Archive for 2015

Willie Nelson and Family @ ACL Live, Austin (Dec. 29, 2015)

Thursday, December 31st, 2015

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Thank you, Janis Tillerson, for your great photos from the show in Austin on December 29, from the first night of Willie Nelson & Family’s 3-day run at the Moody Theater, at ACL in Austin.

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Willie Nelson & Family (Austin, Dec. 29, 2015)

Wednesday, December 30th, 2015

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Thanks, Jenny Thompson for sharing photos from the Willie Nelson & Family show in Austin.

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Dan Rather, Gary Miller, Willie Nelson

Wednesday, December 30th, 2015

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Backstage, Austin City Live Moody Theater last night.

Gary Miller is always taking everyone else’s photo; nice to see someone snapped one of him.

Willie Nelson & Family, Boarding House, San Francisco, CA (June 7, 1975)

Wednesday, December 30th, 2015

Thanks to Trey Jones for finding this gem.

Willie Nelson and Family New Year’s Guitar Picks

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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Thank you so much to Guthrie Thomas, for sharing photos of the Willie Nelson New Years Guitar Picks.  Designed by Budrock Prewitt, and created by Guthrie Thomas.

Happy New Year!  I know “Willie starts his New Year shows tonight, and these New Years Guitar Picks are Dr. Budrocks design and presentation to him for the New Year to begin…

Always your friend,

Guthrie Thomas

Sirius/XM Radio to broadcast Willie Nelson & Family on New Year’s Eve in Austin

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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www.SiriusXM.com

Ring in the New Year with a Texas-sized party starring Willie & Family, Kacey Musgraves and Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real from ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, TX.

Dallas Wayne hosts the festivities, starting with Lukas at 10 pm ET, followed by Kacey at 11:15 pm ET and a special countdown to 2016 and Sister Bobbie’s birthday at midnight Texas time (1 am ET) only on @SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse.

Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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Willie Nelson 5th Republic of Texas Chilympiad (1974)

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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Cameron, Texas, Herald
September 2, 1974

Chilympiad Set At San Marcos

Kids, as well as adults seem to always be out in a big way for parades and the Fifth Republic of Texas Chilympaid in San Marcos promises the largest parade ever in the history of this city’s state cook-off festivities.

Parade organizer Alan Greiner announced this week that about 140 entries have been logged in with more coming in everyday from throughout the state .  This  year’s colorful extravaganza has been changed from its regular date on Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, Sept, 21 beginning in downtown San Marcos at 9:30 a m. Greiner explained the reason for the change was because they have added an extra day to the zany activities of Chilympiad, beginning on Thursday instead of Friday.  ‘‘Area high school bands and drill teams as well as colleges couldn’ t make it on the first day of Chilympiad because of school,  thus we moved it to Saturday morning Saturday morning.”  And, with the Saturday parade Greiner has received many more entries than before, and at a much earlier date.

Leading this year’s colorful motorcross and marching musicians through the state chili headquarters city are “El Jefe Primero” Nat Henderson and “FI Patron Grande”.   Hob Thornton Henderson is known as one the founding fathers of Chilympiad and has defended the state’s tradition of fine chili in his writing for the Austin American. Thornton spends his weekdays heading a bank in San Marcos, while enjoying and working for chili and all its color during his leisure hours.

Close to 100,000 fun-seeking adventurers from every walk of life are expected to the four day event on Chilympiad s new site, the Hays County Civic Center complex.   A sprawling 50-acre complex is awaiting chili heads to break in with a show- barn reserved to stage some of the hottest and largest dances every produced in Central Texas.   Gaining the top billing for Chilympiad b four big nights of dancing, is progressive country and western singer composer Willie Nelson.   He is slated for both Friday and Saturday evening dances during the cook off.

On Thursday evening, kicking off what promises to be the biggest chili fest ever is Darrell McCall and the Tennessee Travelers. Then rounding out the big name entertainment Sunday evening .

 

Willie Nelson & Family in Laughlin, NV (Jan 2, 2015)

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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http://laughlinentertainer.com

Willie Nelson at 80+. Seeing as how we are in a betting town, you can be pretty certain the over/under on him reaching that age 20 years ago was prohibitive on the under. Say +350. He did have a recent operation on his lungs but things went successfully and he’s back on tour, beating the odds once again. But Nelson has always been about beating the odds…both in his career and his life. 

Known as a great songwriter by early Nashville and Memphis music centers (he did write “Crazy” for Patsy Cline and “Hello Walls” for Faron Young, after all), he decided to sing his own songs and was almost laughed out of Dodge. His voice was too nasal, they said; he was not handsome enough, they said. Well, he pushed ahead, and though it took quite a while, he broke through as one of country music’s most iconic singers. He’s had them all waiting in line to join him in duets. “Hey, Nashville! Ray Charles is on the line and wants to sing a song with me…but I told him I had to sing with Dolly and Julio first.”

When everyone, but everyone, in the music industry said an album had to have 12 songs of about three minutes tops in length, each having a different topic or theme, Willie Nelson went out and recorded an album that defied all convention. It told one long story about a strange man filled with sorrow of a lost love, utilizing ballads that wound the theme around his haunting acoustic guitar work. Songs would fade away, meld into each other, appear again later on the album…the sum creating a national sensation that introduced Willie Nelson to a bigger audience than most artists would ever enjoy. The album was the heralded Red Headed Stranger (1975) and set the stage for more second guessing by the experts on Nelson.

After Red Headed Stranger there were those who thought he should clean up his act to help his career roll along. What did he do? He let his hair grow even longer and took to wearing in-your-face braids and a scraggly beard. He plowed along, and with friend Waylon Jennings in tow, created the whole “Outlaw” musical genre, warning every mama not to let their “babies grow up to be cowboys.” This pairing gave a shot in the arm for both Nelson and Jennings and gained them respect outside the country music genre.

It looked like the honky tonk road was the one that Willie Nelson was going travel now. He owned it and could sing songs about whiskey, women and worry until the truck broke down. But in true Nelson fashion he turned left when everyone else was going right. On the heels of the release of the Wanted: The Outlaws album, he released a compilation of classic songs from the American songbook in his Stardust album. Willie singing “Blue Skies” and “Stardust”? Really? Well, the wily Willie knew what he was doing. His natural jazz influenced vocal stylings (see his quote about Bob Wills in the box above) with his syncopated and half-beat lag worked wonders on these songs. The album became the most successful of his career to date, reaching No. 1 on the country charts (they didn’t know exactly where to put this album so they went with Nelson’s identity as a country singer), earning multi-platinum sales awards and a Grammy.

Many established singers, and friends of Nelson, were now fully on board with him. Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash, joined him for the Highwaymen album and experience; the duets started flowing in great number; movie roles came his way (The Electric Horseman“, “Honeysuckle Rose“, “Stagecoach” and others); and then the IRS came calling.

It has always been said that “you can’t fight City Hall.” Well, Willie Nelson had a $16 million bill from the IRS, and his take on it was,  “I think it’s funny that a cotton picker from Texas owes the government $16 million dollars.” But that cotton picker could also sing, so he sold off a lot of his assets, held concerts “for the government” and settled his debt within a couple of years. He fought “City Hall” and came away O.K. Not saying he won, but he came away O.K.

As the years accumulated, Willie Nelson became more than just a country singer/western actor. He became something of the “wise man on the mountain as evidenced by his sayings on this page. To that end, a few years ago, he came out with a book called The Tao of Willie in which he relates his journey of bumps and scrapes, forks in the road, detours, disastrous twists and hairpin turns—from swimming against the currents of a whiskey river to the Zen-like figure of a man who’s comfortable in his own skin.

Another publishing venture by Willie Nelson was his Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die – Musings from the Road, published by HarperCollins in May 2012.

So how many more “takes” is Willie Nelson going to perform before he’s satisfied enough to call it quits?

His response: “All I do is play music and golf — which one do you want me to give up?”


WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY

The Edgewater E Center

Wednesday-Friday, December 30-January 1. 8 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m.

(See Showtimes for tickets)

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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Waylon Jennings: Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas Broadcast 1973

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

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www.theboot.com
by:  Courtney Carr

A new live record of Waylon Jennings is set for release in March.

Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas, Broadcast 1973 is from a concert that Jennings performed, along with Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver and Jerry Jeff Walker, on Nov. 4, 1973, in celebration of Abbott High School’s homecoming. Although Abbott native Nelson opened and closed the show — which drew around 10,000 people to the town with a population of about 350 and was broadcast by KAMC-FM — the concert was a big moment in Jennings’ career.

Many of the songs that Jennings performed at this 1973 show were later used on This Time, which came out in 1974. Jennings passed away in February of 2002, at the age of 64, due to complications from diabetes.

Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas, Broadcast 1973 will be released on March 11 through FM Concert Broadcasts. A complete track listing is available below.

Waylon Jennings, Return of the Outlaw: The Abbott, Texas, Broadcast 1973 Track Listing:

1. “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean”
2. “Good Hearted Woman”
3. “Louisiana Woman”
4. “Pretend I Never Happened”
5. “Me & Bobby McGee”
6. “Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues”
7. “Amanda”
8. “Laid Back Country Picker”
9. “You Asked Me To”
10. “Honky Tonk Heroes”
11. “The Last Letter”
12. “T for Texas”
13. “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line”
14. “Dangerous Type”

Willie Nelson and Norah Jones, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

Monday, December 28th, 2015

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Support Family Farmers, Support Farm Aid

Monday, December 28th, 2015

Grant Quilt

Since 1985, Farm Aid has granted over $22 million to more than 300 groups all over the country. We think of these organizations as not just grantees, but also critical partners – changing the farm and food system.

www.FarmAid.org

Dear Family Farm Supporter:

Farm Aid relies on the support of people like you to do the year-round work to keep family farmers on the land. We truly appreciate that you’re a partner in this work with us.

Click here to give a gift to Farm Aid now. Your tax-deductible donation will enable us to build on the accomplishments we had in 2015 to make family farmers stronger than ever in in the New Year.

This year, with your help, Farm Aid:
  • Supported family farmers as they transitioned to practices to take better care of our soil and water.
  • Responded to hundreds of family farmers in urgent need, with financial struggles and farmers dealing with the impact of natural disasters.
  • Helped new farmers get started with resources and know-how through our hotline and Farmer Resource Network.
  • Gave $650,000 in grants, supporting farmers, farm advocates and farm organizations across the country.
  • Brought farmer voices to Washington to call for needed change in farm policy to fortify family farmers against the power of big money.
  • Rallied more than 27,000 people at Farm Aid 30 in Chicago to celebrate family farmers with a day of inspiring music, our HOMEGROWN Village and family farm food.
All of this extraordinary work makes a real difference in the lives of farm families, and all of us who eat. But we can’t do this work without you. Please, make a gift now to keep family farmers on the land growing good food for all of us.
Sincerely,

 

Carolyn Mugar
Executive Director
Farm Aid

This day in Willie Nelson History: Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow & friends honor Merle Haggard (Dec. 28, 2010 )

Monday, December 28th, 2015

On Dec 28, 2010, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley play to honor Merle Haggard in the CBS telecast of “The Kennedy Center Honors.” Video taped earlier in the month.

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