Archive for January, 2009

Willie and Bobbie Nelson Silver Coins

Saturday, January 31st, 2009


http://01f31ba.netsolhost.com/willie_nelson.htm

Just released by Willie Nelson, Abbott Methodist Church, and the Texas Mint:   A one ounce .999 silver commemorative coin dated 2006.  Willie Nelson purchased the old church in 2006.

The obverse side of this 39 mm coin has an endearing image of Willie and sister, Bobbie with the reverse showing the old Abbott Church that Willie and Bobbie grew up in their childhood.  Willie purchased the Church building in 2006 when it came up for sale and has saved the Church from abandonment.  The Church is, once again, in regular services.

Fully one half of all profits from the sale of these limited edition Willie Nelson commemoratives directly to the Abbott Methodist Church scholarship fund.  The first one hundred sold will be numbered on the certificate of authenticity

To see it come by the Texas Mint and Mercantile, downtown Whitney.  To buy it direct use our order form:
http://01f31ba.netsolhost.com/order.htm

This Day in Willie Nelson History (1/31/1977)

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

January 31, 1977 

Willie Nelson presented with American Music Award for Favorite Country Single for “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”

Vote for Farm Aid

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Farm Aid was nominated as a revolutionary “cause that matters” in a contest by Virgin America. If you vote for Farm Aid, they could get $25,000 to continue the mission of helping family farmers thrive.

Please vote at:
http://revolutiontakesflight.com/items/F arm_Aid?tr=yauid=4452511

Willie Nelson Fans at the Fillmore

Saturday, January 31st, 2009


Willie Doll with Janelle, and another friend at the Fillmore.  It was her 59th concert, but who’s counting?

We go to the shows see Willie Nelson and Family in concert, but a bonus is the cool fans you get to meet and hang out with before during and after his shows.  Everyone is so happy to get to see Willie and his band.


Nancy and a friend. 

The Fillmore was fun because some of the same people came night after night, and the party would pick up where it stopped the night before.  The Fillmore is general admission, and   Janis from Texas and I would get up front about 6:30, and that’s where we’d stay until Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real came on at 8:00, followed by Willie Nelson and Family about 9:00.  We did this for five days, and hung out with other fans who were there for all the shows, and other fans who were there just for the night. 


George, from San Diego, Janis from Texas, and me.

After five nights, I started to understand what it must feel to be at a Trekkie convention, without the costumes.  We were swapping Willie Nelson stories and concert gossip and it was five days of all Willie all the time.   Every night we’d be on the lookout for folks who were attending their first Willie Nelson concert (Willie Virgins) and we’d warn them their lives were about to be changed forever.


Janis from Texas, with Robin, from California, who was all dressed up in a suit and tie for the show.  Robin found Janis and I upfront every night, and there was always room to squeeze him into the front row beside us.

sflinda

Lana Nelson took this picture of fans, and posted it with others she took of her dad and the band from her unique backstage vantage point, at www.WillieNelson.com.

She got it on ebay: Alice’s H&R Block Willie Nelson Advice Doll

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Willie Nelson fan Alice from Atlanta tells the story of how she got one of the Willie Nelson dolls used in the H&R Block Superbowl commercials — she really did get it on ebay:

“The gentleman who auctioned it worked for H&R Block. He said there were 4 dolls made for the commercial, and this one was the one that was standing on top of the barrel at the beginning of the commercial.

He said he had this one, the person who made the dolls kept one, one was given to Willie, and I forget who he said had the 4th one, I think maybe the owner of H&R Block or the advertising firm?

The doll has the pull-ring thingy on his back, but there was no recording for any of them.   He said that was smoke and mirrors  and just for show.

He also sent me a vhs copy of the commercial.

The workmanship on the doll is actually not that great, but I do love it! It’s on a chrome and glass open shelving unit/etagere in my hallway.”

This day in Willie Nelson History (1/31/04)

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

cmt1
Steven Tyler, Willie Nelson, Joe Perry and Toby Keith
Photo Credit: Rick Diamond
www.cmt.com

1/31/2004:

On the eve of the Super Bowl, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson perform in a live installment of “CMT Crossroads” from Houston with Aerosmith members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

cmt2
Scotty Emerick, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith
Photo Credit: Rick Diamond

Willie Nelson podcasts at Texas Monthly Magazine

Friday, January 30th, 2009

Texas Monthly senior editor Michael Hall interviewed more than 40 friends of Willie for this month’s cover story, “Willie’s God! Willie’s God!  We Love Willie!” Listen to what Norah Jones, Jimmy Carter, and several others love about Willie.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/willie/podcasts

Kris Kristofferson: “Not in My Name!” (In the News)

Friday, January 30th, 2009

Willie Nelson in Phoenix (1/25/09)

Friday, January 30th, 2009

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Carol from NY took this picture in Phoenix.

Another Willie Nelson Fan: Billy Currington

Friday, January 30th, 2009

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Billy Currington

http://popwatch.ew.com

PopWatch:  Who’s the person you want to see in concert before you die?

Billy Currington:  How about this: For forever, I’ve been like, I got to see this one particular person. It’s Willie Nelson. I gotta see Willie before I die, before whoever dies first.

I just happened to be in this little tiny juke joint in Hawaii about a month ago. Just out in this hippie town, nothing there.  And I start hearing these rumors that Willie Nelson is gonna play there tonight. I’m thinkin’ whatever, yeah. Later on, they come to the table and they’re like, “We need $30.”

I’m like, “$30 for what?” “We’re tellin’ you, Willie’s fixin’ to play here. ” I’m like, no way.  But I believed them for some reason, and sure enough, $30 and 30 minutes later, Willie shows up with his family, who are players themselves, and plays for two or three hours in this little nowhere town.

In that moment in time, my dream was fulfilled. It was awesome. I mean, I was five feet away, hangin’ on a wall, just watchin’ Willie play electric guitar and burnin’ it up.

Willie Nelson: Renaissance Man

Friday, January 30th, 2009

Willie Nelson
“Devil in a Sleepin’ Bag”
(1973, Atlantic)
http://magazine.jamsbio.com
by Douglas Newman

I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to say a few nice things about Willie Nelson. And now that Damn Fine Day has selected Willie’s “Devil in a Sleeping Bag” as its pick of the day, that chance is now upon me. There’s a famous quote by Steve Earle, who when referring to the genius of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, boldly proclaimed, “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the world and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” Ask me about Willie Nelson and I’d second that statement, but for good measure I’d also stand on Johnny Cash’s coffee table too.

And in terms of his interpreting skills I’d gladly hop onto tables owned by Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as well. That’s right, I think Willie Nelson rivals Dylan, Cash, Sinatra and Ells in terms of songwriting talent, impact on modern music, and certainly when it comes to a larger than life personality.

Willie Nelson is a true renaissance man and I don’t think he gets the critical respect he deserves. Miles Davis recognized the man’s gifts, even wrote a tune about him, “Willie Nelson,” recorded during the 1970 Jack Johnson sessions.

Today’s Damn Fine Day pick is a nice example of Nelson’s songwriting prowess, a blues stomper featuring a gloriously shambolic and “quintessentially Willie” acoustic guitar solo and road weary lyrics that reference everyone from Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge to Connie and the kids. It’s a humble admission from the ultimate road warrior that there are times he’s ready to sell his beloved bus and pack it in.  Of course once he gets it off his chest, Willie will be ready to be “on the road again,” spreading his genius throughout this great land. Long live Willie!

shotgun

Devil in a Sleeping Bag

“We were headed home in Austin
Caught pneumonia on the road
Taking it home to Connie and the kids
A wheel ran off and jumped a railroad
Then ran through a grocery store

If you want to buy a bus I’m taking bids
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag
He said traveling on the road is such a drag
If we can make it home by Friday we can brag
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag

[ guitar ]

Well I just got back from New York City
Kris and Rita done it all
Raw perfection there for all the world to see
Lord I heard an angel singing
In the Philharmonic Hall
Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge cleft for me
And the devil shivered…
And the devil shivered in his sleeping bag.”

–Devil in a Sleepin’ Bag
   Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson’s Bus

Friday, January 30th, 2009

bus

“Willie’s bus, parked outside the Providence Radison.   I stumbled upon her yesterday when I was driving over to the Red Cross HQ for a meeting. I instantly beamed and turned to my co-worker Jen who was with me and said “Hey Jen!  Do you know what that is???   That’s Willie Nelson’s bus!.”

Just used expired student ID’s to buy 1/2 price tickets for my other co-worker Jen and I. Concert starts in an hour. So sweeeeeeeet.”

— Joshua Ryan

Second Show added at Willie’s Place, Carl’s Corner (2/25/09)

Friday, January 30th, 2009

willies

More great news!  www.ClubLuck.WillieNelson.com has announced that a second show has been added to Carl’s Corner, on February 25, 2009.  The show with Asleep at the Wheel on February 24, 2009, was sold out, and a second show has now been added.  I am assuming it is also a Willie and the Wheel show, but the e-mail from All Access didn’t say.

Members of Club Luck will get first shot at tickets tomorrow morning, and as a bonus will get the chance to get in early for the show.  This is a cozy venue, with tables close to the stage, and that early entry is worth the cost of joining Club Luck ($29.00/yr.)  They also have package deals that include merchandise and a membership. 

Thanks, Willie!  And the Wheel!

Willie Nelson in Best Superbowl Ads Ever

Friday, January 30th, 2009

superbowl

http://www.ew.com

Listening to Willie-isms, as given by the Willie Nelson Advice Doll, would lead a person to several kinds of financial disaster, if you’re to believe this ad from tax preparation company H&R Block.


Willie Nelson at Agoura Hills, CA (1/22/09)(Review)

Friday, January 30th, 2009

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Micah Nelson, Willie Nelson, Mickey Raphael

www.vcreporter.com
by: Brett Leigh Dicks

There are a handful of givens at a Willie Nelson concert. The first is that he is going to amble on stage clasping the world-weary, well-worn acoustic guitar that he affectionately calls “Trigger.” The second is that when Nelson and his cohorts ease their way into the evening, they are going to do so with the eternal country stomp “Whiskey River.” And the third is that across the course of the night, a barrage of music’s most iconic compositions will fly from the stage as freely as Willie Nelson signature bandanas. Not to imply that any of this makes a musical rendezvous with the Nelson collective predictable. Far from it; but there is a degree of solace to be found in such certainties.

With “Whiskey River” soon giving way to “Beer for My Horses” and “Funny How Time Slips Away,” during Nelson’s performance at the Canyon Club last week, it wasn’t until he was firmly in the midst of “Crazy” — a song he wrote but Patsy Cline planted firmly within the greater consciousness — that he and the band found their mark. This was something they subsequently confirmed with “Down Yonder.”  With the song riding on the throes of his sister Bobbie’s honky-tonk piano, the stage was quickly set for a musical volley. First were a couple of offerings from the pen of fellow country outlaw Kris Kristofferson, in the form of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Nelson then turned in a stirring rendition of Fred Rose’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” — a song that not only provides the life blood to Nelson’s seminal 1975 album Red Headed Stranger, but was also reputedly the last song Elvis Presley ever performed. With the crowd firmly in his grasp, Nelson passed the musical spotlight to his son Lukas. The junior of the Nelsons not only led the vocalizing, but surged the ensemble through the blues-drenched “Texas Flood” on the back of his blistering guitar work before “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and “On the Road Again” redirected the evening yet again.

Furthering the Presley connection, “Always on My Mind” was given a thoughtful airiness. While Brenda Lee first recorded the composition and Elvis Presley entrenched it firmly within the charts, it was in Nelson’s a hands that it was finally taken to No. 1 position — a feat that was also repeated by the next offering, “All The Girls I’ve Loved Before.”  Having paid tribute to Kristofferson, it was only fitting that a Hank Williams offering should follow suit. And that came through the collective offering of “Jambalaya,” “Move It on Over” and “Hey, Good Lookin’.”

Throughout the years, Nelson has collaborated with a bevy of cohorts. From his musical sojourning with Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, through his undertakings with the Beach Boys and Julio Iglesias, Nelson has bucked convention at every turn. He has worked with stalwarts like Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Paul Simon and contemporary talents the caliber of Ben Harper, Kid Rock and Los Lonely Boys. He has even made an album with Ryan Adams.

While the night was already peppered with numerous musical tangents — including country, blues and honky-tonk — perhaps the most stirring moment was when Nelson wandered the gospel path. Both Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light” and Nelson’s own “I’ll Fly Away” were sublime. With a harmonica blazing and the audience clapping, Nelson pointed and preached as his ensemble bristled around him. Such an inspiring offering could only be superseded by something very special, “Georgia on My Mind” where Nelson’s rasping vocals cut effortlessly to the essence of the song.

He might be 75 years old, and he might spend more days on the road each year than he does at home, but there is nothing tiresome about Willie Nelson. Sure, his vocal delivery can be a little more laconic these days, and his beloved Trigger worse for the wear, but Nelson clearly loves being in front of an audience. His performance harks back to a time when bands took to the stage to entertain and when folks came to share in that. Sure, there are some things in life that are certain, and some of those take place at a Willie Nelson concert. But in a musical world that is changing every day, the last thing any of us should do is to take these things for granted.