by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
It was hard not to hum along and smile ear-to-ear when lawmakers and VIPs packed DC’s Constitution Hall for a special tribute concert honoring Willie Nelson, the 2015 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The honor is a the top national achievement for popular song and is presented each year by the Library of Congress to a musical artist whose music has become an integral part of American culture. Willie Nelson fits the bill without a doubt.
Willie Nelson
The program for the evening featured a number of top musical performers, all on-hand to pay tribute to the favorite son of Texas and his musical accomplishments over the past five decades. Don Johnson served as host and shared many fond memories of his decades-long friendship with Willie, who has guest starred on all of Johnson’s past TV projects. “Leave it to Willie. Only he can bring together republicans and democrats. You’re gonna have to stay here” quipped Johnson to the united crowd of partisans from both sides of the aisle.
Host Don Johnson
Neil Young kicked off the evening with a rousing version of “Whiskey River” that set the tone for the celebratory night, or more likely, like a metronome, it set a lively pace for a night saluting Willie.
Neil Young and Promise of the Real
Don Johnson was just one of many friends with memories to share throughout the night. One video tribute recalled the instance when Willie was asked to cut his signature braids for a role in the TV movie Stagecoach, and a young woman on set advised him not to do it. “Let’s tell ’em no” said Nelson, and the young woman became his wife, Annie D’Angelo. Other video messages came from friends like Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson who said you always know when Willie is in town because of the haze of smoke, but that they were most fond of how quotable he is. Wilson compared him to “the eternal bard.” With similar sentiments, former President Jimmy Carter sent a letter saying that Willie’s music “has become the soundtrack of our lives.”
Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges came up next with a soulful rendition of “Funny How Time Slips Away” and showed just how thoughtful some of Willie’s music has been through the years. Many think of Nelson’s music as country but there’s simply more to it. Raul Malo followed up with the 1961 song “Crazy” that was sung by Patsy Cline but written by Willie, and the depth of Nelson’s work became increasingly more clear. It’s not just country, it’s not just ballads or love songs, the style of Willie Nelson is just something uniquely American that cuts to the core of what it’s like to live life.
Edie Brickell and Paul Simon sing “Remember Me”
Next to the stage was Paul Simon, the first recipient of the Gershwin Prize, to sing “Remember Me” with Edie Brickell. The performance showed great harmony of the two singers and showcased the great storytelling that Nelson would present through his music like so many of the greats do. The story and melody grab at your emotions.
Rosanne Cash
Willie has long stood among the giants of music, if for no other reason than for the company he kept including Johnny Cash, (whose daughter Rosanne was on hand to sing “Pancho and Lefty”) and of course there was a longstanding relationship between Willie and Ray Charles. On his 1978 album Stardust, Nelson covered the iconic Ray Charles song “Georgia on my Mind” helping to further rocket the song into the American lexicon and earning Nelson a Grammy award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for his version of the song. Jamey Johnson took the stage to salute the performance with a gritty and twang filled rendition of the song.
Jamey Johnson and Allison Krauss sing “Seven Spanish Angels”
More performances followed from Allison Krauss, Buckwheat Zydeco and Ana Gabriel, all wanting to lend their voices in admiration of the legacy that Willie has brought to the world of music. His journey was a bumpy one, struggling in Nashville in the 60s and ultimately hitting his stride when moving to Austin in the 70s and finding a way to bridge many different sounds together with his own unique style.
David Mao, Acting Librarian of Congress presents the 2105 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
When Willie took the stage to accept the Gershwin prize, you could see the pride on his face. He joked the evening was “a lot of great music, and I remember SOME of it.” Kidding aside though, he declared this “one of the greatest things to happen to me” and noted that a lot has happened in his 83 years. A lot indeed. three new albums this year alone, 11 GRAMMYs, 68 studio albums and millions records sold–this is a man who is at home when he’s making music.
Paul Simon and Buckwheat Zydeco sing “Man With the Blues”
As he started to play just the first few chords on his trusty guitar “Trigger” (which he has been playing on since 1969) it was like he was living in a musical. The tune seemed to follow him wherever he went and as he talks to you or tells you a story or sings you a song, the music would follow. That’s a master at work.
Willie Nelson and Cyndi Lauper perform “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”
Saluting back to the namesakes of the prize, Willie sang “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” joined by Cyndi Lauper and then closed out the show singing “On the Road Again” with the entire cast of musicians (and much of the audience) joining in.
They say the Gershwin Prize is all about popular song and with more than 50 years under his belt, and no sign of stopping anytime soon, Willie Nelson embodies the spirit of the award and all that it represents; tell a story and give the people what they want. It’s not even that Willie Nelson makes popular music…he defines popular music.
The tribute concert will air on PBS stations nationwide at 9pm on Friday, Jan. 15, 2016. Do NOT miss this one.
