Nelson, Willie "Red Headed Stranger"

Willie Nelson's 1975 concept album, with its mystic and religious overtones, broke all of the traditional rules of country music and helped establish Austin, Texas, as ground zero of the "Outlaw" movement! Nelson's self-financed, surprise double-platinum smash helped him reach by far his largest audience and yielded the #1 country single (and Top 20 pop hit) Blues Eyes Crying in the Rain. Willie Nelson has been part of our collective consciousness far longer than his legendary status as a performer. Long before the formally pony-tailed master of song was singing “Stardust”, “Always On My Mind”, and “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” (none of which he wrote) Nelson was a master lyricist for some of country music’s greatest stars. Among the hits he wrote are Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Paper” and the autobiographical “Night Life” for Ray Price. Following the brilliant Phases And Stages Willie’s debut for Columbia is a brilliant concept album (nearly unheard of in country m