Maps of Music

Country Music Concert (1966)

Where the lyrics of Country Music Concert take you, and where it was really made.

This 1966 live album was recorded over two nights in Fort Worth, but its guitar overdubs were added later in a Nashville studio.

Key places

Live recording at Panther Hall, Fort Worth (1966)

Live show Panther Hall — The album was recorded live at Panther Hall in Fort Worth over two nights in July 1966. The point sits at the city center because the exact hall location is not confirmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Overdubs at RCA's Nashville studio (1966)

Recording site Nashville — Producer Felton Jarvis had Chip Young overdub guitar parts and steel guitar fills at RCA's Nashville studio. The point sits at the city center because the exact studio location is not confirmed here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Country Music Concert: 1966 live album by country singer Willie Nelson
• Recorded live over two nights in July 1966 at Panther Hall in Fort Worth, Texas
• Nelson was backed by Johnny Bush on drums and Wade Ray on bass
• Producer Felton Jarvis oversaw the release
• The album captures the freewheeling energy of Nelson's stage show

Background

• RCA albums of this period were given the Nashville Sound treatment and sold poorly
• Nelson built a loyal following in his home state of Texas largely through his live shows
• Like his friend and future fellow outlaw Waylon Jennings, Nelson was covering the Beatles at this time
• The album contains his version of "Yesterday"

Recording

• Recorded live at Panther Hall over two nights in July 1966
• Producer Felton Jarvis had Chip Young overdub guitar parts and steel guitar fills at RCA's Nashville studio
• The audience shouts out song titles and Nelson talks between songs, which keeps the show informal

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Willie Hugh Nelson on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas.
• Wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band, Bohemian Polka, as a guitarist at age nine.
• Attended Baylor University for two years before dropping out to pursue music.
• Moved to Nashville in 1960 and joined Ray Price's band as a bassist.

Career

• Songs such as "Crazy" (Patsy Cline), "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Pretty Paper" became hits for other artists.
• Debut album ...And Then I Wrote was released in 1962; joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965.
• Helped lead the outlaw country movement after moving to Austin, Texas in 1972.
• Red Headed Stranger (1975) was a critically acclaimed concept album; the single "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" became his first number one hit.
• Co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp.
• Acted in over 30 films, including The Electric Horseman (1979).
• Received a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance for "Ride Me Back Home" (2019).
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Nelson's RCA albums sold poorly, but his Texas fan base stayed loyal, mostly because of his live shows
• Nelson later recalled that the music he played on the road had vitality: "It was live music played for live people."

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Jim Worbois called this an interesting album chronicling an early show by Nelson
• Worbois noted that the audience shouts song titles and Nelson actually talks between songs
• He said many people dislike live albums, yet this one is more fun than some of Nelson's later live records
• Biographer Joe Nick Patoski described one song, "I Just Can't Say Goodbye," as bordering on psycho-creepy
• Patoski wrote that the song was delivered in an up-tempo Latin rhythm

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• During the introduction, Nelson jokes about the Beatles and says the audience has heard them many times on the Grand Ole Opry.
• The album includes Nelson's version of "Yesterday", a Beatles song he was covering at the time.
• The album also includes "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye", which is described as one of the most violent songs Nelson ever wrote.
• Nelson grew increasingly irritated with RCA's policy of allowing only Nashville studio musicians on recording sessions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact