But it was also about legacy - the way Willie’s songs and his creative influence have been passed down through generations. Recalling moments with old friends and family was a strong motif of this show. Willie spotlighted young talents Billy Strings and Lily Meola on the organ behind him and projections of stars rolling across the screens atop the Bowl, Willie reshaped the melody to the 1927 Hoagy Carmichael classic in a way that only he can. Together they made “Stardust” and it became the biggest seller of Willie’s career. While the label hated the idea of a standards album, Booker T. Now it just so happens, he was staying in the same building as Booker T. This was on his mind on a trip to California. Frank Sinatra was his favorite singer and like Old Blue Eyes, the Red-Headed Stranger wanted to make his mark on the American songbook. Back home in Texas with his sister, Bobbie, he’d been thinking about the songs he heard on the radio as a boy growing up in Abbott. There are many stories of Willie Nelson’s fierce artistic independence floating around the world and this is one of my favorites: After a string of successful albums, including “Red-Headed Stranger” (1975), “The Troublemaker” (1976) and “Waylon and Willie” (1977), Willie’s label at the time (Columbia Records) was very interested in more outlaw country. “Townes wrote it,” he said of "Pancho and Lefty." Then he and Strait unwound the epic tale of wayward hustlers, Strait’s voice golden and strong and Willie’s rising, falling and catching like the dusty dry wind that rustles the scrubby brush along the Texas border - reminding listeners that his tone is the perfect vehicle for capturing the poetry of the American West.įor subscribers: Willie's country: 'The patron saint of Austin' reshaped a genre and the Texas capital 2. And with the easy camaraderie of a pair of lifetime wanderers who just happened to reshape the landscape of the roads they traveled, the two country music icons sang the jokey 2019 duet, “Sing One With Willie.”Īs the applause died down, Willie teased the crowd, saying there was a song he “always wanted to do.” “Hey George, let’s sing one,” Willie said after George Strait appeared to thunderous applause. The King of Country Music’s surprise arrival was the climax of night one of the birthday extravaganza. George Strait joined Willie onstage at the end of night one Here are 10 highlights from the two-night celebration: 1. “When you're with Willie and you have a conversation with Willie, you walk away feeling better, you walk away feeling inspired by his kindness and his attentiveness.” “Willie Nelson is a generous human being,” fellow Texas singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett said on the red carpet. On the red carpet before the show, artists praised Willie’s creativity, but also his magnanimous spirit. Through the years he’s consistently been a creative force and an exemplary human being. Over nine decades, Willie Nelson has followed his creative muse wherever it led him, adding his distinctive tone to classic country, jazz standards, bluesy bar-busters and the occasional reggae tune. The sprawling event traced the winding path of Willie’s career from the dusty landscape of Abbott, Texas, where he fell in love with folk songs sung in the cotton fields and spirituals in the local tabernacle, through the country music machine of Nashville to Austin, where he defied labels to smash the mold of country music and produce some of the greatest albums of the modern era. Over two cool, beautiful nights at the Hollywood Bowl, dozens of artists took the stage to wish a happy 90th birthday to Willie Nelson.
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