nd photos by: John Soeder
www.cleveland.com
Willie Nelson endorses Roger Crowe for Briarcliff Alderman “Keep Briarcliff Country”
February 9th, 2010
Roger Crowe and David Anderson
Photo by David Von Roehm, Luck Films
http://rogercrowe.com/Support.html
Today Briarcliff resident Roger Crowe announced his bid for Briarcliff Alderman. The 40-year old candidate hopes his efforts as Alderman will “Keep Briarcliff Country”. His platform is to get everyone involved in public meetings through the use of technology.
Roger announced, “Alot of working mothers and fathers are just too exhausted to attend public meetings after commuting back and forth to the city for work, while many others travel for a living and also some older residents aren’t able to participate because of health or disablity.” Roger went on to explain, “ My hopes are that soon everyone will have access via the internet to view all public proceedings.”
Speaking to members of the press; “Too long the fate of fellow property owners has been by unanimous application or by some unknown proclamations that are passed without the knowledge or approval of the majority of residents,” Roger Crowe stated, ” Until now! I am here to Keep Briarcliff Country and to give a voice back to the property owners.”
Crowe applied today at the Village of Briarcliff City Hall and was sworn in by the clerk upon presenting his application. The election is set for May 8th. Early Voting begins April 26th through May 4th.
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SugarHill Recording Studio, Houston
February 8th, 2010
http://culturemap.com
By Douglas Newman
By Douglas Newman
Nestled on a quiet street just off Old Spanish Trail in southeast Houston is the home of SugarHill Recording Studios, an unassuming metal-clad building with a long, vibrant and sometimes sordid history.
A hidden gem in this city’s (and nation’s) musical history, SugarHill was founded in 1941 as Quinn Recording and remains the oldest continually operating recording studio in Texas. In its 69 years of continuous operation, the studio has recorded virtually every style of American popular music, with special emphasis on the sounds of Texas and the upper Gulf Coast region. It also has hosted some of the world’s most renowned producers and artists, some of whom will likely surprise you.
Indeed, I grew up in Houston as an avid (read: obsessive) music fan, and it wasn’t until three years ago I learned that the 1958 early rock staple “Chantilly Lace” by the Big Bopper was recorded at SugarHill, just a couple of miles from my childhood home.
It was also the site of the original recording of Willie Nelson’s “Night Life” (rejected by his label because it sounded too “jazzy”), a slew of George Jones hits in the mid-1950s, a run of Freddy Fender classics in the mid-1970s, the most gloriously twisted psychedelia by the legendary 13th Floor Elevators and The Red Krayola and the incomparable blues of Houston’s native son, Lightnin’ Hopkins.
What other musical nuggets are hidden among the stacks of reel-to-reel cannisters in the vaults of SugarHill? I headed over to the studio to find out more. Read the rest of this entry »
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Farm Aid Hat
February 8th, 2010
www.FarmAid.org still has some great Farm Aid Gear from last year’s spectacular Farm Aid Concert in St. Louis, Missouri. Like this Navy Blue Farm Aid Tractor Hat.
This hat only costs $6.80; yeah, I thought it was a typo, too, but it’s not. They only have 24 hats left, so get a couple one for a friend and one for yourself! The perfect gift and nice little pick me up for you.
And here’s the handsome Farm Aid Hotline and Farmer Resource Network Coordinator Joel modelling the hat:
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Martin Guitar Announces Willie Nelson N-20WN “Trigger” Guitar (7/10/1998)
February 8th, 2010
Thanks so much to Carol Sidoran of NY, for this picture of Trigger from Glen Allen, VA show.
July 10, 1998 — The Martin Guitar Company is honored to announce the N-20WN Limited Edition Signature Model guitar, a collaboration with Willie Nelson, one of the world’s most renowned performers and songwriters. The N-20WN is a replica of Willie Nelson’s beloved guitar, one of the most famous and recognizable instruments in existence. Available from authorized Martin dealers and distributors worldwide, C. F. Martin & Co. will make up to but not exceeding 100 Willie Nelson N-20WN Limited Edition Signature Models. No more than 30 of these 100 instruments will be offered with Brazilian rosewood back and sides.
Willie Nelson, a country music hero and an American legend whose career spans nearly half a century, is one of the most distinctive and popular musicians in the world. Nelson bought his first Martin sight unseen in 1969. He remembers the unusual circumstances:
“The Baldwin company gave me a Baldwin amp and classical electric guitar with a special three-cord stereo pickup. I busted that guitar up pretty badly so I sent it up to Shot Jackson in Nashville to get it fixed. He called back and said, ‘I can’t fix it. It’s broke too bad.’ I said, ‘Well what else have you got around?’ He said he had a Martin up on the shelf for $750. I asked if he could put that same Baldwin pickup in the Martin. And that’s how I got it, right off the shelf, unseen from a thousand miles away. When I got it I knew that I had picked up something special. I like to just sit around in a room and play it. I like to write on it. I just like the sound of it.”
Photographs taken throughout Willie Nelson’s career show the gradual evolution of his famous guitar (nicknamed Trigger) from its pristine new condition to its current weathered look. Much like Willie, this famous guitar has come a long way. Trigger has been played so much, there is a rather sizable hole worn right through the top, one that Willie considers so sentimental, he won’t have it repaired. In addition, Nelson estimates that he has 100 signatures on his Martin including those of Leon Russell, Roger Miller, Kris Kristofferson, Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, lawyers, football coaches, and other friends and associates. When asked why his guitar is named Trigger, Willie explains: “Roy Rodgers had a horse named Trigger. I figured: “This is my horse!”
And what’s so special about this guitar? Willie says: “It has great tone!” Most recently on his widely acclaimed album “Spirit” and on several soon to be released new songs, he has been recording with Trigger and nothing but a single microphone. The guitar simply embodies that Willie Nelson trademark sound.
During his well publicized perils with the Internal Revenue Service, Willie was so worried that they might try to take Trigger away from him that he hid his guitar at his manager’s house for safe keeping.
1999 is the 30th anniversary of the original Trigger guitar. Martin will offer the edition in two configurations. No more than 30 instruments in the edition of 100 will be offered in rare Brazilian Rosewood, the wood used to construct the original Trigger guitar. The remainder of the edition will be offered in East Indian rosewood.
Martin N-20 models have gone through many incarnations. The scale of this unusual model is 25.4″, a length which was replaced with the longer 26.44″ scale within a year of its introduction. Willie’s specific guitar bears Martin’s square non-tapered headstock shape with rounded slots which preceded the more traditional classic headstock shape. The neck is fitted with the highest quality Waverly Sloane sidemount classical tuning machines.
The soundboard is bookmatched from solid Sitka spruce, tinted with the original “mellow yellow” toner, and polished to a high gloss. The rosette is the traditional N-style wooden classical mosaic in black, white, red and green.
The fingerboard is crafted of solid genuine ebony with Willie Nelson’s signature inlaid between the 17th and 18th fret. The fifth fret bears a Mother Of Pearl inlay depicting the silhouette of the state of Texas with a single “lone star” in the middle. The name “TRIGGER” is inlaid at the 12th fret in western style poster lettering.
Each guitar will be offered with a state-of-the-art pickup system custom fabricated by Fishman Transducers, Inc. to closely replicate the tonal nuances of the original Baldwin pickup, which is no longer available.
In addition, every instrument will include a customized Deluxe Geib Style 5-Ply Hardshell Vintage Case with special “hemp” covered exterior.
Each guitar in this special edition will bear an interior label individually numbered in sequence and personally signed by Willie Nelson and C.F. Martin, IV, Martin’s chairman and CEO. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Willie Nelson Limited Edition N-20WN will be donated to Farm Aid, Nelson’s charity formed in 1985 to draw attention to the plight of America’s farmers.
Martin Guitar dealers will begin to take orders for the Willie Nelson Limited Edition Signature Model immediately, though due to heavy demand for Martin instruments, this edition will not begin to appear in stores until the early months of 1999. As with all Martin Guitars, the construction process takes both time and expertise. The Martin Guitar company dates back to the 1830s when Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. moved to the United States from Europe. The guitar shop he set up over 160 years ago has been continuously family owned and operated. Current Chairman and CEO Chris Martin, IV is the sixth generation Martin to head this venerable company.
For more information, visit their web site at www.mguitar.com.
Thanks to Cherie, from Texas (Willie’s Prayer Warrier) for sharing this photo she took at Billy Bob’s, in Fort Worth.
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Ticket Pre-sale for Willie Nelson fan club members to Clive, IA Show (3/28/2010)
February 8th, 2010
Willie Nelson’s Club Luck is offering fan club members a chance to buy pre-sale tickets to the Willie Nelson and Family Show in Clive, Iowa on March 28, 2010. The presale begins tomorrow, February 9th, at 10 a.m. venue time. This is one of the great benefits of Willie’s fan club — the chance to purchase tickets before the general public.
Club Luck Members need to login to http://clubluck.willienelson.com to get their unique Ticketmaster presale code which is listed on the front page after you login. Once you have the code, go to: http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/732878 and click on the show you want to purchase tickets for and enter your code to gain access to the presale.
If you aren’t a member yet, visit www.ClubLuck.WillieNelson.com to find out how you can sign up. Annual membership: $29.99. Also, you can purchase a membership when you buy your tickets on http://www.ticketmaster.com starting at 11am local time.
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Willie Nelson performs at 33rd Annual Country Radio Seminar and Trade Show in Nashville (2/28/2002)
February 7th, 2010
The 33rd Annual Country Radio Seminar and Trade Show brings DJ’s and artist and songwriters together. Willie Nelson performed for thousands at the Performance Hall Stage in Nashville February 28. He was promoting his new album “Great Divide” on which he does a duet with Lee Ann Womack. The album feature artists, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Allison Krauss, Brian McKnight, Bonnie Raitt and Rob Thomas.
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Willie Nelson at the Illinois State Fair (Aug 19, 2001)
February 7th, 2010
www.sj-r.com
August 20, 2001
by Matthew Dietrich
If there was a single song that summed up the atmosphere of Willie Nelson’s show Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand, it might have been his tender take on “Rainbow Connection.”
The song was made famous, of course, by Kermit the Frog. But delivered in Nelson’s burnished, uniquely quivering voice, the song became a touching commentary on life, hope and dreams from someone who has seen plenty.
“Who said that every wish/would be heard and asnwered.” goes one especially effective line. Hearing it from Willie Nelson, who has overcome his share of adversity in his 68 years, that line seemed especially appropriate. Not necessarily a lecture or warning, but more a message to never lose hope, even when your wishes seem ignored.
Nelson’s return to th state fair, where he became an annual attraction during the administration of Gov. Jim Thompson, felt much like a homecoming. Nelson’s 13th appearance at the Grandstand came 11 years after his last show there, in 1990.
In the years since Nelson stopped playing the fair, he because a bigger star than ever ,and his live shows shifted to a focus on versatility rather than the spirit of the country outlaw movement.
Wednesday’s show found Nelson rolling through an extensive set of songs he eithe wrote, made famous or just enjoys.
Like Bob Dylan, who played on the same state 72 hours earlier, Nelson is fond of deconstructing his best-known songs, often dropping them into different time signatures and experimenting generously with their melodies.
And like Dylan, the force of Nelson’s personality makes his onstage experimentation all the more worthwhile.
As always, he and his band, Family, opened with his signature “Whiskey RIver,” and rolled into “Good Hearted Woman,” which they converted into a speedy two-step. The full Willie Nelson atmosphere was ensured when a giant Texas flag unfurled behind the band during “Whiskey River.”
“Well hello there,” Nelson exclaimed to the crowd after that song. “It’ sbeen a long long time! How am I doing?”
As the crowd of 4,028 thundered its favorable reaction, Nelson used that line as a seque into his touching ballad “Funny How Time Just Slips Away.” As would often be the case throughout the show, Nelson played with the rhythm of the song and allowed his voice to meander around the original melody.
The seven-piece Family, as it did a a show a year ago at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, was in stripped-down instrumental form. The only drum was a single snare drum, with additional rhythm coming from various hand percussion instruments. Harmonica Player Mickey Raphael added color throughout the set.
The simple backing allowed Nelson’s voice and his distinct acoustic guitar solos to shine through.
There’s no other voice like that of Willie Nelson, and he uses it to great effect on ballads like “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” and “Always on My Mind.” Both seasoned and delicate, Nelson’s voice adds extra emotion to songs that are inherently emotional.
Nelson paced the show nicely, following each ballad with something upbeat.
Billy Joe Shaver’s “Georgia on a Fast Train,” an upbeat version of Arlo Guthrie’s “City of New Orleans” and a rocking take on “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” were among the songs that helped maintain a party atmosphere in mid-set. A medley of Hank Wiliams songs also kept the mood high.
As the show approached the two-hour point, a light rain had begun to fall. Nelson apparently had been advised that a lot of rain was about to hit, and he told the crowd he’d try to beat the rain.
He didn’t. As he and Family blasted through a joyous “I Saw the Light,” the skies opened, soaking the many audience members who continued to dance on an increasingly muddy track in front of the stage.
Few seemed to care. Willie was back.
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