In 1970, Willie Nelson's house in Nashville, Tennessee, burned down and he moved to Austin, in his home state of Texas. He took up residence near a new music hall called The Armadillo World Headquarters. Throughout the 70's, The Armadillo World Headquarters was a bastion for a new kind of country music that was emerging. In the early 70's, Austin was a haven for tripped out cowboys and hippies - two American subcultural herds adamant about good music who would soon find common musical ground in the newly forming country-rock genre.

     1970 was the year that Neil Young released his country tinged album Harvest and, soon, the Rolling Stones would be tinkering around with songs like "Wild Horses ", "Honky Tonk Women ", and "Dead Flowers ". At the same time that rock and roll was flirting with country, a few country musicians began tying their horses to rock and blues hitching posts. For these boys, Nashville's country music standards had become a bit too formulaic and glitzy trying to appeal to the pop culture.

     So, in Austin, Texas, where country and rock seemed to be converging, musicians like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings began playing country music that not only featured country swing and some Hank Williams-style honky-tonk, but also a more prominent presence of blues, rock, folk and bluegrass. As time passed, more country musicians like Merle Haggard and George Jones began picking up on these influences. Soon, country music had a posse of "Outlaws ". By the mid-70's, the Outlaws had become very influential on both the rock and country music scenes. The popular PBS program, Austin City Limits, was first aired in 1975, and carried the country music scene across America. Bands like The Marshall Tucker Band and The Charlie Daniels Band sprang up, while more established bands like The Allman Brothers Band were already fusing Southern blues-rock with country. Cross-over hits between rock and country were becoming more common than ever.

     Then, in 1975, Willie Nelson created Red Headed Stranger. The album tells the story of a preacher's loss in love and descent into sorrowful wandering through the Old West. Willie's simplistic and, sometimes stark instrumentation was appropriate not only for the simplicity of the story, but also for the passion, agony and redemption of the preacher's travels.

     The album starts out with a song reminiscent of old cowboy songs with a single acoustic guitar accompanying Willie's distinguished voice. A bass, drums, a second guitar, and a piano provide a pony for Willie's thoughtful guitar solo to ride upon. This first song, "Time of the Preacher " - and its recognizable phrasing - frame the subsequent songs as the first part of the story rolls along. The song, "Red Headed Stranger ", serves the same purpose, but provides a frame that is more emotional than musical as it captures the state of mind of a man of God who has fallen from grace.

     The turning point of the story comes when the preacher rides into "Denver ", a song in which the Red Headed Stranger meets the woman who leads him to redemption and establishes, once again, his faith in love and life itself. From "Denver ", the album progresses through the tenderness of "Can I Sleep in Your Arms ", the joy of "Remember Me ", the hope of "Hands on the Wheel ", and closes on the sweetness of the instrumental "Bandera ".

     Three weeks after Willie Nelson signed a new recording contract with Columbia Records, he submitted Red Headed Stranger for release. The rawness and simplicity of the album, which took only a day and a half and only cost about $20,000 to record, shook up the executives a bit. They all seemed to agree that the album would not become a big commercial success. However, they understood and respected how Willie's music had evolved over the past few years, and agreed to release the album with the understanding that it was a very special, artistic work.

     Red Headed Stranger surprised everyone involved when it went double platinum in 1975, and yielded Willie's first number one single, "Blues Eyes Cryin' in the Rain ", written by songwriter Fred Rose in 1945. "Blues Eyes " also crossed over into Billboard's pop chart reaching number twenty-one. Today, with the CD releases of Red Headed Stranger, sales have exceeded three million copies and it has been counted among the classics of American music.

NOTES TO THE MASSES: I've not gone into detail about this album because I'd hate to tell too much about the story of the preacher. I strongly suggest, even if you don't like country music, that you listen to this album. Listen closely to Willie's voice and his singing technique. If Willie's singing was good enough to receive praise from Miles Davis, it should be good enough for you. Also, listen closely to Willie's guitar style. Each note that he picks out has a thought and a purpose and relates to a complete, beautiful expression.

Red Headed Stranger was produced, arranged and performed by Willie Nelson. Copyright 1975, 2000 Sony Music Entertainment, Inc. Manufactured by Columbia Records. The CD also contains a few previously unreleased little gems. Pick one up at your favorite local record store, or, as always, check with your local library.

.

5/01