In 1963, Gene Watson moved to Houston, where he worked in car engine and bodywork repairs. In the evenings, he sang around the local clubs, and recorded for several labels including Reeder and Stoneway before gaining his first country chart entry with "Bad Water" on the Resco label in 1975. He moved to Capitol Records and had a US Top 10 country hit with the suggestive "Love in the Hot Afternoon." Further Top 10 hits followed, including "Paper Rosie," and "One Sided Conversation" before topping the charts with "Fourteen Carat Mind" in 1981. Although he charted regularly throughout the '80s, he failed to find another number one. In 1987, he recorded "Tempted" with Tammy Wynette, which appears on her Higher Ground album. Watson continued to tour and record into the 2000s.