WILLIE NELSON a Wandering Spirit Finds His Way Home
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MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM JAKOB DYLAN DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS SHARON JONES PETER FRAMPTON CONTENTS MARCH/APRIL 2010 WILLIE NELSON A wandering spirit finds his way home SLASH Going it alone WARREN HAYNES Gov’t Mule’s new kick COVER STORY KAKI KING WILLIE NELSON SLASH Guitar heroine 36 An American legend talks about how his 44 The guitar giant who fired up Guns N’ Roses and + new album helped him rediscover his roots. Velvet Revolver steps to center stage. KAKI KING DON WAS BROADWAY 24 The innovative young guitarist follows inspiration 48 One of the music world’s most respected ROCKS wherever it leads. producers knows it’s all about the song. MARCH/APRIL 2010 VOLUME 01, ISSUE 02 PETER FRAMPTON WARREN HAYNES PERIODICAL $6.99 U.S. / $7.99 CANADIAN SOCIAL 34 A veteran guitar slinger discusses his new music 62 Why Gov’t Mule’s frontman is always ready and NETWORKING and the perils of superstardom. eager for a new musical challenge. GET GREAT VOCALS 2 MARCH/APRIL 2010 M2_mag_v3.indd 2 3/22/10 10:15 PM MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2010 37 MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MARCH/APRIL 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM t’s Thursday afternoon in Evansville, Ind., and Willie Nelson composition “Man With the Blues,” Nelson and friends ramble is—as always—on the road. He played a show last night, he’ll through songs like Ernest Tubb’s “Seaman’s Blues” and Merle I play a show tomorrow night, another the night after that, and Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon” on their way to the traditional blues another the night after that, stretching out ahead for most of the moan “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” a number Nelson only recently coming year. “It’s just what I like to do, what I’ve done all along,” he discovered via jazz legend Nina Simone’s version. Nelson displays says with a shrug. “As far back as I can remember I always either his skills as an interpretive singer throughout, just as he did on the wanted to do this or I was doing it.” album that remains his best seller ever, 1978’s quintuple-platinum Every night he takes the stage with his longtime backing group, pop-standards showcase Stardust. the Family, and hits the ground running with his umpteenth romp Nelson says the concept of the Country Music album came Tsai Yu through 1979’s “Whiskey River.” After that, he spins out a constantly from Burnett, and Burnett says it was Nelson’s idea. In any event, varying set list of his own songs, covers, traditional tunes—whatever Burnett handpicked a group of players that included members comes to mind. Every night an audience drawn from all walks of life of the core string-band outfit that he has worked with since his showers him with the kind of affection that is reserved for national multiplatinum soundtrack for the 2000 movie O Brother, Where treasures and old friends, both bills Nelson fits perfectly. “The first Art Thou? To that lineup he added electric guitarist Buddy Miller time I looked out and saw an audience, there were people my age, and steel guitarist Russ Paul, creating a group that Burnett calls people a lot younger and people a lot older,” says the 76-year-old. “a combination of a ’20s string band and an old honky-tonk band “It’s still that way.” from the ’30s.” A hand injury in January forced him to cancel one date, but Nelson, Burnett and the players convened at Nashville’s Sound he says he’s fine now. Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome in 2004 Emporium studio, and within a few days had captured about two temporarily kept him from playing his beloved trademark guitar, the dozen songs on tape. (Fifteen wound up on the finished album.) ‘If it was a good song a weathered 1969 Martin N-20 he calls “Trigger,” but luckily it hasn’t “The musicians knew most of these songs, and they were quick come to that this time. “I’m not having that much problems with it learners,” Nelson says. “Most good producers get the right people anymore,” he reports. “It’s doing well.” and the right songs into the studio, then step back and watch it hundred years ago, it’s The relentless restlessness that keeps him on the road remains happen. And that’s what T Bone does.” with him in the studio. The past decade alone has seen him try Country Music is the latest in Nelson’s series of genre-shifting still a good song today.’ his hand at reggae, jazz, Western swing, blues, children’s songs, album-length collaborations with a roster of producers that in recent glossy mainstream country, spry instrumentals and more. He has years includes singer-songwriter Ryan Adams (Songbird, 2006), been recording since 1962, and with each new release his vision country star Kenny Chesney (Moment of Forever, 2008), rock has almost always expanded into some new direction. “He is free,” megaproducer Don Was (Countryman, 2005) and pop legend says producer T Bone Burnett. “It’s a wonderful thing for a man his Tommy LiPuma (American Classic, 2009). An album recorded with Music Row veteran James Stroud is awaiting release sometime in the them. It was the same way with Stardust—a lot of the young people When you sing a song like that now, do you feel like the near future. “I’m eager for it to come had not heard those songs before. same person you were when you wrote it? out, because there’s a lot of good I am the same guy. (laughs) It’s not a huge stretch of the imagination. things on there,” Nelson says. You don’t like to do more than a handful of takes. Why? Fifty years went by pretty quick. It’s not hard to relate to that song This year Nelson has already First of all, you don’t turn on the recording switch until you and at all. returned to the studio with his road everybody around you knows the song. Then it shouldn’t take you band to lay down some songs with but a couple of times to get it. If you have to do it more than three What about Al Dexter’s “Pistol Packin’ Mama”? yet another intriguing producer at times, you should move on. I relate to that one too! (laughs) That’s a great song. Al was married the helm: himself. The new tracks, to Rosie Dexter, and she had a club in Ft. Worth called Rosie’s Barn. including a take on Irving Berlin’s How did you settle on the songs? We played there a lot back when I was playing nightclubs around “What’ll I Do?” and new versions I let T Bone pick the songs. I brought one song to the session, which there. Al was one of our old favorites. of his own “December Day” and was “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” I ran into that song a few months ago, “Valentine,” are slated for an album and started singing and playing it. We’re doing it live on the show, You play a lot of guitar solos on the record. How did you the singer will release on his own and it’s just one I wanted to record. The rest are T Bone’s ideas. I’d develop your solo style? newly formed record label. He says heard all the songs before except for “Satan Your Kingdom Must I don’t know. How did you develop your style of interviewing? his own approach as a producer is Come Down,” and one obscure Bob Wills song that we did, “You’ve (laughs) It’s something you do. You play something off the top of simple: “I just go in with good songs, Gotta Walk Alone.” I thought I knew all of Bob your head and hope you know what you’re doing. good musicians and good engineers, Wills’ songs, but I didn’t remember that one. Who were the big infl uences on your and I hope I can sing that day.” All the songs were just good country music. playing? Nelson took time out of his always Why did you decide to revisit “Man Nelson and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis onstage in New York City, January 2007 busy schedule to discuss the latest Django Reinhardt, Hank Garland, Grady Martin— With the Blues”? turn in a musical path that stretches those guys were the best at what they did. I like out behind him for a half century I wrote that over 50 years ago, so it’s been to think I learned from all of them. age to have freedom. And he seems to be getting more freedom now—and shows no sign of ending. laying around for a while. Ronnie McCoury, one You played bass behind your friend Ray the further he goes.” of the pickers we worked with, said his father Price early on. How were you at it? After all that wandering, his new album finds Nelson returning You’ve said you see a similarity between the new record [bluegrass singer Del McCoury] had recorded that song and asked me if I would put it on the I was a guitar player trying to play bass, so you home to the kind of music he grew up loving as a young man in and Stardust. How so? session.