photo: Ebet Roberts
www.rollingstone.com
by: Andrew Leahey
It’s been nearly 30 years since Willie Nelson teamed up with Neil Young and John Mellencamp to launch Farm Aid, a nonprofit organization and annual benefit concert supporting American farmers. That sort of charitable spirit — along with one of the most enduring catalogs in country music — has landed him a spot in the upcoming Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert, which helps kick off Grammy Weekend on February 5, 2015.
Formerly called the Music Preservation Concert, the Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert combines live performances with video footage from the Grammy archives. February’s show, dubbed “Lean On Me: A Celebration of Music and Philanthropy,” will shine a light on some of the industry’s leading humanitarians, including Nelson, education philanthropist Bryan Adams and gay rights activists Melissa Etheridge and Cyndi Lauper. Songwriter-producer Darrell Brown, who co-wrote Keith Urban’s Grammy-winning “You’ll Think of Me,” will reprise his usual role as the show’s music director. The concert will take place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, and will also feature performances by Robin Thicke and Aloe Blacc.
Meanwhile, Nelson — who celebrated the 50-year anniversary of his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry last Friday — is gearing up for the release of his newest album, Willie’s Stash, Vol.1, December Day: which hits stores tomorrow. Watch the icon duet with his sister, Bobbie Nelson, on one of the album’s most storied songs, “Who’ll Buy My Memories?” here.