With over 60 years in the music business, Willie Nelson (b. 1933) – songwriter, performer, anti-establishment outlaw, political activist, and philanthropist – is an American institution. Nelson may call country music his home, but he has always pushed stylistic boundaries – mixing in rock & roll, jazz, pop, and blues.
Nelson’s first success came writing hits for country’s biggest stars, including Patsy Cline (“Crazy”) and Ray Price (“Night Life”), and songs that have become standards (“Funny How Time Slips Away”). In 1962, Nelson released the first of a staggering 73 solo studio albums. But he chafed at working within Nashville’s confines, and in 1972 he returned home to Texas to make music on his own terms. Connecting with Austin’s counterculture, Nelson recorded for Atlantic, combining country with rock and blues. Songs like the autobiographical “Me and Paul” (1971) groove and swing with blues licks, while pedal steel and piano soar in the foreground. Nelson and co-conspirators Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser ushered in the Outlaw Country movement, with their Wanted! The Outlaws becoming the first country album to go Platinum.
By 1975, Nelson was a superstar. His concept album Red Headed Stranger (1975) delivered his first Number One hit, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” In true outlaw fashion, Nelson released a gospel album, Troublemaker (1976), and an album of pop standards (produced by Booker T), Stardust (1978); both went to Number One. While continuing to create a songwriter’s dream catalog, Nelson also formed supergroup the Highwaymen with Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. He has collaborated with artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Julio Iglesias, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Wynton Marsalis, and Snoop Dogg.
Willie Nelson’s work has influenced generations of musicians, from Neil Young to John Mellencamp to Kacey Musgraves, and his personal actions have supported the welfare of millions of Americans. In 1985, Nelson cofounded Farm Aid to assist family farmers. He is co-chair of NORML, which supports marijuana legalization, and he advocates for numerous causes including animal welfare and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Selected discography:
“Me and Paul” (1971) • “Whiskey River,” Shotgun Willie (1973) • “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” Red Headed Stranger (1975) • Stardust (1978) • “On the Road Again,” Honeysuckle Rose (1980) • “Always on My Mind”(1982) • “Still Is Still Moving to Me,” “Heartland,” Across the Borderline (1993) • Teatro (1998) • “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” (with Snoop Dog), Heroes (2012) • Band of Brothers (2014)
When Willie Nelson recorded his concept album Red Headed Stranger in Garland, Texas, in 1975, he insisted on simplicity for the tracks. But according to the books Willie, by Michael Bane, that simplicity proved a bit too much for the studio musicians and his record label.
As Willie recorded the song, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” he stopped the session, played through the tune with just guitar and vocal and asked the band to play only what was necessary. Several of the musicians, realizing that they basically had nothing to do, voluntarily got up and left the session.
Willie remembers that his record label was also not exactly receptive to the bare-bones product. “They expected more Shotgun Willie, something more tempo,” he says in the book. But the label released the album along with the sing, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” which surprisingly started climbing the charts. It became Willie’s first No. 1 hit in October of 1975.
“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” was also responsible for another Willie milestone. On Feb. 28, 1976, Willie picked up his first Grammy award, winning the honor for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.
Willie Nelson has won the award for Best Country Album at the 2023 Grammys. A Beautiful Time won over albums by Maren Morris (Humble Quest), Luke Combs (Growin’ Up), Miranda Lambert (Palomino), and Ashley McBryde (Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville). Nelson was not at the ceremony to accept his award.
Nelson released A Beautiful Time in April 2022—the same day as his 89th birthday. “Live Forever” from the album won Nelson the 2022 Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance, competing against songs by Zach Bryan, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, and Kelsea Ballerini.
Willie Nelson just won his 11th Grammy. The icon took country music’s first award at the 2023 Grammys, in a pre-show ceremony held Sunday afternoon.
The 89-year-old Nelson was not in attendance to accept the award. He was nominated alongside Kelsea Ballerini’s “Heartfirst,” Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” Miranda Lambert’s’s “In His Arms” and Maren Morris’ “Circles Around This Town.”
Nelson’s “Live Forever” is a cover of Billy Joe Shaver’s song, and it was included on the 12-track tribute album, Live Forever: A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver, released in November 2022. The album also included tracks recorded by Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, Edie Brickell, Steve Earle and more. Nelson also finds himself nominated for Best Country Album for A Beautiful Time at the Grammys.
www.abc.com CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its nominees for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
This year’s nominees are:
Kate Bush Sheryl Crow Missy Elliott Iron Maiden Joy Division/New Order Cyndi Lauper George Michael Willie Nelson Rage Against the Machine Soundgarden The Spinners A Tribe Called Quest The White Stripes Warren Zevon
“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
Nominee ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry.
Starting February 1, fans can also cast their votes and participate in the induction selection process.
www.rollingstone.com by: Jon Dolan, John Freeman, Jonathan Bernstein, Charisma, Madarang, Joseph Hudak, Tomas Mier, Christian Hoard
Ashley McBryde’s small-town concept album, Adeem the Artist’s revelatory songwriting, and Willie Nelson’s celebration of the restless spirit were among the high points in a year that saw country music pushing even further past its boundaries.
FLASHING BACK TO this year’s CMA Awards in November, the consensus was that it was one of the “more country” shows in recent memory. The same can be said of the music that came out of Nashville, Texas, and points in between in 2022. Kelsea Ballerini, Joshua Hedley, Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Charley Crockett, and Hailey Whitters all incorporated elements of bygone eras into their albums: be they from the rugged Seventies, the golden Eighties, or the glossy Nineties. (Lainey Wilson even wrote this era’s “Strawberry Wine” in “Watermelon Moonshine,” a standout of her superb Bell Bottom Country album.) Yet no matter how far or recent each album looked back, they managed to sound fresh and contemporary.
Of course, country music can also be at its most effective when it dares to take risks. Kane Brown dropped an LP with both fiddle and trap sounds, Paul Cauthen put together a country-funk collection made for the club, and Miranda Lambert made a record that sounded a little bit country and a lot like Seventies rock (plus, The B-52’s!).
Still, it’s the lyricism of country music, and its cousin Americana, that continues to define the genre. In 2022, names like Zach Bryan, Adeem the Artist, Jimmie Allen, and the ever consistent Willie Nelson added some new classics to the canon. Find them here, on our list of the best country albums of the year.
You know the old cliché: “Everyone who entered is a winner.”
But that was the stone cold truth last weekend north of San Francisco at the 15th annual Emerald Cup cannabis competition, expo, and smoke-out.
Every single entrant in the massive contest survived the test of California adult use cannabis legalization and implementation. It was a year where more than half of the pre-existing medical cannabis industry got wiped out by local regulations. Three-quarters of the cities in the state have banned legal cannabis activity.
“We have gone through quite a whirlwind,” said Carter Lash, founder of award-winning topical maker C.A.D. “But we’re happy to be here. It’s a big change for everyone and we’re trying to stay positive. A lot of people weren’t able to be here.”
Multi-generational farmers as well as industry newbies traded war stories and harvest buds with thrilled attendees Saturday and Sunday.
An award ceremony Sunday afternoon doled out trophies to the best California cannabis products in 24 categories. Willie Nelson popped in for a lifetime achievement award and director Kevin Smith busted up the crowd with a NSFW podcast taping.
Willie Nelson holds up his award, a custom Bluegrass “lamp” bubbler. Cup organizer Tim Blake has been trying to book Willie for years. (David Downs/Leafly)
89-Year-Old Willie Nelson Is Up For Four 2023 Grammys But Surprisingly, He’s Not Even The Oldest Nominee.
Willie Nelson is 89 years old, with his 90th birthday coming up in April, and he’s still unbelievably productive. Earlier this year, he released A Beautiful Time, his 72nd solo album and his fourth since 2020. Well, the nominations for the 2023 Grammys were announced yesterday (November 15) and they showed that it’s not just about quantity with Nelson, as his new work is still picking up nominations for music’s biggest awards show.
All in all, he walked away with four nominations: Best Country Solo Performance (“Live Forever”), Best Country Song (“I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die”), Best Country Album (A Beautiful Time), and Best Roots Gospel Album (The Willie Nelson Family). Impressively, those nominations stem from three different projects; “Live Forever” is from Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver and “I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die” appears on A Beautiful Time.
What may be the most surprising about all this is that Nelson actually isn’t this year’s oldest Grammy nominee. That title goes to 96-year-old Mel Brooks, whose All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business is nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording. Other notable older nominees include 88-year-old John Mayall and 86-year-old Buddy Guy, whose projects (The Sun Is Shining Down and The Blues Don’t Lie, respectively) are up for Best Traditional Blues Album.
Willie Nelson was honored last by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, and the Amazon Watch, when they presented him with the 2011 Visionary Award, as part of their Summer Fundraiser in San Francisco. Willie performed at the event, along with Sara Wasserman, – Dan Hicks, Tommy Castro, Narada Michael Walden, Randy Emata, Jaz Sawyer, Robin Sylvester and members of The Legendary Glide Memorial Choir-, — and many others at their fundraiser.
Every year the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance honors an individual or an organization for championing the cause of the environment, and for challenging the status quo in order to bring about real change. This year the SBA honored Music Legend Willie Nelson for his continued support of environmental and social causes through his work, his music and his life.
The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance has been dedicated to supporting sustainable, community-based biodiesel programs since 2006 and works closely with artists like Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson and Guster, educating fans and sourcing locally produced biodiesel and blends for tours, festivals and large scale fleets. The organization is also focused on creating transparency for the consumer through the development of a certification system for local, sustainable biodiesel in the United States. I encourage you to learn more about the SBA and our work by contacting me directly or visiting www.fuelresponsibly.org
Amazon Watch partners with indigenous and environmental organizations campaigning for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon’s fragile and priceless ecological systems. Amazon Watch is a known leader in protecting the rainforest and advancing the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. To learn more about the great work of Amazon Watch check out their website at www.amazonwatch.org.
For information about the work of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, information about sustainable biodiesel, how to get involved and how you can support the SBA, visit their website.
Jennifer Raiser went to the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance event in San Francisco last night, and posted this. To read her entire post, visit her web site.
“And while the evening stretched on with no Willie in sight, beyond the Melons organic catering, beyond the Michael Jang rocker photos and signed Bob Weir guitar in the auction, beyond the smooth introductions and transitions by “Tao of Willie” author Turk Pipkin, beyond the extended but excellent performances by the earnest Sara Wasserman, the soulful Glide Memorial Church Choir Trio, the engaging Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, the bluesy Tommy Castro, there was a Nelson.
First biofuel spokeswoman Annie Nelson, who took the stage, Thelma-and-Louise style with Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance Director/Founder Kelly King to share her impassioned message of decentralized, local energy with to the equally impassioned audience.
And then, finally, the man she referred to as “Our little biofuel Yoda,” her husband Willie. Utterly recognizable, and shockingly intense and happy to begin playing his famously beat-up guitar named Trigger at eleven o’clock at night, he had the crowd at hello. By then, everyone was on their feet and up front, a sustainable mosh pit of planetary passion that needed a little musical respite from the intensity. Launching into crowd favorites “You Were Always on My Mind,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” and “On the Road Again,” the music made whatever challenges the planet or people were facing drift into melodious, sing-along oblivion. With his shoulder-length gray braids fastened with “Sustainable Biofuel” buttons, his red-white-and-blue macramé guitar strap, and his brown suede sneakers, he looked and sounded thirty years younger than his 78 eventful years variously spent touring in his biofuel bus, advocating for the downtrodden, defending his enterprises and habits, and singing with that distinctive twang and phrasing. All of which made Willie the most welcome red-headed stranger that would ever venture into the former Federal Reserve of San Francisco.”
The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA) was founded in December 2006 by biodiesel pioneer Kelly King, activist Annie Nelson and film maker Daryl Hannah. Since then, the SBA has grown to include family farmers and farm organizations such as Farm Aid, the Institute for Agriculture Trade and Policy (IATP), members of the 25 x 25 coalition, environmental organizations including the EPA and NREL, renewable energy experts and NGO’s and university programs across the country.
The SBA addresses issues concerning the sustainability of the U.S. biodiesel Industry through three initiatives. The primary mission of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance is the completion of an independent sustainability certification system for U.S. Biodiesel Feedstock, Production, Distribution and end use fuel. SBA programs also focus on educating the public on the values of community-based biodiesel systems and how local, sustainable biodiesel can help the U.S. move towards energy, economic and environmental security. Third, the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance provides tools for sustainability to biodiesel consumers and the biodiesel industry through our website and membership.
By working with biodiesel consumers and the biodiesel industry, and promoting the value of sustainable community-based systems,the SBA is bringing people together to build a sustainable energy future that benefits all sectors of society. The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance relies on the hard work and dedication of our working Board of Directors, the SBA Staff and the expertise of the SBA Advisory Council to achieve the goals of the organization. These dedicated and driven individuals come from all areas of the industry and each contribute unique and valuable skills to the mission of the SBA.
Long before cannabis gained mainstream acceptance, Nelson made the case that its dangers were greatly exaggerated and its benefits were scarcely mentioned. And to look at a productive and prolific artist like Nelson, 88, it’s hard to argue.
Willie Nelson has rightly received many lifetime achievement awards, including one from the Recording Academy in 1999, another from the Country Music Association in 2012 (which named the award in his honor), induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, a Kennedy Center Honor in 1998 and the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize in 2015.
What could ever equal those prestigious honors? To a longtime marijuana advocate like Nelson, this may just do it: On Dec. 7, he will receive the 2021 Clio Cannabis Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nelson has occasionally recorded songs about his fondness for cannabis. He teamed with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson on “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” (2012) and with Merle Haggard on “It’s All Going to Pot” in 2015. The latter reached No. 48 on Hot Country Songs.
According to a statement, “Nelson was selected to receive the award for his decades-long reputation for advocating the plant’s healing powers, elevating cannabis in the mainstream and innovating in the business space. His team is responsible for introducing marijuana and hemp-based wellness products like Willie’s Reserve and Willie’s Remedy in addition to launching a new cannabis conference called Luck Summit: Planting the Seed.”
Additional honorees include Fab 5 Freddy, Mary Pryor and Ophelia Chong. The trophies will be presented as part of the 2021 Clio Cannabis Awards, streaming on Social Club TV beginning Dec. 7.
