Willie Nelson: Death, Taxes, and Stardust

       By 1978, Willie Nelson had enough clout in the world of country and western to do just about anything he wanted. With this creative freedom, he chose to record "Stardust", a sublime album of old jazz-pop standards that many predicted would ruin his career. Considering that it now easily ranks among his best selling and most widely accessible albums, it seems the cynics have been proven wrong. Even after thirty years, Stardust stands out as a prime example of tastefully fused jazz, country, and R&B.

       From the beginning, "Stardust" was a good idea. Booker T. Jones was brought in to produce the effort as well as to play piano and organ. That's right, Booker T. Jones of "Booker T. and the MG's." I can't think of a single thing wrong with that decision. The very idea of Booker T. Jones' solid reputation as an organist and gifted arranger, paired with the tight family atmosphere of Willie's band, promised a subtle brilliance that couldn't help but produce satisfactory results. It was, as they say, a match made in heaven.

       I first encountered "Stardust" shortly after it's release. I don't recall which parent bought it, but an eight-track copy made it's way into our first floor apartment on Spangdahlem Air Force Base, in Germany.  I was only thirteen, and so most of the songs on Stardust were new to me. Still, it's a testimony to the timeless quality of songs like "September Song," "Sunny Side of the Street," and "Moonlight in Vermont" that despite being steeped in Aerosmith, Foghat and Styx, I found enough time to listen to "Stardust" to memorize the words to every song. To this day, my reference point for all of these songs is the phrasing that Willie Nelson uses, both with his impeccable acoustic guitar and rustic voice. I just can't hear somebody else sing "All of Me" or Unchained Melody" without comparing it to Willie's version.

       My favorite song on the album is "Someone to Watch Over Me." It's a gorgeous tune in even the worst hands, and Willie handles it better than most. A few years ago, I learned to play the melody on my guitar, and while I forget guitar pieces all the time, I don't think I'll ever forget how to play "Someone to Watch Over Me." It's as beautiful to play as it is to hear. Of course, I play it using Willie's phrasing.

       In retrospect, music business types should have easily foreseen the success of Stardust. Only sixteen years earlier, Ray Charles had successfully paired country and R&B on the album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western."

       And on the subject of Ray Charles, I need to mention that "Stardust" contains a version of "Georgia" that, while it doesn't exactly supplant the Ray Charles version, satisfies with warm understatement as much as the earlier version satisfies with raw emotion.

       They say that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. Maybe so, but as far as I'm concerned, there's a third certainty: that I'll always have a copy of Willie Nelson's album "Stardust" in my collection.

       Peace!