Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin

Last updated
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin
Summertime, Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2016
Genre
Length36:15
Label Legacy Recordings
Producer Buddy Cannon, Matt Rollings
Willie Nelson chronology
Django & Jimmie
(2015)
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin
(2016)
For The Good Times - A Tribute to Ray Price
(2016)

Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin is the 64th solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. After being awarded the Gershwin Prize by the Library of Congress, Nelson recorded a set of pop standards written by George and Ira Gershwin. The recording of the album was produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings. It includes the duets "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with Cyndi Lauper and "Embraceable You" with Sheryl Crow. [1]

Contents

To select the songs for the album, Nelson was inspired by the Frank Sinatra recordings of Gershwin songs. Meanwhile, he decided to name the album after the song "Summertime", based on his past election to name a previous hit record Stardust On January 19, Nelson a video of the title-track as a preview to the release. [2] The album was released by Legacy Recordings on February 26, 2016. Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin won the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album award at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017. [3]

Reception

In its first week, the album sold 13,000 copies. It debuted at number one on the Traditional Jazz and Top Jazz Albums Billboard charts, becoming Nelson's third album to top the latter. Meanwhile, it reached number fourteen in Top Album Sales and reached forty in the Billboard 200. [4] The album has sold 35,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016. [5]

Personnel

As listed in the liner notes. [6]

The Family

Additional musicians

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."But Not for Me"3:16
2."Somebody Loves Me"2:14
3."Someone to Watch Over Me"4:05
4."Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (featuring Cyndi Lauper)"3:06
5."It Ain't Necessarily So"4:28
6."I Got Rhythm"2:47
7."Love Is Here to Stay"3:23
8."They All Laughed"2:44
9."Embraceable You (featuring Sheryl Crow)"3:38
10."They Can't Take That Away from Me"2:54
11."Summertime"3:52

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [7] 82
US Billboard 200 [8] 40
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard) [9] 1

Related Research Articles

Cyndi Lauper American singer, songwriter, and actress

Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. In 1989, she had a hit with "I Drove All Night".

<i>Shes So Unusual</i> 1983 album by Cyndi Lauper

She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.

Willie Nelson American country musician

Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country musician. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Matt Rollings Musical artist

Matt Rollings is a Grammy Award-winning American composer, keyboard player and record producer.

Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song) 1984 single by Cyndi Lauper

"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single on January 27, 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).

Steve McQueen (Sheryl Crow song) 2002 single by Sheryl Crow

"Steve McQueen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. It is the lead track from her fourth studio album, C'mon, C'mon (2002). It was released as the second single from the album on July 1, 2002. The song reached No. 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a dance hit, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Crow's fourth win in the category. The single's music video was directed by Wayne Isham and features Crow racing around in various vehicles, recreating scenes from Steve McQueen movies.

There Goes the Neighborhood (Sheryl Crow song) 1998 single by Sheryl Crow

"There Goes the Neighborhood" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. The song was released as the second single from her third studio album, The Globe Sessions (1998), on November 23, 1998, and won an award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001.

True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song) 1986 single by Cyndi Lauper

"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second album (1986). Released late in the summer of 1986, the song would become a major hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Change of Heart (Cyndi Lauper song) 1986 single by Cyndi Lauper

"Change of Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on November 11, 1986 as the second single from her second album, True Colors (1986). It went gold in the US, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Popular remixes by Shep Pettibone were also released. A music video was produced for the song, filmed in Trafalgar Square in London. It features Lauper and her tour band performing the song in front of a large group of people. The Bangles sang background vocals on the original recording. A live version of the song was released on Lauper's live album/DVD, To Memphis, with Love.

Sheryl Crow discography

The discography of Sheryl Crow, an American singer-songwriter, consists of 11 studio albums, four live albums, one live EP, six compilation albums, one box set, 45 singles, six promotional singles, 13 video albums, 57 music videos, 21 B-sides and 19 soundtrack contributions. She has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. According to RIAA, she has sold 16 million certified albums in the United States. Billboard named her the 5th Greatest Alternative Artist of all time.

<i>The Great Divide</i> (Willie Nelson album) 2002 studio album by Willie Nelson

The Great Divide is the 50th studio album released in 2002 by American country music singer Willie Nelson. It contains several duets and musical collaborations with artists such as Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Lee Ann Womack, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Brian McKnight, and Bonnie Raitt. The album produced two chart singles in "Mendocino County Line" and "Maria ", which respectively reached #22 and #41 on the Hot Country Songs charts. Also included is a cover of "Just Dropped In ", previously a hit for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. The songs "Mendocino County Line," "Last Stand in Open Country," and "This Face" were co-written by Bernie Taupin, the lyricist best known for his collaborations with Elton John.

<i>Memphis Blues</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Cyndi Lauper

Memphis Blues is the tenth studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, containing cover versions of classic blues songs. Regarded as a continuation of her 2008 comeback, the album was a nominee for the Grammy Awards 2010 and was released on her 57th birthday, June 22, 2010. According to the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo, the album had sold 600,000 copies worldwide by November 2010. Memphis Blues was voted the 7th best album of 2010 by the New York Post, and it went on to become Billboard's biggest selling blues album of 2010. To support the album, Lauper made her biggest tour ever, the Memphis Blues Tour, which had more than 140 shows.

<i>To All the Girls...</i> 2013 studio album by Willie Nelson

To All the Girls... is the 62nd studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, which was released on October 15, 2013, by Legacy Recordings. The tracks consist of duets recorded by Nelson with female singers, mostly from the country music genre. The album is named after the song "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", which had been a hit for Nelson and Julio Iglesias when they recorded it in 1985.

<i>Band of Brothers</i> (Willie Nelson album) 2014 studio album by Willie Nelson

Band of Brothers is the 63rd studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. The album marks Nelson's return to writing after sixteen years, with nine out of the fourteen tracks being new original songs.

<i>Django and Jimmie</i> 2015 studio album by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Django and Jimmie is the sixth and final collaborative studio album by American country music artists Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It was released on June 2, 2015, by Legacy Recordings. The album was Haggard's final studio album prior to his death in April 2016.

<i>Detour</i> (Cyndi Lauper album) 2016 studio album by Cyndi Lauper

Detour is the eleventh studio album by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper, containing cover versions of country and western songs. It was released on May 6, 2016, and is the artist's first for Sire Records. The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by Tony Brown. In the United States, the album debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums and sold 36,800 copies as of September 2016.

<i>Full Circle</i> (Loretta Lynn album) 2016 studio album by Loretta Lynn

Full Circle is the forty-third solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on March 4, 2016, by Sony Legacy. It was produced by Lynn's daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, and John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The album became Lynn's 40th album to reach the top ten of the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and her career peak on the US Billboard 200, debuting at number 19. The album received a nomination for Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Duets: Friends & Memories</i> 2010 studio album by Juice Newton

Duets: Friends & Memories is an album by country pop singer Juice Newton. It was released in 2010 by Fuel Records and features Newton singing popular tunes from the 1960s to the 1980s, all as duets with other famous performers. Her collaborators include Gary Morris, Frankie Valli, Randy Meisner, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Gary Morris, Dan Seals, Melissa Manchester, and Eddie Money. The original CD release of the album contained 10 songs. A later edition featuring two extra tracks is available only from iTunes.

<i>Honky Tonk Time Machine</i> 2019 studio album by George Strait

Honky Tonk Time Machine is the thirtieth studio album by American country music artist George Strait. It was released on March 29, 2019, via MCA Nashville. The album's first single, "Every Little Honky Tonk Bar", was released to radio on February 11, 2019.

Steve Chadie American audio engineer (born 1968)

Steve Chadie is an audio engineer who has worked extensively with Willie Nelson. His recordings with Nelson include vocals and guitar on “Last Man Standing”, “My Way”, “God’s Problem Child”, “Willie Nelson and The Boys”, and “Summertime-Willie Nelson sings Gershwin”. Other credits with Willie include tracking engineer on "Heroes”, "Let's Face The Music And Dance”, “Django And Jimmie” and mixing on "December Day", a collection of work he recorded with Willie and his sister Bobbie in between touring on impromptu sessions that date as far back as 2004. Steve has been awarded a double platinum record for Los Lonely Boys "Heaven" and was nominated for a grammy for the song "Heaven", as well. He has recorded and/or mixed five Los Lonely Boys records since their debut release. Other awards include a triple platinum record for work done on Sublime's "Sublime" and a platinum record for work on Hilary Duff's self titled recording "Hilary Duff", In addition he has been awarded a gold record for work done on Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Live On" CD.

References

  1. "Legacy Recordings Set to Release Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin on Friday, February 26, 2016". PR Newswire. PR Newswire Association LLC. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  2. Moss, Marissa (January 19, 2016). "See Willie Nelson Preview Gershwin Tribute LP With 'Summertime'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  3. Editors, Vulture (6 December 2016). "Here Are Your 2017 Grammy Winners". Vulture . Retrieved 6 December 2016.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. Caulfield, Keith (March 10, 2016). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Willie Nelson Nabs Third No. 1 Album on Jazz Chart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  5. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
  6. Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin (CD). Willie Nelson. Legacy Recordings. 2016. 88875167052.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. Ryan, Gavin (March 5, 2016). "ARIA Albums: The 1975 Have the No 1 Album in Australia". Noise11. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  8. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard.