#260 - Willie Nelson - Stardust (1978)
MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:
BACKGROUND – WILLIE NELSON
Willie Hugh Nelson was born in Abbott, TX in 1933, and was raised by his grandparents during the great Depression (His mother left soon after he was born, and his father remarried and also moved away). He achieved some success in the early 60’s as a crooner (a la Bobby Darin), but turned towards Country in the late 60s. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. His albums Shotgun Willie (1973), Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978) made him one of the most recognized artists in country music. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana. Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk.
Nelson's grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords. He also sang gospel songs in the local church as a kid, and wrote his first song at age seven. He was in his first band by the age of 10, influenced by Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force, but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. He worked as a DJ at radio stations in his native Texas, and in several radio stations in the Pacific Northwest, all the while working as a singer and songwriter throughout the late 1950s. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract that allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album,...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson grew weary of the corporate Nashville music scene, and in 1972 he moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return to performing. In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, which became the genre's first certified platinum album. His 1977 release To Lefty from Willie peaked at number 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums. That takes us to today's album.
During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. In 1985, he helped organize the first Farm Aid concert to benefit American farmers. The concerts have been held annually ever since and Nelson has been a fixture, appearing at every one. In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the IRS, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk. To date, Nelson has released over 70 studio and live albums in his career, and still records and performs today.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). On the environmental front, Nelson owns the biodiesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, whose product is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas. Following the legalization of marijuana in different states, Nelson announced in 2015 the establishment of his own marijuana brand, Willie's Reserve. (I've smoked it - it's not top shelf but better than average)
In 2015, Stardust was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame was announced. On the long list of personal achievements, in 1993 he was inducted into Country Music Hall Of Fame Induction. He's also received the Kennedy Center Honors and was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone included him one of the 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time. He is also a member of the National Agricultural Hall of Fame; has won 11 Grammy Awards (49 Nominations); 11 Country Music Association Awards (45 Nominations); 11 American Music Awards (15 Nominations); and 10 Academy of Country Music Awards (43 Nominations). He was also the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievment Award from the CMA, which was also named after him.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. His unique sound, which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar", while his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing" has been responsible for his wide appeal. He is a vital icon in country music, influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s"
ALBUM BACKGROUND – STARDUST
Released in April 1978, Stardust is the 23rd studio album by country artist Willie Nelson. It consists of covers of traditional pop tunes that were his childhood favorites. It charted at #30 on Billboard 200 and a #1 on Top Country Albums. It received universal acclaim for it’s blend of pop, country, jazz, and folk. It set a record by staying on the Billboard Country Album charts for ten years after its release.
At the height of outlaw country, Willie Nelson pulled off a risky move. He set aside originals, country, and folk and recorded a collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. It's not that Willie makes these songs his own, it's that he reimagines these songs in a way that nobody else could. It may be strange to think that this album, containing no originals from one of America's greatest songwriters, is what made him a star, and it continues to be one of his most beloved records, Stardust showcases Nelson's skills as a musician, perhaps better than any other album, is why it was a sensation since the day it was released.