
Now I?m currently promoting my new CD Album entitled, "Time For Change". I also have a brand new DVD video entitled, "What I Love about America" which I was told could very well be the next ?Country Music American Anthem?. I just want to say thanks to Buddy Hyatt (producer) &The ?A? Team Nashville Players for putting? their hearts & souls into this inspirational project. These songs were written by some of the finest writers in Nashville, and I am proud to be doing what most people dream about. I am thankful for the strength & wisdom of and all who have helped get here.. The journey continues. I truly appreciate and love you all.
As a signed artist with Redtail Records & Recordings, we are promoting to Radio, TV, and on the internet worldwide. ..... Stay tuned and check back often for new concert appearances and updates in 2009 and beyond!
The Man behind The Shades, Rickey Lee Watson