Maps of Music

Make Way for Willie Nelson (1967)

Where the lyrics of Make Way for Willie Nelson take you, and where it was really made.

Nelson's only original on this album became its single, while the rest of the record was mostly covers of pop and country standards.

Key places

Recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville (1967)

Recording site RCA Studio B — The album was recorded at Nashville's RCA Studio B between March and June 1966, with session musicians and members of Nelson's road band. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Make Way for Willie Nelson: fifth studio album by American country music singer Willie Nelson
• Released in 1967 by RCA Records
• Only Nelson original on the album: 'One in a Row'
• Its single 'One in a Row' peaked at number 19 on Billboard Hot Country Singles
• The album peaked at number nine on Billboard Hot Country Albums

Background

• By 1966 Nelson was increasingly frustrated with the sound of his records at RCA
• His records lacked the vitality of his live shows
• Producer Chet Atkins often placed lush strings and background singers behind Nelson's stylized vocals, hallmarks of the Nashville sound
• In early 1966 Atkins delegated sessions to other producers because of his demanding schedule
• In March 1966 Nelson's next session went to RCA staff producer Felton Jarvis, who had just started producing Elvis Presley

Recording

• Recorded in Nashville's RCA Studio B between March and June 1966
• Session musicians included Jerry Reed, Junior Husky, Velma Smith and Jerry Smith
• Johnny Bush and Jimmy Day, from Nelson's road band, were added
• Nearly all tracks were covers, aiming for a countrypolitan sound
• 'One in a Row' was recorded in June with Johnny Bush and fiddler Wade Ray
• Bill Walker arranged 'Make Way for a Better Man' and 'One in a Row'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.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

• Broadside: the recording consisted mainly of cover versions, including only one Nelson original
• Broadside: the release was seen as aimed at establishing Nelson's reputation as a performer, apart from his talent as a songwriter

Records

• The album entered Billboard Hot Country Albums on May 6, 1967 at number 45
• By July 1967 it had peaked at number nine
• The single 'One in a Row' peaked at number 19 on Billboard Hot Country Singles
• The single was released on October 1, 1966 with the non-album flipside 'San Antonio Rose'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Atkins was busy in early 1966, so sessions went to other producers
• Felton Jarvis, assigned in March 1966, had just started producing Elvis Presley
• Joe Nick Patoski's biography notes Nelson was less intimidated by Felton than by Chet Atkins
• Johnny Bush and Jimmy Day, members of Nelson's road band, joined the sessions

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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