Willie
Nelson just never quits. He is releasing a new album. “Band of
Brothers” should be out in June on Sony Legacy Recordings. Nine of the
songs on this album Willie wrote, so you know we are looking forward to
something good. Willie said “I got on a kind of writing kick, and it’s
good to be writing again.” Willie is staying on the right side of right
as well, he recorded “The Wall” which he says was his way of
apologizing for some of his previous behaviors as he dealt with life on
the road. “I had been on tour, and the next thing you know, I hit the
wall. Actually it turns out to be a pretty good song.” Expect to see
this new CD released on June 17, day after my birthday. I’ll be 78, but
Willie is a young 81. Willie also donated major portions of his
correspondence, records, awards, and more, adding significant heft to an
enviable Texas-centric music collection, to the Dolph Briscoe Center
for American History at the University of Texas. The family papers of
pioneering folklorist and musicologist John A Lomax and the archives
from the Armadillo World Headquarters, where hippies and rednecks
peaceably mingled and where progressive country music was born, have
already been donated to the Museum. The papers in these two collections
alone, will likely have scholars and researchers eager to start
digging. They include letters and photos from fans, fellow musicians
Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, and dignitaries such as President Bill
Clinton and late Texas Governor Ann Richards. The material also
includes platinum records and other awards, posters from Nelson’s Fourth
of July picnics, portraits, screenplays, books and personal items.
Bob Everhart for Country Music News International