Red Headed Stranger is the eighteenth studio album by American outlaw country singer Willie Nelson, released in 1975. Following the success of his recordings with Atlantic Records, coupled with the negotiating skills of his manager, Neil Reshen, Nelson signed a contract with Columbia Records, the label that gave him total creative control over his works. The concept for the album was inspired by the "Tale of the Red Headed Stranger", a song that Nelson used to play as a disc jockey on his program in Fort Worth, Texas. After signing with Columbia, he decided to record the song, and arranged the details during his return to Austin, Texas, from a trip to Colorado. It was recorded at low cost at Autumn Sound Studios in Garland, Texas. The songs featured sparse arrangements, largely limited to Nelson's guitar, piano, and drums. Nelson presented the finished material to Columbia executives, who were dubious about releasing an album that they at first thought was a demo. However, Nelson had creative control, so no further production was added.
"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.
"City of New Orleans" is a country folk song written by Steve Goodman, describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's City of New Orleans in bittersweet and nostalgic terms.
Shotgun Willie is the 16th studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, released on June 11, 1973. The recording marks a change of style for Nelson, who later stated that the album "cleared his throat". When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contract with RCA Records in 1972, the label decided not to release any further recordings. Nelson hired Neil Reshen as his manager, and while Reshen negotiated with RCA, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the ongoing hippie music scene at the Armadillo World Headquarters renewed his musical style. In Nashville, Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, who was interested in his music. Reshen solved the problems with RCA and signed Nelson with Atlantic as their first country music artist.
Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers' Favorites is the second album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. The album is an ode to truckers and songs about trucking, mixing classics of the genre like "Truck Drivin' Man" and "Looking at the World Through a Windshield" with the band's originals. It was released in 1972.
"Mama Tried" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in July 1968 as the first single and title track from the album Mama Tried. The song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance" on March 23, 2016, just 14 days before Haggard's death. In 2021, it was ranked at #376 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Carnegie Hall Concert is a 1966 album by the Country band Buck Owens and his Buckaroos. The album was recorded live at Carnegie Hall, as Buck Owens and his Buckaroos became the second country band ever to perform there.
"Six Days on the Road" is an American song written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery, made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley. The song was initially recorded by Paul Davis and released in 1961 on the Bulletin label. In 1963, the song became a major hit when released by Dudley, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and cracking the Top 40 (#32) on the Hot 100, leading to it being hailed as the definitive celebration of the American truck driver.
Together Again/My Heart Skips a Beat, or simply Together Again, is an album by Buck Owens and his Buckaroos, released in 1964. The double-sided single "Together Again"/"My Heart Skips a Beat" reached number one on the Billboard country chart.
Home, Home on the Road is an album by the American country rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Released by Columbia Records in 1974, it was their first live album, and their fifth album overall. The eleven songs on the album are a combination of originals and covers. Six of them had appeared on previous New Riders albums, and five had not.
Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72 is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on August 27, 1972, at the Springfield Creamery Benefit concert, at Temple Meadow, near Veneta, Oregon. It was released on September 21, 2004. It was the third complete New Riders concert that was recorded in the 1970s and released in the 2000s as an album on the Kufala Recordings label, and the only one to be released as one disc instead of two.
S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY, 3/17/73 is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on March 17, 1973, at Stony Brook University. It was released on November 13, 2007. It was the fifth complete New Riders concert that was recorded in the 1970s and released in the 2000s as an album on the Kufala Recordings label.
Boston Music Hall, 12/5/72 is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded live on December 5, 1972, at the Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, and released on November 11, 2003. It was the second complete New Riders concert that was recorded in the 1970s and released in the 2000s as an album on the Kufala Recordings label.
Ridin' with Panama Red is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It contains previously released songs selected from the New Riders' first six albums, which were recorded between 1971 and 1974. It was released in 2000 on the Sony Music Special Products label.
Terry Fell was an American country musician.
Instant Armadillo Blues is a two-CD compilation album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Subtitled Best of 1971–1975, it contains songs selected from the first seven New Riders albums. It was released in Australia on the Raven Records label on November 21, 2011.
Setlist: The Very Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage Live is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It contains six songs selected from their live album Home, Home on the Road, recorded in 1973 and released in 1974, and six songs recorded live at various venues in 1971. It was released by Legacy Recordings on July 12, 2011.
Hard Working Americans is an American rock supergroup formed in 2013. The band consists of singer Todd Snider, bassist Dave Schools from Widespread Panic, Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi on keyboards and Duane Trucks, also from Widespread Panic, younger brother to Derek, on drums. Guitarist and vocalist Neal Casal died in 2019.
Leaving It All Behind is the fifth studio album by the American rock band the Grass Roots, released in November 1969 by Dunhill Records. Following the departure of Creed Bratton, who left in April 1969, seasoned musician Dennis Provisor joined the group solidifying the new direction of the band. Terry Furlong and Brian Naughton became alternating touring guitarists for the group. In a return to grace for the group member composers, it contained six songs written by the group. The album was intended to move the group further in a soulful direction that was being rewarded by more charting singles. The A and B side singles released were "I'd Wait a Million Years", "Heaven Knows" b/w "Don't Remind Me", and "Walking Through The Country" b/w "Truck Drivin' Man". At the end of this run "Something's Comin' Over Me" was released as a B side to "Come On And Say It", a charting single written by the group that appeared on the band's next compilation album, More Golden Grass. The album charted at No. 36, making it the group's highest-charting studio album.
Glendale Train is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. It was recorded as a live radio broadcast on October 30, 1971 at the Taft Auditorium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was released on CD and vinyl on November 18, 2013.
