Legacy Recordings

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

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Genre: Country | 0 comments

Red Headed Stranger

Red Headed Stranger

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UPC Code: 074646358924
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Number of Discs: 1
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Description

When Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger rode solitarily over the horizon in 1975, country music, then as now, was dominated by Nashville's wide-scale, radio-ready productions. While the album didn't altogether ... more When Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger rode solitarily over the horizon in 1975, country music, then as now, was dominated by Nashville's wide-scale, radio-ready productions. While the album didn't altogether change country's ground rules, it surely altered them (for awhile, at least) and helped establish the Austin, Texas area as ground zero of the "outlaw" movement. And its bare bones production values, antithetical to Nashville's glitz, played a major part in giving country back its soul. Born (in 1933) and raised in the Lone Star State, Nelson initially struck gold from a successful songwriting career forged in Nashville during the early 1960's. Among those who had hits with his tunes were Patsy Cline, Ray Price, and Faron Young (whose 1961 version of "Hello Walls" was the first Nelson-penned number one country hit). But when his own singing career floundered, Nelson left Music City for his home turf, which proved to be a brilliant move. Back in Texas, Nelson assembled the crack eight-piece band (including his sister Bobbie on piano) with which he still tours. Once settled, he began working on Red Headed Stranger, a concept album with mystic and religious overtones. The story focused on the tribulations of a wandering preacher in the Old West as he comes to terms with the powers of love, hate, vengeance and, finally, redemption. The album, which Nelson financed himself at a cost of under $20,000, was his first for Columbia; it was made in a day-and-a-half at the then-new Autumn Studios in Garland, Texas. Singing with quiet intensity and with his patented just-behind-the-beat phrasing that made him a favorite of, among others, the great trumpeter Miles Davis, Nelson reached by far his largest audience. Red Headed Stranger was a surprise double platinum smash (sales of two million units) and yielded the number one country single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Nelson's first as an artist. Written in 1945 by Nashville songwriter Fred Rose, the poignant "Blue Eyes" also crossed over to number 21 on Billboard's pop chart.

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