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“..it’s been a ?willie? nice week so far. Heart full from last night’s laughs and honoring Mr. William Hugh Nelson.’

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by Lyndsey Parker

It was a multigenerational affair at the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing’s annual Grammy Week Celebration on Wednesday night when this year’s P&E honoree, 85-year-old Willie Nelson, took the stage with his sons Lukas and Micah Nelson and Lukas’s band, Promise of the Real.

Also on hand were Grammy Album of the Year nominee Kacey Musgraves and veteran country songwriter and producer Buddy Cannon, who introduced the elder Nelson, and surprise guest Dave Matthews, who performed acoustic versions of Nelson’s 1961 classic “Funny How Time Slips Away” and his own “Gravedigger,” which Nelson covered in 2008.

There was a lot of love in the room at Village Studios in Los Angeles as Musgraves proclaimed, “[Nelson] has this really unique ability to unite. … It’s really unlike any other artist I can think of. Underdogs, outliers, Republicans, rappers, presidents — everyone loves Willie! Speaking of presidents, I asked Willie one time, ‘So, why don’t you just run for president?’ He was like, ‘Because I’d win.’ Touché.

‘He’s just a huge part of American culture. I mean, little kids are still dressing up like him for Halloween. … His songs are so iconic, so classic. They’re never gonna die,” Musgraves continued. “And let’s get real — he’s probably not either. He’s going to outlive us all.”

Matthews later echoed Musgraves’s sentiment, telling the Village crowd (which included “Weird Al” Yankovic, Diane Warren, Feist, Ziggy Marley and Lisa Loeb), “[Nelson is] just a great influence. If you need someone to make you think it’s better to be good and kind, you just have to look at that guy. And then you realize, ‘Oh, there’s no reason to be a d***, because look how far this guy’s gotten being a f***in’ great guy!’”

Matthews was later joined onstage by Lukas for a rendition of “Crazy,” the Patsy Cline classic that his father wrote in 1961, after which the Nelson sons jammed on an 11-minute medley of his hits. Finally, the man of the hour got up for “Living in the Promiseland” and “On the Road Again.”

Willie seemed to prefer to let his music do the talking, keeping his P&E acceptance speech short and sweet — though he acknowledged that being so universally likable had delivered a career advantage. “I want to thank the producers and engineers over the years for making me sound as good as I could,” he quipped. “And I’m glad they liked me, because they really could have screwed me up!”

Now in its 12th year, the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing Grammy Week Celebration also honored the contributions of the Producers & Engineers Wing’s 6,400-plus professional members, who work together to shape the future of music recording.
Nelson, who has eight Grammy wins and 200 hundred albums under his belt — and who planned to head back into the studio Thursday, according to Cannon — joins a list of P&E honorees that includes such illustrious names as T Bone Burnett, Jimmy Iovine, Quincy Jones, Neil Young, Nile Rodgers, Rick Rubin, Jack White and Alicia Keys.
“Willie is one of the icons, and he has been a standard-bearer for all of us,” said Recording Academy president and CEO Neil Portnow.

www.Grammy.com
by:  Ana Yglesias

photo:  Jason Kempin

It takes a village: A star-studded lineup paid tribute to Willie Nelson on Jan. 12 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena as part of the “Willie: Life & Songs OF An American Outlaw, A Willie NElson All-Star Concert Celebration.” The performance will air later in the year on A&E Networks.

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by:  Glen Peoples

On a drizzly, windy Saturday afternoon in January, with Nashville’s honky-tonk bars buzzing a block away, Keith Wortman sits on a leather chair in a small room backstage at the Bridgestone Arena. In six hours, Chris Stapleton, backed by a top-notch group of players led by Don Was (Wortman’s longtime creative partner), would kick off a memorable tribute to Willie Nelson: “Life and Songs of an American Outlaw.” To Wortman, founder of Blackbird Presents, the first song is the culmination of Blackbird’s latest celebration of a legendary musician.

These star-laden concerts are “what I’ve always dreamed about doing,” Wortman says as three people stand in the doorway waiting for a moment of his time. Organizing the concert is corralling a flurry of moving parts. For “Life & Songs of an American Outlaw,” television played an additive role. “The model is an all-star show for an icon – bring out a Who’s Who of artists, backed by an incredible all-star band, and organize multi-platform distribution, which is to say they all become broadcast specials, not just the concert itself.”

Other types of concerts, namely festivals, count on sponsorships to bolster the bottom line. Blackbird has done roughly 25 all-star celebrations to date. In addition to one-off concerts, Blackbird has the Outlaw Music Festival it produces with Nelson and his manager, Mark Rothbaum. In 2018, 17 Outlaw Music Festival concerts averaged 8,887 tickets sold per night and an average gross of $426,160, according to Pollstar data.

Television effectively subsidizes the concert and, apparently, T-shirts that cost only $20 (an amazingly low price for an arena concert). This particular concert will be televised on A&E later in 2019; previous Blackbird concerts have aired on AMC, CMT, PBS, AXS, and more. “It’s harder to make the economics work because there are a lot of moving pieces and the expenses can get pretty significant,” explained Wortman. “So having a budget from a network certainly helps.” Compensation for artists is part of the business model, although Wortman couldn’t reveal specific numbers. “People are compensated through a number of different ways: expenses, fees, royalties on the products we put out.”

“Life and Songs of an American Outlaw” was like a festival in a bottle, a one-stop shop for Willie Nelson music performed by a multi-day festival-worth of talent. Sure, their appearances were typically limited to a song, and not always a duet with Nelson, but each performance had the emotion of a 30-minute set. The crowd hung on every note. Out of about 16,000 fans in attendance, you could count the people who left early on one hand.

Nelson at 85 years old is due for a tribute concert and brought aboard friends with an authentic connection: they know him, recorded with him, toured with him or cited him as an influence. Sometimes the concert was an easy sell. The Avett Brothers “probably said yes before they finished asking the question,” Seth Avett joked before the show. Having a prior relationship to the star is a requirement for his other concerts, too. Typically when doing these all-star events, Wortman will get calls from record labels trying to get their artists on his show to promote their new albums. These are non-starters. “That’s not an honest conversation.”

Nelson’s Rolodex must have made booking artists easier, but choosing the right lineup is crucial to this type of concert. “It’s a big responsibility. You want to honor the artist and their songs in a meaningful way and you want to put the artists on the show in a special position to succeed. Part of doing that is giving them a big platform, the broadcast.” And while the broadcast’s audience is a lure for the performers, Wortman also wants to preserve the show for posterity. “You’re talking about some of the most epic musical moments.”

Many performers were past participants at Nelson’s roving Farm Aid concert or Outlaw Music Festival (produced by Blackbird with Nelson and his manager, Mark Rothbaum): Jack Johnson, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Sturgill Simpson, Margo Price and Sheryl Crow.

Nathaniel Rateliff, who performs with his band The Night Sweats, said he tries to be more involved with Farm Aid every year. Rateliff just happened to have a free day before flying to Europe for a tour. “I would have been bummed to be too busy or if our tour had already started.” Lyle Lovett, who performed “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” noted Nelson’s ability to bring people together.

“Willie’s my hero [and] one of the most special human beings that ever walked the planet.” John Mellencamp, who co-founded Farm Aid with Nelson and Neil Young, and Dave Matthews both turned in memorable performances. Both are Farm Aid board members.

Some relationships go back decades. Vince Gill, who turned in a lovely rendition of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” told the audience he opened for some of Nelson’s shows as a teenager. Susan Tedeschi played Farm Aid in 1999. She and her husband Derek Trucks, who perform as the Tedeschi Trucks Band, played “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces.” Tedeschi followed-up with a duet with Nelson on “City of New Orleans.” Tedeschi and Trucks usually enjoy a quiet period that time of year. “But Willie called,” said Trucks, laughing. Some of the legends had signed Margo Price’s guitar by the time she hit the red carpet before the show. “I’ve been walking around making everybody sign it. So I’ve got Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, Emmylou Harris.”

Nearly every song per-formed was written or co-written by Nelson – with a few exceptions. Jamey Johnson wowed the audience with his version “Georgia on my Mind,” written by a close friend of Nelson’s, Ray Charles. Jack Johnson performed “Willie Got Me Stoned and Took My Money,” an original song he debuted at 2015’s Farm Aid concert.

One performer, in particular, lacked a connection: George Strait. Announced to a standing ovation as “The King of Country,” Strait explained he showed up because he and Nelson had never performed together on stage. Strait showed up with a humorous song written just for the occasion. It was a fitting end to the show before the requisite all-star jam closed the evening with superstar performers backed by an orchestra of guitars.

“Life & Songs of an American Outlaw” worked because it adequately paid tribute to Nelson and his legacy. Look for it on A&E – it’s part of the business model, after all.

Everybody loves Willie Nelson.

We realize that’s an obvious statement — but it was made even more obvious Saturday night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, during the all-star tribute concert “Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw.”

More than 2 dozen acts — almost uniformly huge names in country, rock and Americana — shared the stage to play their favorite songs by Nelson, and several of them got to do so with the man himself.

It’s no small feat to stand out among a crowd that includes Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss, George Strait, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Lee Ann Womack, Eric Church, Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, The Avett Brothers, Jack Johnson — man, it’s hard to know where to stop — and others.

But throughout the night, there were performances that were more than just a really good cover. They were moments that truly did justice to an iconic “outlaw.” Spoiler alert: a bunch of the best moments came from Nelson himself.

Derek Trucks and Willie Nelson perform during the Willie: Life & Songs of an American Outlaw concert at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com)

The mood was electric from the moment the stage lights turned on, revealing Stapleton at center stage. His soulful take on Nelson’s 1978 hit was a prime showcase for his voice, of course, but the rollicking tune also flexed the muscles of a stacked house band, with Jamey Johnson, Don Was, Mickey Raphael, Paul Franklin and Amanda Shires among their ranks.

She also provided fiery backup for Steve Earle, but Price’s finest moment came when she took on Willie and Waylon’s classic cover, giving it an inspired spin as a “Mamma” herself. Bonus points for bringing Country Music Hall of Famer Bare along to belt out the chorus.

Lukas and Micah Nelson: “Time of the Preacher”

Nelson’s two youngest children have followed their dad into the music business, but unsurprisingly, they don’t make a habit of performing his songs on stage. That made their medley at Saturday’s show a rare, touching treat, and their lineage couldn’t have been clearer when they harmonized on “Time of the Preacher” from the classic “Red Headed Stranger” album.

Jason Isbell: “Milk Cow Blues”

“Willie Nelson loves the blues,” the Americana giant told the crowd. “And I love Willie Nelson.”

Stands to reason, then, that Isbell loves the blues. He made that clear in the ensuing five minutes, presiding over the tune in that same cool, meter-breaking way Willie has, whether he’s singing the blues or a ballad. He also got to whip out the kind of classic blues solo you don’t tend to hear at his own shows, along with turns from pedal steel master Paul Franklin and 400 Unit bandmate Amanda Shires.

Lyle Lovett: “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”

The Texas native was truly in his element Saturday night, and was greeted with a standing ovation before strumming and singing his way through Nelson’s 1980 chart-topper.

Alison Krauss: “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”

Saturday’s show was taped for TV, which naturally led to a number of stops and starts, and then in turn led to a lot of loud conversations and trips to the beer stand for fans. But you’d be hard-pressed to find an empty seat when Krauss began her stunning (surprise, surprise) rendition of Nelson’s 1981 chart-topper. The room was brought to a whisper — aside from all the whistles and cheers that greeted bluegrass great’s voice, ringing pristinely across the arena floor.

Jamey Johnson – “Georgia on my Mind”

In terms of artists who’ve truly picked up Nelson’s torch, perhaps no one deserved to be on the bill

more than Jamey Johnson. He paid tribute to his hero with with one of his most famed covers – a Hoagy Carmichael composition that both Nelson and Ray Charles made their own. Johnson’s spin was a worthy, reverent one, too.

Norah Jones and the Little Willies: “Remember Me/ I Gotta Get Drunk”

The acclaimed singer-songwriter (and Nelson collaborator) had apparently been preparing for this gig since 2001, when she first formed the “Little Willies” band in tribute to Nelson. Their two songs were an all-too-brief celebration of the country legend’s jazzy side.

Jack Johnson: “Willie Got Me Stoned And Took All My Money”

Embracing the idea of country music being “three chords and the truth,” Johnson treated the crowd to a goofy three-chord song based on a real experience: the time Nelson invited him to his house to play poker. Just look at the song title, and you’ll know how one that turned out.

Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews: “Crazy”

Two singular croons intertwined on what might be Nelson’s most beloved composition. Matthews seemed a little sheepish about “dressing up” for the show – which in his world, apparently, is wearing a blazer – while Nelson threw his coat on the ground right before they played.

Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris: “Pancho and Lefty”

Right after taking the stage, Harris asked the crowd a rhetorical question: “Are we not all blessed to be living in the time of Willie?”

Her harmony vocal soared during her duet with Nelson – on a Townes Van Zandt tune he recorded with Merle Haggard in 1983.

Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Eric Church: “Me and Bobby McGee”

Only one artist gets to come to a Willie Nelson tribute concert and play their own famous song, and that’s Kris Kristofferson. His performance of his signature tune — with Nelson’s harmonizing — was a celebration of their lifelong friendship, and a genuine thrill for the packed house.