Maps of Music

My Own Peculiar Way (1969)

Where the lyrics of My Own Peculiar Way take you, and where it was really made.

Nelson's Martin guitar, later named Trigger, first appears on a studio album here, yet the record barely reached the Top 40.

Key places

Recording studio: RCA Studio B (1969)

Recording site RCA Studio B — The source lists RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee as the studio where this album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• My Own Peculiar Way is the ninth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson
• It was his last release of the 1960s
• Bergen White was the conductor and arranger
• Several songs are Nelson originals, plus "Any Old Arms Won't Do," a song written with his songwriting friend Hank Cochran
• Most tracks were composed by Nelson; covers include John Hartford's "Natural to Be Gone" and Merle Travis's "That's All"
• Nelson had recorded the title track on his debut album for Liberty seven years earlier, and Perry Como also covered it

Background

• Released by RCA Records in 1969, according to the Spanish Wikipedia entry
• Released in February 1969, according to the Italian Wikipedia entry
• Before this album, the upbeat single "Bring Me Sunshine" gave Nelson a surprise hit, reaching number 13 on the country singles chart
• That hit was his best showing yet for RCA
• The album's first single, "Natural to Be Gone," did not chart

Recording

• This is the first studio album on which Nelson used his new Martin N-20 classical acoustic guitar, which he named "Trigger"
• His autobiography recalls moving from a big Baldwin to a rosewood Martin, customized by Nashville guitarist Shot Jackson
• Biographer Joe Nick Patoski wrote that the change of guitar could not be heard in the records
• Vibes, trumpets, violins, a cello, saxophones and a trombone embellish the album
• The recording studio is RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee

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

• The first single, "Natural to Be Gone," bombed and did not chart
• The LP barely made the Top 40, peaking at number 39
• The earlier single "Bring Me Sunshine" reached number 13 on the country singles chart, Nelson's best showing yet for RCA
• Chet Atkins was stumped by the album's commercial result, according to the source

Reappraisal

• AllMusic praised Nelson's way with words, playing with the sounds and rhythm of words to get everything possible from a song
• AllMusic said nearly every song on the record works this way, whether an original or a cover such as John Hartford's "Natural to Be Gone"
• The album is seen as a turning point because the Martin N-20 guitar first appears here

Records

• Country albums chart (US): number 39
• Country singles chart: "Bring Me Sunshine" reached number 13
• "Natural to Be Gone": no chart entry

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

Trivia

• Nelson had recorded the title track on his debut album for Liberty seven years earlier, and Perry Como also covered it
• The Martin N-20 guitar that became known as "Trigger" was first used on this album
• Nelson's autobiography describes a Baldwin guitar with a broken neck, which he traded for a Martin
• The first single "Natural to Be Gone" failed on the charts while the LP barely reached the Top 40

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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