Elkin Nelson Shibaro

Legends really don't come much more legendary than Willie Nelson; and with Ray Charles, B.B. King and Frank Sinatra all gone, Willie is now the last of a dying breed. Not just a singer, but probably the most relaxed-sounding vocalist ever. Willie Nelson is also a damn fine guitarist and he has used the same instrument since 1969 - a Martin N-20 guitar he calls 'Trigger'. And, lest we forget, Willie is also a songwriter of real substance. Over the years, his songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley - and nearly all the songs on this compilation come from the pen of Willie Nelson.

Nelson was a child prodigy, born into a showbiz family, his father Ozzie was a bandleader and his mother Harriet was the singer. They had their own radio show & subsequent TV show, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, in which Nelson featured with his brother David. Nelson appeared in his first film aged 7.A 'Teenage Idol' of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson gained 9 gold records by the age of 21 in 1961. His single, 'Travelin' Man', was a huge #1 hit that year, selling over 2 million copies. The flip-side 'Hello, Mary Lou' went on to be his biggest hit ever, reaching #1 in 32 countries.

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), known professionally as Ricky Nelson until his 21st birthday when he officially dropped the "y" and simply became Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter. His discography comprises 24 original studio albums, one original live album, various compilation and archival projects, and 94 singles.
Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the 1950s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats. Yet now the consensus is that he made some of the finest pop/rock recordings of his era. Elvis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and others may have rocked harder, but Nelson was extraordinarily consistent during the first five years of his recording career, crafting pleasant pop-rockabilly hybrids with ace session players and projecting an archetype of the sensitive, reticent young adult with his accomplished vocals. He also played a somewhat underestimated role in rock & roll's absorption into mainstream America — how bad could rock be if it was featured on one of America's favorite family situation comedies on a weekly basis?

Legends really don't come much more legendary than Willie Nelson; and with Ray Charles, B.B. King and Frank Sinatra all gone, Willie is now the last of a dying breed. Not just a singer, but probably the most relaxed-sounding vocalist ever. Willie Nelson is also a damn fine guitarist and he has used the same instrument since 1969 - a Martin N-20 guitar he calls 'Trigger'. And, lest we forget, Willie is also a songwriter of real substance. Over the years, his songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley - and nearly all the songs on this compilation come from the pen of Willie Nelson.

The Garden Party is usually regarded as Rick Nelson's comeback album, but two years before its release, this live album peaked just below the Top 50, hardly a blockbuster but a lot better than anything he'd issued in three years, and his first charting album in all of that time. The tracks are a mix of the more enduring of his classic hits and some of the newer songs he was adding to his repertory, including a trio of Bob Dylan compositions and Tim Hardin's "Red Balloon." The performance is excellent, Nelson reveling in this newly cultivated audience and sound, which was as up-to-date in 1969 as "I'm Walkin'" had been in 1957, but the real beauty of this record is the debut of the Stone Canyon Band – Randy Meisner on bass and backing vocals, Allen Kemp on lead guitar, Patrick Shanahan at the drums, and Tom Brumley on steel guitar.

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), known professionally as Ricky Nelson until his 21st birthday when he officially dropped the "y" and simply became Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter. His discography comprises 24 original studio albums, one original live album, various compilation and archival projects, and 94 singles.
Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the 1950s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats. Yet now the consensus is that he made some of the finest pop/rock recordings of his era. Elvis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and others may have rocked harder, but Nelson was extraordinarily consistent during the first five years of his recording career, crafting pleasant pop-rockabilly hybrids with ace session players and projecting an archetype of the sensitive, reticent young adult with his accomplished vocals. He also played a somewhat underestimated role in rock & roll's absorption into mainstream America — how bad could rock be if it was featured on one of America's favorite family situation comedies on a weekly basis?

Nelson was a child prodigy, born into a showbiz family, his father Ozzie was a bandleader and his mother Harriet was the singer. They had their own radio show & subsequent TV show, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, in which Nelson featured with his brother David. Nelson appeared in his first film aged 7.A 'Teenage Idol' of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson gained 9 gold records by the age of 21 in 1961. His single, 'Travelin' Man', was a huge #1 hit that year, selling over 2 million copies. The flip-side 'Hello, Mary Lou' went on to be his biggest hit ever, reaching #1 in 32 countries.

As a songwriter and performer, Willie Nelson has played a vital role in post-rock & roll country music. Although he didn't become a star until the mid-'70s, he spent the 1960s writing songs that became hits for stars like Ray Price ("Night Life"), Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), and Billy Walker ("Funny How Time Slips Away"), as well as releasing a series of records on Liberty and RCA that earned him a small but devoted cult following. During the early '70s, Willie abandoned Nashville for his native Texas, setting up shop with the redneck hippies in Austin and taking control of his music on the landmark Shotgun Willie (1973) and Phases & Stages (1974). Nelson found a kindred spirit in Waylon Jennings and, together, they spearheaded the outlaw country movement that finally made him a star by 1975. Following the crossover success of that year's Red Headed Stranger and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," Nelson became a genuine success, as recognizable in pop circles as he was to country audiences; in addition to recording, he also launched an acting career in the early '80s.

This double-disc set is cross-licensed to include key tracks from 40 years of recording! Includes Night Life; Hello Walls; Me and Paul; Bloody Mary Morning; Funny How Time Slips Away; Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain; On the Road Again; If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time; Georgia on My Mind; My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys; Always on My Mind; Pancho and Lefty; Highwayman, and more. 41 tracks!