Red Headed Stranger

Though he is now an American institution, Willie Nelson spent the first twenty years of his career on the fringes of the country music establishment, writing hits for other artists (Patsy Cline, Faron Young) while bouncing among record labels. He arrived at Columbia Records in the mid-‘70s and somehow convinced them to release Red Headed Stranger, his sparsely arranged and convoluted concept album about a preacher on the run for the murder of his adulterous wife and her lover. The album’s success seemed unlikely at the time. Nashville had become increasingly slick with productions that were leaning heavier on orchestration as concessions to lite-FM and pop radio. Nelson presents the songs with just his guitar, harmonica, a little piano, scattered harmonies and occasional percussion. This uncompromising position solidified his reputation as one of the music’s true “outlaws” and its stunningly direct approach connected with audiences who fell under the hypnotic sway of Nelson’s relaxed delivery. It helps that the album also contains several of his most enduring tunes — ironically, ones the prolific songwriter didn’t write: “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Red Headed Stranger,” “Remember Me.”