Country Music Blog: Willie Nelson

Got my copy of the last issue of No Depression magazine in the mail a few days ago and I'm stretching out the reading to make it last longer. I hate seeing magazines go under. Especially good music magazines. There haven't been many of them and I treasure the ones that have made the world a better place for their readers and the singers and musicians they write about.And No Depression was one of those. Never flashy, never shallow, No Depression has been serious about the music, without being deadly, if you know what I mean. The last issue before me on my desk has Buddy Miller on the cover, and that's a very fitting choice. Miller is a musician's musician, a singer's friend, a thrilling guitarist, a solid songwriter and singer, and just plain a good guy to hang out with.

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With the new MySpace Karaoke site, you can record or listen to amateur versions of the country hits you love. Like a pitch-challenged interpretation of a Martina McBride hit.

Spend two minutes under the stage at Nashville's Sommet Center with Bon Jovi, courtesy of The Tennessean newspaper.

Glen Campbell's staging a California comeback. He's getting ready to debut brand new songs at this weekend's Stagecoach Festival.

Check out what everything the bloggers at The 9513 have done to celebrate Willie Nelson's 75th. You could even win braids.

Steve Earle's son, Justin Townes Earle, recalls the do-or-die night in the ER when he was forced to face his drug addiction.

Ryan Adams, the songwriter behind Tim McGraw's "When the Stars Go Blue," blogs about how much he hates country music, hates the Ryman Auditorium and hopes he dies alone.

With his special BioWillie biodiesel fuel, Willie Nelson made it into Billboard's top 10 "green" artists doing their part to help the environment.

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In an excerpt from author Joe Nick Patoski's new book, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, you can start to see how Nelson's stubborn ways earned him his icon status.

There is nothing new about him, and that's just what The Tennessean digs about George Strait and his latest album.

Does marrying a musician increase your earnings? This story takes a close look at what star nuptials -- like Tim & Faith -- do to sales.

Lady Antebellum hits People.com to talk about meeting each other, stumbling onto a band name and stocking the bus with Sour Patch Kids. And band member Charles Kelley opens up to the Charlotte Observer about how he just wasn't cut out for the working life in North Carolina.

Kenny Chesney turns 40 today.

Sometime in the next decade, he may reach that midlife point where he's not sure why he's doing what he's doing anymore and need to rethink it all. That's what people do in their 40s. And he'll likely end up doing exactly what he's doing now, maybe just for different reasons, because that's something else people do in their 40s.

What's particularly predictable for Chesney is that his crisis will revolve around home and nesting. His songs, when they're not party-themed, are inevitably about domestic partnerships -- "Don't Blink," "You Had Me From Hello," "Me and You," "The Woman With You," "There Goes My Life," "The Good Stuff" -- but Chesney's never gotten the good stuff he keeps singing about. There was an engagement in the 1990s that went sour before they tied the knot and the much-publicized marriage to Renee Zellweger that ended in an annulment.

The Eagles' song "Lyin' Eyes" contains that familiar line, "Late at night a big old house gets lonely," and at some point, Chesney is going to wake up and feel like all the work he's done at building his career -- and he's done a huge amount of it -- is just a bit hollow because there's no one to share it. Or he might discover that the fans and the musical camaraderie are enough, and then immerse himself even more in the music. Producing a Willie Nelson album and inventing his new Big Star Contest to discover new talent suggest that might be a route. One way or another, he's likely to go through some sort of transition, because that's what people do in their 40s. Even multi-platinum people.

Happy birthday, Kenny. And hang in there. It'll be even better when the transition ends.

In another intriguing partnership, Rascal Flatts have teamed with the milk people to let someone win a chance to perform live onstage with the band. Just upload yourself singing, karaoke-style, to the milkrocks.com site to become an honorary Flatt.

Trent Tomlinson has announced his plans to wed in late March. As he describes it, the newlyweds will be making their home in the middle of a bunch of rednecks in North Carolina.

There will probably never come a day when country artists tell stories about playing for tip jars at the airport. But that hasn't stopped execs from putting a Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in the Nashville airport.

The Comedy Central roast of Willie Nelson has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts. Looks like somebody needs a Blackberry for this 75th birthday.

I was not greatly surprised that Julio Iglesias Jr. won the CMT Gone Country competition. As John Rich posts in his CMT shows blog, Iglesias' Hispanic heritage was a factor in Iglesias' appeal and in Rich's decision-making process. People in the country music industry have been saying for years that they wish they could find the "next Johnny Rodriguez." He was a dynamic, handsome Mexican-America singer with a great voice and a real ear for country and he attracted multi-racial audiences across the board. As has Rick Trevino, who has had many country hits. And Freddy Fender, the late singer who had several No. 1 country hits. Julio Jr.'s father, of course, had two Top 10 country duets with Willie Nelson, including his No. 1, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." So, Julio Jr.'s career will be watched closely.
 

Maureen McCormick (better known as Marcia Brady) recently admitted to having a bit of a girl crush on Gretchen Wilson on Gone Country. Then CMT.com columnist Hazel Smith was raving about Crystal Gayle's skin, eyes, smile and hair. And Miley Cyrus had some mildly suggestive pictures taken with another girl a few months ago. Is everyone everywhere having these girl crushes, and if so, shouldn't someone write a song about the new trend?

Back in 2006, Willie Nelson released a song called "Cowboys are Secretly, Frequently (Fond of Each Other)." I think it might be the time for another tune about homosexual tendencies. Not a straight-up lesbian love song, but more of an exploration of the crushing craze, because it really has less to do with actual, physical lust and more to do with an infatuation of another girl's mind, body and soul. (Although McCormick's forthcoming book reportedly reveals a girl crush that actually progressed to sexual play with Eve Plumb, who played younger sister Jan Brady.)

I'm not suggesting country music's on the verge of a girl-on-girl kiss a la Madonna and Britney. However, a Jennifer Nettles/Carrie Underwood awards-show kiss would certainly give us something to talk about, wouldn't it? But I do think the phenomenon of girl love doesn't seem to be as taboo as it once was. In the new book, Sexual Fluidity, the author reports that women are more fluid with their emotions when it comes to other women -- that it's not as black and white as it is with men, and that the occasional attraction to women is natural.

Maybe in the conservative world of country radio, the potential lack of spins might be holding songwriters back. But radio has crossed some lines in the sand before, and the timing may be right for a little more flirtation with controversy. Just think of the untouched lyrical territory. Fans always want music they can relate to. And who can't relate to a page out of Marcia Brady's life?

For some women it's chocolate, for others it's roses or maybe a sappy card. For me, it's always laughter. There's nothing sexier or more charming than a man who can truly make me laugh and I mean genuinely chuckle. I'm not talking about the man who tries to be funny and reuses the same lame joke over and over because at some point in his life a friendly female laughed out of pity. You know the type. He's the man Willie Nelson describes in his new album when he sings, "Did you hear the one about the dirty whore? Oh I forgot... you don't think I'm funny anymore." No, instead, I'm talking about a man who makes the corners of my mouth turn upward, my cheeks flush, and my eyes twinkle ... I'm talking about Vince Gill.

"I just got an award presented to me by a Beatle," he said as he accepted his Grammy this year for country album of the year. "Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?"

It was one of those "Did he really say that?" moments. I thought it was perfect and I chuckled in delight. It's kind of like when women use "Bless her heart" when describing another woman's unsightly fashion or unmannerly ways. Gill said how he felt in a direct, yet polite manner and did so while managing to put Kanye in his place for oftentimes seeming a bit, well, too big for his britches.

I can sing nothing but praise for Gill's Grammy-winning These Days. The video for "The Reasons Why," one of the songs featured on the album, is as lovely as the album and focuses on the times and tribulations of relationships and love. He easily sings of the games people play, the faults and mistakes we all make, but the continuous love couples share. I not only admire his natural talent but also the man behind the music, with a personality that seems as tender as his heartfelt ballads. That gives me one more reason to love him.

Caught on film at Madison Square Garden, Keith Urban is guilty of bringing his music, his guitar and a sense of generosity out into the crowd.

Send all of your special Valentine's love down to Sara Evans for all the good work she's doing to help repair the damage caused by the recent storms around Nashville.

Broken Bow says bye-bye to Craig Morgan, as he leaves the record label to find more innovative ways to bring his music to the fans.

She's almost country. Jessica Simpson's dad says her country album is just about done, with guest vocals from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Charley Pride.

Carrie Underwood is getting used to the sound of her own voice, after 24 years of hating it.