The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #150964   Message #3520447
Posted By: Chris C
29-May-13 - 02:10 PM
Thread Name: Willie Nelson fans here ?
Subject: RE: Willie Nelson fans here ?
Umm, a few posts aside, I don't think the tone of this thread is worthy of Willie. Isn't Mr. Nelson widely hailed as one of the all-time great artists ever? Certainly within multiple sub-categories of country music, right? I mean, he's arguably the greatest living "classic country" guy ("Crazy", "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" etc), and the revered figurehead (or even a founder) of the "outlaw country" movement (material with Waylon, et al, songs about weed and whiskey, etc). And the Stardust album alone stands as the benchmark for non-jazz artists offering interpretations of standards. He enjoys a huge fanbase, I think because Willie embodies the old school but stays current, often working with young musicians. He's pretty much considered royalty in Texas. I would think the overall perception among those who pay attention is that his name belongs among the greatest of greats of popular music in the recording era, regardless of style: Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Miles Davis, B.B King etc. (Make your own list…you get my point.) And his greatest contributions to making the world a better place may not be strictly musical. Do I exaggerate?