stillisstillmoving.com

Sorry, I had a bug in my blog, and couldn’t post anything for a couple days. I don’t think I’ve ever gone a whole day without blogging here, have I? Unless I was going to a show, maybe. Anyway, I was starting to go through withdrawals. Thank goodness, I was able to hire Ben to help me fix my problem. I don’t know where Ben lives; I found him on the internet. But he knows WordPress stuff, and has helped me out a couple times.

Thanks, Ben.

Farm Aid, 2009, Mansfield, Mass.

My sister sends out long, newsy Christmas letters every year. I tried it once but didn’t need that much room, so I sent postcards: “My cat died. I got a new cat”. I think it just confused and depressed people who got them, so that ended that. But can you imagine the holiday letter Willie Nelson could write?

So, get a cup of coffee, or whatever you’re drinking, smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em, and read some of how Willie Nelson spent 2008. This is an incomplete accounting, of course, and as always, all errors and omissions are mine, and mine alone.

Thanks to everyone who visits the blog, your kind words and sharing the way you do — Willie Nelson fans are so generous. And Happy New Year! I hope to see you at a Willie Nelson concert soon.

And thanks so much to Willie Nelson, for who he is, and all he does. And to Willie Nelson & Family, for all their great shows and music this year.

Love, Linda

Willie Nelson and Family toured the United States extensively and also played shows in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, Scotland, and France. He played rodeos, casinos, giant festivals, small honky-tonks, state fairs, giant amphitheaters, and the final concert at the BackYard in Austin, and the 2008 Tyson Food Employee Picnic, a private party at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Fundraisers and with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the SuperBowl TailGate Party.Over the year, he was joined on tour or on stage with Billy Bob Thornton, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Sarah Evans, Flaco Jimenez, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kenny Chesney, B. B. King, Kirt Nilson, Snoop Dogg and President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, and many others.

Willie brought his travelling picnic back to Texas this year, and started the celebration with a Free Concert at Willie’s Theater, at Carl’s Corner, with concert goers asked to make a donation to the Freddy Powers Parkinson Foundation. Then he moved his annual Fourth of July Picnic to Selma, Texas, and finished up with a Fifth of July Concert in Houston. Dozens of artists and groups joined Willie Nelson and Family for his shows, and it was like a traveling Picnic.

Willie released ‘One Hell of a Ride, a 4-CD Boxed Set, with over 100 songs recorded by Willie Nelson over the past 50 years, from 1954/55 to 2007

“Moment of Forever” produced by Kenney Chesney and Buddy

‘ Two Men With the Blues,’ recorded from concerts by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and his band, and, and Mickey Raphael in New York City in 2007.

“Stardust” 30th Anniversary Release

‘Red Headed Stranger’ re-released on vinyl

Willie Nelson and Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel recorded traditional western swing songs made famous by Bob Wills and other, with a release date of ‘Willie and the Wheel’ set for Spring of 2009, and a tour to follow.

Willie Nelson starred in the movie Surfer Dude, with Matthew McConaughey, and Woody Harrelson.

Willie Nelson appeared in the Kevin Costner, Movie Swing Vote .

Willie appeared in ‘Beer for My Horses,’ movie with Toby Keith, Rodney Carrington, based on song written by Toby Keith and recorded by Willie and Toby.

Fighting With Anger released

Willie appeared on television on the Ellen deGenerous Show, Today Show, Tonight Show, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert

Willie continued to call in to the Bill Mack Open Road xm satellite show on Wednesdays, whenever he could, and lends his name to Willie’s Place, on xm Radio

Willie joined Stephen Colbert, John Stewart, Toby Keith, Feist, Elvis Costello on Comedy Central’s, ‘A Colbert Christmas’.

Willie Nelson taped a promo for Snoop Dogg’s reality television show, ‘Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood’.  When Willie was in Amsterdam last April, Snoop Dogg came on stage at the Willie Nelson and Family Concert, and the next night, Willie went on stage at Snoop Dogg’s show and performed.  Fans went crazy at both shows, of course.  While there, Willie taped a music video with Snoop for his song, ‘My Medicine.”

Texas Author Joe Nick Patoski took his admiration and knowledge of Willie Nelson and wrote a 500 page biography about him in 2008.

Willie collaborated With Mike Blakely on the Western novel, ‘A Tale Out Of Luck’

Author Robert K. Oermann included a chapter about Willie in his book, “Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain

Willie contributed an essay to Ingrid E. Newkirk’s book, ‘One Can Make a Difference,’ along with essays written by The Dalai Lama, Sir Paul McCartney, Dennis Kucinich, and 46 others.

Willie joined George Jones, Charlie Daniels, Lynn Anderson and other artists, and contributed stories and pictures about horses, for Lisa Wysocky’s book ‘Horse Country:  A Celebration of Country Music and and the Love of Horses.’

Willie Nelson and Ray Price, receive an grammy for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

Willie was inducted into the Texas Musician’s Hall of Fame in Clifton Texas. Also inducted: Steve Fromholz, Hank Thompson, Janis Joplin, and others

The November Rolling Stone named Willie Nelson as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of all times

Texas Monthly’s May 2008 issue with Willie Nelson on the cover was winner of Best Celebrity Cover in best-covers contest organized by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Willie Nelson was featured on the cover of many magazines, and many articles and interviews were published about him, including Hightimes; Texas Music Magazine, Texas Coop Power, Cowboys and Indians, Envy, Texas Monthly, and many more.

Willie continued in his leadership roll with Farm Aid, personally delivering checks to farmers effected by natural disasters, and headlining the annual Farm Aid Concert, (now in it’s 23rd year of supporting and raising funds for farmers) held for the first time in the Northeast, in Mansfield, Mass.

Willie Nelson and Family performed at a fundraising reception and concert at Leipers Farm, Tennessee, to benefit the Spears Foundationfor Hepatitis C. Awareness.

Willie performed at the Lance Armstrong LiveStrong Fundraiser, Austin.

Willie continued his support for Habitat for Horses, and rescued many which he freed on his Austin ranch. Also, he joined friend and country singer Lacy Dalton, in a fight to preserve wild herds roaming in Nevada.Willie Nelson and Family performed a fundraising concert in Red Lodge, Montana, to benefit PLUK – Parents Let’s Unite for Kids.Willie Nelson and Family sold-out show at the Norva, in Norfolk, Virginia, was broadcast live to military units in Iraq and Afghanistan.Willie Nelson and Family performed at a fundraising concert at Carl’s Corner, to benefit the Freddy Powers Parkinson’s Foundation. 13 Scholarships were given out by the Abbott Methodist Church, which were partially funded by proceeds from sale of dvd of Willie and Bobbie Nelson’s service at Church recorded in 2006. In 2008, silver coins of Bobbie and Willie was minted, with proceeds going to fund more scholarships for local students. Willie donated a decorated wooden paper doll to benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.Willie signed many guitars to be sold at auctions to raise funds, including one signed for one of Kinky Friedman’s favorite causes, Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, which finds homes for abandoned or abused animals, and one signed by Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels, to be sold to benefit Veterans.

Willie joined with Wataire International and launched Willie Nelson’s Water From Air, distribute machines that produce pure drinking water from the air

Willie Nelson turned 75 this year, and he celebrated on the road, in Europe, where he was on tour.  While fans would have loved a giant birthday party to which we were all invited, his being away didn’t dampen the celebrations.   Fans celebrated for weeks, or in the case of the Austin Chronicle, for a month. News paper articles, magazine covers, books, fundraising concerts were held, to raise money for good causes, in his honor.  Fans in Brooklyn had a birthday barbeque, and Beanie had her annual office Willie Nelson birthday party in Minnesota.  There was a concert in Austin, which brought daughter Paula, Joe Ely, Patty Griffin, Bob Schneider, Alejandro Escovedo, Ray Benson, Ruthie Foster, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Fastball, Jimmy LaFave, and more to sing and celebrate.  Legacy Records produced 15 podcasts as a tribute to Willie, that you could download for free.

Willie Nelson was not an official candidate for President, however there were many who still think he’s a better choice.  A Website launched promoting his campaign, or at least trying to sell Willie Nelson for President tee-shirts, and I read that he did get several write-in votes across the country.   Willie sent a letter to President-Elect Obama, on behalf of Farm Aid and in support for farmers.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgl0W7k_Q-4]

The last night of The City of New Orleans Train Tour December 17, 2005 at Tipitina’s. Willie and his daughter Amy and Arlo’s daughters Cathy, Annie & Sarah Lee and son Abe, Ramblin’ Jack, The Burns Sisters, John Flynn, Jack Neilson, Monk, Tim Sears, Randy Cormier, Ramsay Midwood, Johnny Irion, Kali Baba McConnell, Bryan Howard & friends,sing “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.”  Camera & Video production: Jackie Guthrie  www.risingsonrecords.com

Sorry, you will have to visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgl0W7k_Q-4 to watch this youtube video.

www.pedernalesgolfclub.com

www.TexasFunBelt.com 

The Tourism District of Texas and it’s FunBelt have dozens of unique golf courses –and perfect weather– waiting for you. Some are PGA championship courses. But the little nine holer at Willie’s Pedernales country club is a must play, just to be able to say you did it.

Liner Notes
The Complete Atlantic Sessions

“I think it was in 1972 or 1973 that I first encountered Willie in the flesh.  I was in Nashville checking the c&w scene for Atlantic.  Somehow I was invited to Harlan Howard’s house for his annual pickers party.  Who all was there… I think I remember Ray Price, Conway Twitty, among others.  And Willie Nelson minus a record contract!

How could this be?  Maybe because Willie was in bad odor with the Nashville establishment, he was a ‘rebel’; (whatever the hell that was intened to imply), he was rumored to partake of the herba buena.

Somebody introduced us, and it was instant karma.  I signed him up, and the first thing we did (mostly in our New York studios) was Shotgun Willie.  I had a hand in a side or two, but Aril Mardin did the heavy lifting.

Next came Phases and Stages, and it turned out to be on me.  And so I suggested doing it in Music Shoals, with those gifted Caucasian funksters David Hood, Robert Hawkins, Barry Beckett, Jimmy Johnson and Pete Carr.  The kibitzers were horrified.  ‘You can’t take him to Muscle Shoals — it’s much too R&B for Willie, you’ll never get radio play, you’ll scare off the market, blah, blah, blah.’  The band was augmented with the great Johnny Gimbel on fiddle and mandolin, Fred Carter, Jr. on guitar and dobro, and John Hughey on pedal steel.

If I remember correctly, the whole deal took only two days — vocals, background voices, various sweetenings, and, all.

I have been told time and again by the well informed — including a lot of Willie’s people — that it’s up there with his best recordings.

It is January 2006 as I write this, and two weeks ago I turned 89 — but I am never out of touch with Willie.  I love him dearly, and I occassionaly have the current phone number of his bus.”

http://ps2.ign.com
by Chris Roper

“The studio’s first take on the franchise was last year’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which was followed up earlier this year with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, a side project of sorts for the series (Guitar Hero: Metallica is also on the way for sometime in 2009).

And now we have the “true” sequel to Guitar Hero III with Guitar Hero World Tour. For the first time in the series, the game will offer fans the ability to play the drums and sing as well as rock out on the guitar and bass.

From Van Halen to Jimi Hendrix to Joe Satriani to Tool, the lineup of included tracks is mighty impressive. There are even a couple surprises on there, such as Willie Nelson’s live rendition of “On the Road Again”, which actually turned out to be one of the most fun tracks on the disc.”

http://www.keyetv.com

After 16 years, a landmark just outside of Austin is closing its doors.

The Backyard, a unique live music venue in the heart of the Hill Country, will say goodbye with a free show on Saturday.

“Each step was difficult,” Owner Tim O’Connor said as he looks back on the years of music, friends and fans of the music venue he started. “Everyone told me it wasn’t going to work, and here we are, 16 years later, hundreds of acts later, millions of people later and with a lot of tears,” O’Connor said.

He thinks what made the Backyard work for all these years is its one of a kind atmosphere.

“You’d come in and you would see all these beautiful trees and great music and it was relaxed and we didn’t have a lot of rules,” he told CBS 42’s Katherine Stolp.

Austin favorite, singer Ray Benson with Asleep at the Wheel says he completely agrees.

“It’s just beautiful, it’s outdoors, there’s no echo, no walls to bang around, the sound is fabulous,” Benson said. “And the people are just right there.”

So why leave?

“I am angry about it,” said O’Connor.

O’Connor is angry about the construction and loads of new development that he says took away from the Backyard’s magic. After several disagreements with the developers, O’Connor is out and so is his venue.

“We don’t anticipate to ever be able to reduplicate the Backyard. You just can’t do it,” O’Connor said. “But we did find about 57 acres.”

Those 57 acres about a half mile down the road from the original Backyard could soon be the new Backyard. O’Connor says he’ll make the final decision on whether to move forward on Monday.

“I don’t know if I have it in me, I don’t know,” O’Connor said.

In the meantime, O’Connor says he’s going to celebrate this weekend with the free concert on Saturday. Acts like Del Castillo and White Ghost Shivers will perform. Doors open at 3pm the free show starts at 4pm.

Sunday is the final show, with headliner Willie Nelson. This one is not free and O’Connor tells us, it’s been sold out for months.

www.dailynewscaster.com

Radio show host Alex Jones and Country Western legend Willie Nelson will be holding a transformational musical and political event this Sunday evening at the Backyard Amphitheater near Austin Texas.

Alex Jones who has been instrumental in exposing government crimes and cover ups will be joined by Jimmie Vaughan and Gov. Jesse Ventura both critics of the Iraq war and the central banking system which keeps the elite in power at the expense of average citizens.

Together they hope to spread the message of freedom, the rule of law and responsible citizen government to the masses. There will be speeches from Jones, Ventura, Nelson and others.

Courtesy of the performers and Infowars the concert and speeches will be streamed live starting around 9:00 PM – CST and is expected to go on past midnight. Don’t miss out on this historical event.

Daily Newscaster will be hosing a live stream of the concert, bookmark this page.

Good news!  Just when I had stopped whining about it, my camera turned up.  I called the club, one last time, expecting the bartender to tell me to stop calling, they hadn’t found my *%#+ camera, and they told me it was there.  I asked who turned it in, and they said they don’t know.

I apologize to everyone who had to listen to me complain about my loss.

Oh, I am depressed today.  I lost my camera last night!  I took pictures of Paula Nelson and Band at Quixotes True Blue on Denver, and somehow walked out of the club without my camera.  It didn’t show up at venue when I called.  Oh, I know we shouldn’t love things, but I loved that Nikon D60 camera.   I’ll get over it.  I was probabably too attached.  Well, I hope whoever got it enjoys all my Farm Aid pictures, and pictures of Paula from the show, and my pictures of the aspens changing colors up in the mountains.  Sigh.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com

The Outlaw is on the road again. 

Yes, Willie Nelson returns Oct. 16-17 to Horseshoe Riverdome.

Nelson’s offbeat phrasing, distinctive nasal tones and leathery bewhiskered hippie-style looks are synonym for “outlaw” country music.

And, fans absolutely love him.

And, he them. At the end of one Riverdome concert, Nelson didn’t leave the stage until he shook every outstretched hand held up to him along the stage apron.

Nelson is best known for classic ballads, “Always on My Mind,” autobiographical road songs, “On the Road Again,” and catchy rhythms, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”

His career took off in the early 1970s when he started performing and recording his own songs instead of selling them to others.

His “Red-Headed Stranger” album propelled him into the country music stratosphere.

LIVE MUSIC

WHO: Willie Nelson.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.
WHERE: Horseshoe Casino & Hotel Riverdome, 711 Horseshoe Blvd. in Bossier City.
COST: $100 and $110. Tickets available at the Horseshoe Gift Horse Gift Shop, by calling toll-free at (888) 512-7469 and by using the link on this page.
NOTE: Must be at least 21 years old to attend.

Thanks to Carol S., from NY, for this picture.