American hobo song
Key: C

-3-5 -5 -5 6 -7 7 6
I am a poor un-luck-y chap
6 -5 5* -3 -3 -3
I’m ver-y fond of rum
-7 -7 -8 8 -8 -7 7 6
I walk the road from morn till night
6 6 -5 5 -5 6
I ain’t a-shamed to bum
6 -7 -8 -8 8
My feet be-ing sore
-8 -7 7 7 6
My clothes be-ing tore
6 7 6 5 5 -5 6
But still I did-n’t com-plain
-3 -3 -5 -5 -5 -5 6 -6 -7 7
I got up and I hoist-ed my tur-key
6 6 -5 5* -3 -3 -3
And I walked the road a-gain
-3 -5 -5 -5 6 -7 7 6
I walked the road a-gain me boys
6 -5 5* -3 -3 -3
I walked the road a-gain
-3 -3 -5 -5 -5 -5
If the weath-er be fair
6 -7 7 6
I combed my hair
6 6 -5 5* -3 -3 -3
And I walked the road a-gain

STEVE WARINER WITH GARTH BROOKS

Hey Y’all its TIN MAN again giving you
Even more country greats!!
Where would country music be if we don’t
Acknowledge the old timers! That influenced
Our modern day superstars!!!

YOUR GONNA NEED AN A HARP TO PLAY THIS!!

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE AND ADD TO FAVOURITES!!!

KEY A

3 3 3 -4 2 -3b 2 3
Well the crowd is get-ting rest-less

4 -2b -2b 2 2 1
It’s smok-y loud and hot

4 3 4 4 5 4
The band is heat-in’ up

4 4 5 -2b -2b -2b -2b -2b
and giv-ing ev-ry-thing they’ve got

-3 4 3 4 3 3 3
Some-bo-dy check the ex-its

2 -2b -4 2 2 -2b
In case a fire breaks out

3 3 4 4
We’re packed in tight

4 4 4 4 4
It’s Sat-ur-day night

-3b -3b -2b -2b -2b -2b -2b 4
And we’re burn-in’ the road-house down

CHORUS

3 3 -3b 4 -2b
We’re burn-in’ it down

3 3 -3b 4 4 -2b 3
We’re burn-in’ the road-house down

-3b -2b -2b -2b 2 2
The band is in full swing

4 -2b 5 -2b -2b -2b 4 -2b
And man there ain’t no stop-pin’ now

-3 -3b 3b 5 -3b 6 -3 3
There’ll be no-thin’ left but ash-es

2 2 2 2 -3b 2
When sun-day rolls a-round

4 3 -3b -3b
But it’s al-right

-3b 4 4 4 -3b
It’s Sat-ur-day night

-3b -3b -2b -2b -2b -2b -2b 4
And we’re burn-in’ the road-house down

-4 2 -3b 2 3
It’s a mob out on the dance floor

3 4 -2b -2b 2 2 1 1
And the pres-sure’s get-ting high-er

3 4 4 5 4 4 4
One spark from that fid-dle bow

5 -2b -2b -2b -2b -2b
could set this place on fire

4 3 4 3 3 3
It’s so cool to be here

3 2 -2b -4 2 2 -2b
In the hot-test place in town

3 4 4
Feels so right

4 4 4 4 4
It’s Sat-ur-day night

-3b -3b -2b -2b -2b -2b -2b 4
And we’re burn-in’ the road-house down

REPEAT CHORUS

-4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -6 -7
When are you gon-na come down

5 5 5 6 6 -6
When are you going to land

-3 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 6
I should have stayed on the farm

-5 -4 4 4 4 5 4 7
should have list-ened to my old man

-6 -9 -9 -9 -9 -6 -6 -6 -7
You know you can’t hold me for-ev-er

-4 5 5 5 6 6 -6
I did-n’t sign up with you

-3 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -5 6 -6 6 -4
I’m not a pres-ent for your friends to o-pen

-3 4 4 4 -4 -3 4 5 6 7 -6 -7
This boy’s too young to be sing-ing the blues – –

-7 -6 6 -5 5
ah – – – –

-6 6 -5 5 -4
ah – – – –

chorus-

6 7 7 7 6 5 -7
So good-bye yel-low brick road

6 6 -6 -6 6 -6 -5 4 5
Where the dogs of so-ci-et-y howl

-6 8 8 8 -9 8 -8 -6
You can’t plant me in your pent-house

-6 -7 -7 -7 7 -8 7
I’m go-ing back to my plough

8 8 8 7 -6 5 -7 -7 -7 -7
Back to the howl-ing old owl in the woods

7 7 7 -6 -5 4 5
Hunt-ing the horn-y back toad

5 -4 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 7
Oh I’ve fin-‘ly de-cid-ed my fu-ture lies

-6 7 7 7 -8 -7 9 7
Be-yond the yel-low brick road-

-7 -6 6 -5 5
ah – – – –

-6 6 -5 5 -4
ah – – – –

verse 2.
What do you think you’ll do then
I bet that’ll shoot down your plane
It’ll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again
Maybe you’ll get a replacement
There’s plenty like me to be found
Mongrels who ain’t got a penny
Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground

5 6 6 6 -4 -4 4
I don’t know where I’m going
5 6 -6 6 5 5 -4 4
But, I sure know where I’ve been
5 6 6 5 6 6 5
Hanging on the promises
-4 4 -4 4 -4 4 -3b
In songs of yesterday
-3b -3b -5 5 4 -4
An’ I’ve made up my mind,
-3b -5 -5 5 -4 4 -4
I ain’t wasting no more time
-4 5 -4 5 -4 4 -3b
But, here I go again
-4 4 -4 6 5
Here I go again

6 6 6 6 5 -4 5 -4 4
Tho’ I keep searching for an answer,
-2 6 6 6 5 6 5 -4 5 -4 4 -3b
I never seem to find what I’m looking for
7 7 6 -6
Oh Lord, I pray
6 6 6 -6 6 -6 6 -4 5 -4 4
You give me strength to carry on,
-6 -6 7 7 -6 -6 6
‘Cos I know what it means
6 7 7 7 -6 7 7 8 -8 7 -8
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

7 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -7
An’ here I go again on my own
7 -8 8 8 8 8 -9 8 8 8 -8 7 -7
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,
7 -8 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 7 -8 -7
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone
5 5 5 5 -6 -6 6
An’ I’ve made up my mind
-5 -5 -5 5 -4 4 -4
I ain’t wasting no more time

5 5 6 6 5 6 -4 -4 -4 5 -4 4
I’m just another heart in need of rescue,
5 6 6 -6 -4 -4 5 -4 4
Waiting on love’s sweet charity
6 6 6 6 7 -6
An’ I’m gonna hold on
6 6 7 -6 -6 5 -4 4
For the rest of my days,
-6 -6 7 7 -6 6
‘Cos I know what it means
6 7 7 7 -6 7 7 8 -8 7 -8

7 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -7
An’ here I go again on my own
7 -8 8 8 8 8 -9 8 8 8 8 -9 9
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,
7 -8 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 7 -8 -7
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone
-6 -6 8 -8 7 -8
An’ I’ve made up my mind
7 7 8 -8 7 7 -8
I ain’t wasting no more time

6 8 -8 8 -8 7 -6
But, here I go again,
8 8 8 -8 7 -6
Here I go again,
-8 7 -8 7 8 9 8 -8 7 -6
Here I go again,
-8 7 10o -10
Here I go…

6 -6 -6 7 7 -6 6
An’ I’ve made up my mind,
7 7 8 -8 7 7 -8
I ain’t wasting no more time

7 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -7
An’ here I go again on my own
7 -8 8 8 8 8 -9 8 8 8 8 -9 9
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,
7 -8 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 7 -8 -7
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone
-6 -6 8 -8 7 -8
‘Cos I know what it means
6 7 7 7 -6 7 7 8 -8 7 -8
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

7 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 -8 7 -7
An’ here I go again on my own
7 -8 8 8 8 8 -9 8 8 8 8 -9 9
Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever known,
7 -8 8 -8 7 -8 8 7 7 7 -8 -7
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone
-6 -6 8 -8 7 -8 6
An’ I’ve made up my mind
7 7 8 -9 9 8 -8
I ain’t wasting no more time…

5 5 6 5 5 5 6 5
I was born in a dump
5 5 6 5 5 5 5 5 -3
Mama died and daddy got drunk
5 5 6 5 5 5 5 6 5
Left me here to die or grow
-7 6 -6 6 5 -4 -4-3-3 -3-3 b-3-2 2
In the middle of Tobacco Road wo wo wo
5 5 6 5 5 5 5 6 5
Grew up in a rusty shack
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -3
All I had was hangin` on my back
5 5 6 5 5 5 5 6 5
Only you know how I loathe
6 6 5 -4-4-3 -3
This place called Tobacco Road
2 2 b-3 4 4 4 4 4 4 -2 -2 -3
But it`s home the only life I`ve ever known
5 -4 6 5 -4 -3 -2
Only you know how I loathe
4 4 4 -2 -1 2 -2 -2
This place called Tobacco Road

Gonna leave get a job
With the help and the grace from above
Save some money get rich I know
Bring it back to Tobacco Road wo wo wo
Bring dynamite and a crane
Blow it up start all over again
Build a town be proud to show
Give the name Tobacco Road
But It`s home the only life I`ve known
I despise you because you`re filthy
But I love you because you`re home

b-3= bend draw on hole 3

6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5
Just like the sun ov-er the moun-tain tops
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6
You know I’ll al-ways come a-gain
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6 -5 5
You know I love to spend my morn-ing times
-4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -3 4
Like sun-light danc-ing on your skin

6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5
I’ve ne-ver gone so wrong as for tell-in’ lies to you
7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6
What you see is what I am
7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6 -5 5
There is noth-ing I could hide from you
-4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -3 4
You see me bet-ter than I can

7 7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6 -5 5
Out on the road that lies be-fore me now
7 7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6
There are some turns where I will spin
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6 -5 5
I on-ly hope that you can hold me now
-4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -3 4
Till I can gain con-trol a-gain

6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 5 5
Like a light-house you must stand a-lone
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6
Land-mark a sal-ior’s jour-ney end
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6 -5 5
No mat-ter what sea I’ve been sail-ing on
-4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -3 4
I’ll al-ways roll this way a-gain

7 7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6 -5 5
Out on the road that lies be-fore me now
7 7 7 7 -7 -6 6 6
There are some turns where I will spin
7 7 -7 -7 -6 -6 6 6 -5 5
I on-ly hope that you can hold me now
-4 5 -5 5 -4 4 -3’-3 4
Till I can gain con-trol a–gain

3 6 6 6 -5 -5 5 4
The screen door slams Mary`s dress waves
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 b-6
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the
-5-5 5 -4 4
radio plays
-5 -5-5-5 -5 5 5 5 5 -4
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6-5
Hey, that`s me, and I want you only
6 6 6 6 -5 -5
Don`t turn me home again,
-5 -5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -4-4
I just can`t face myself alone again
6 6 6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5
Don`t run back inside darling you know just
-5 -5 -5 5 4
what I`m here for
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
So you`re scared and you`re thinking that maybe
6 6 6 -6 6 6 -5
we ain`t that young anymore
7 7 7 7 7 -5 -5-5 -5 -5 -5
Show a little faith there`s magic in the night
-5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 6 6 -5
You ain`t a beauty but hey, you`re alright
-6 6 6 6 -5 5 4 -3
Oh and that`s alright with me
(WITH A BEAT)
-3 -3 4 4 4 5 5 6 -6 6 5
You can hide `neath your covers and study your
6
pain
-3 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6-5 -5 5
Make crosses from your lovers throw roses in the
-4
rain
5 6 6 6 5 6 6 -6
Waste your summer praying in vain
-6 -6 -6 6 6 -5 -5 5 -4
For a savior to rise from the streets
7 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 -6
Well I`m no hero that`s understood
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 -5-5
All the redemption I can offer girl is under
5 -4 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 -6
this hood with a chance to make it good somehow
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 -7 -7-8 7 7
Hey, what else can we do now, except roll down
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 -6 -6 6 6-5 5
the window and let the wind blow back your hair
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 -7 -7
Well the night`s busting open these two lanes
6 6 -6 -6 6 -5
will take us an–y where
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7-7 6
We got one last chance to make it real
6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7
To trade in these wings on some wheels
-6 -6 -6 -6 6 -5 5 5 5 5 -4 -4
Climb in back heaven`s waiting down on the tracks
4 5 6 -6 6 6 4 4 4 4 5 6
Oh come take my hand riding out tonight to
-5 5 4 4 -4
case the promised land
4 5 6-6 6 6 6 -5 6 6 6 -6 6 -6
Oh~~~~~ THUNDER ROAD oh THUNDER ROAD oh THUNDER
6 7 7 7 7 -6 -6 -6-6 -6 -6 -6
ROAD lying out there like a killer in the sun
7 7 7 7 7 -7 -6 -6 6 6 6 -6
Hey, I know it`s late, we can make it if we run
4 5 6-6 6 6 6 -6 -6 6-5 -8 -8-7 6
Oh~~~~~ THUNDER ROAD sit tight take hold
7 7 7 -6 6
THUNDER ROAD ~~~~~~
7 7 7 7 7 -6 -6 -6 -6 6 5 6
Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make
6 -6 6
it talk
7 7 7 7 7 -6 -6 -6-6 6 -6
And my car`s out back if you`re ready to take
-6 -6-7-6 6 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5
that long walk from your front porch to my
-6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 -6
front seat. The door`s open but the ride ain`t
-6 5 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6-6 -6 -6 -6
free, and I know you`re lonely for words that
-6 -6 -6-6 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8
I ain`t spoken but to-night we`ll be free
-8 -8 8 -8-8 -8 7 8 -8 -8 -8 -8
All the promises `ll be broken. These are the
-8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 -7 -6
ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you
6 6 6
sent away
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7-7 -7
They haunt this dusty beach road in the skeleton
-7 -6 -6 -6 6 6 -5
frames of burned out Chevrolets
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 -7
They screem your name at night in the sreet
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
7 7 7-7 -7 -7-6 -6-7-6 6
And the lonely cool before dawn
-7 7 7 7 7 7 -7 -7-6
You hear their engines roaring on
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 6
But when you get to the porch they`re gone
5 -4 -4 4 -5 -5-5 5 5-4
on the wind. So Mary climb on
7 7 7 7 7 -6-6
It`s a town full of losers
6 8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 8 -8 7
I`m pulling out of here to win~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With
The Memphis Blues Again

+6 +6 +6 +6 +5 -6 +5

+6 +6 +6 +5 -6 +5

+6 +6 +6 +5 -6 -5 -5

+4 -4 -5 -3bb +4 -3bb -5

-6 -7 +7 +7 -6 -5 +6

+6 +6 -6 -6 -6 +5 +6

+6 -6 -6 -6 -5 -6 -4

-5 +4 -4 +4 +5 -7 -6

+5 +6 +5 -6 +5 +6 +5 -6

-6 +6 +7 +6 -7 +6 +7

+5 +5 +5 -5 +5 +7 +4 +5

Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block.
I’d ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don’t talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can’t escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she’s talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An’ I said, “Oh, I didn’t know that,
But then again, there’s only one I’ve met
An’ he just smoked my eyelids
An’ punched my cigarette.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he’d lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Now the senator came down here
Showing ev’ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An’ me, I nearly got busted
An’ wouldn’t it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, “Not even you can hide.
You see, you’re just like me,
I hope you’re satisfied.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, “Jump right in.”
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An’ like a fool I mixed them
An’ it strangled up my mind,
An’ now people just get uglier
An’ I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
‘Neath her Panamanian moon.
An’ I say, “Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante.”
An’ she says, “Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An’ here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.

Verse 1:

  7         7   7    -7    6    6      7       6     5    6
Switch on the sky and the stars glow for you
7     7   7    -7          6        6   -6     6     5    6
Go see the world ’cause it’s all so brand new
7          7         7    -8          6        6   -6   7     7  -6    6    7
Don’t close your eyes ’cause your future’s ready to shine
7    7    7   -7  7  -7  -6      6   6   6    -6        7 -6    8    -8
It’s just a matter of time before we learn how to fly
-8       7     -8 8      -8 7   -6  6      8    -8
Welcome to the rhythm of the night
6               -8     7    -8  8   -8   7    -6      6  8    -8 7 -6                         (8    -8 7 -6 )
There’s something in the air you can’t deny                   (background: deny….)

Chorus:

-9     -9    -9    8     -8  7      6  8  -8
It’s been fun but now I’ve got to go
-9    -9 -9     8    -8      7  6      8   -8
Life is way too short to take it slow
-9   -9 -9   8  -8    7  6      8   -8     8 -6
But before I go and hit the road
6 7 6    8 -8    6    -6       -9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
I gotta know, ’til then, when can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
-9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
-9        -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
When can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
6 7 6    8 -8    -9     -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
I gotta know, when can I see you again?

Verse 2:

  7         7   7   -7    6          6      7    6     5         6
Joined at the hip, yeah your sidekick needs you
7    7 7  -7      6     6    -6     6     5          6
Life is a trip down the road that leads you
7          7     7 -8  6       6       -6   7         7   -6    6    7
Look all around at all the mountains you haven’t climbed
7    7    7   -7  7  -7  -6      6   6   6    -6        7 -6    8    -8
It’s just a matter of time before we learn how to fly
-8       7     -8 8      -8 7   -6  7      8    -8
Welcome to the rhythm of the night
7          -8     7    -8  8   -8   7    -6      6  8    -8 7 -6                         (8   9 -8 8 -7)
There’s something in the air you can’t deny                   (background: deny….)

Chorus:

-9     -9    -9    8     -8  7      6  8  -8
It’s been fun but now I’ve got to go
-9    -9 -9     8    -8      7  6      8   -8
Life is way too short to take it slow
-9   -9 -9   8  -8    7  6      8   -8     8 -6
But before I go and hit the road
6 7 6    8 -8    6    -6       -9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
I gotta know, ’til then, when can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
-9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
-9        -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
When can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
6 7 6    8 -8    -9     -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
I gotta know, when can I see you again?

Verse 3:

7          7     7 -8  6       6       -6   7         7   -6    6    7
Don’t close you eyes ’cause your future’s ready to shine
7    7    7   -7  7  -7  -6      6   6   6    -6        7 -6    8    -8
It’s just a matter of time before we learn how to fly
-8       7     -8 8      -8 7   -6  7      8    -8
Welcome to the rhythm of the night
7          -8     7    -8  8   -8   7    -6      6  8
There’s something in the air you can’t deny
7  -8  7    -8       8  -8   7   -6      6  8
So let me know before I wave goodbye

Chorus:

 -9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
-9        -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
When can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh
6 7 6    8 -8    -9     -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?
-9        -9   -9  -9   8    -8 7
When can we do this again?
9    8    9    7
Oh oh oh oh

-9     -9    -9    8     -8  7      6  8  -8
It’s been fun but now I’ve got to go
-9    -9 -9     8    -8      7  6      8   -8
Life is way too short to take it slow
-9   -9 -9   8  -8    7  9      8   -8     8 -6
But before I go and hit the road
6     7   -10         9       -9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
Tell me when, When can I see you again?
-9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?
-9    -9   -9   -9   8    -8 7
When can I see you again?

Girl you know we belong together
I have no time for you to be playing
With my heart like this
You’ll be mine forever baby, you just see

5 -5 -5 5 -5 5
We be-long to-geth-er

5 -5 -56 -6b -5 5
And you know that I’m right

7 -6 -6b -6 -5 -5 -5
Why do you play with my heart,

-5 -5 -5b -5b -5b -7 7
Why do you play with my mind?

-4 5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5b
you Said we’d be to-geth-er

5 -5 -6 -6b 5
Said it’d nev-er die

7 -6 -6b -6 -6b -5 -5 -6b
How could you love me and leave me

-5 -5 -5b -5b 7 -67
And nev-er say good-bye

BRIDGE 1

7 -7 7+8 -7 7 7
Well I can’t sleep at night

7 -7 7+8 -7 7 7
with-out hold-ing you tight

7 7+8 -7 7 7 7 7 7+8 -7 7 6+7
Girl, each time I try I just break down and cry

7+8 8 8 8 -7 7 -67 -5 -5b -5
Pain in my head oh I’d rath-er be dead

7+8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Spin-nin’ a-round and a-round

(CHORUS)

7 -7 8 7+8 -7 8 -78 78 8 7+8
Al-though we’ve come to the End Of The Road

7 -7 7+8 -67 7 -7
Still I can’t let you go

7 -7 7 -5 -5 7 -7 7 -5 -5
It’s un-nat-ur-al, you be-long to me,

7 -7 6+7 8 7+8 7+8 -7 8 -78 78 8 7+8
I be-long to you Come to the End of the Road

7 -7 7+8 -67 7 -7
Still I can’t let you go

7 -7 7 -5 -5 7 -7 7 -5 -5
It’s un-nat-ur-al, you be-long to me,

7 -7 6+7 8 7+8
I be-long to you

VERSE 2 same as 1

Girl, I know you really love me,
You just don’t realize
You’ve never been there before
It’s only your first time
Maybe I’ll forgive you, hmm
Maybe you’ll try
We should be happy together
Forever, you and I

BRIDGE 2 plays same as Bridge 1

Could you love me again
like you loved me before
This time I want you to love me much more
This time instead just come back to my bed
And baby just don’t let me down

(CHORUS)

(spoken) VERSE 3
Girl, I’m here for you
All those times of night when you just hurt me
And just ran out with that other fella
Baby I knew about it, I just didn’t care
You just don’t understand how much I love you do you?
I’m here for YOU

I’m not out to go out and cheat on you all night
Just like you did baby but that’s all right
Hey, I love you anyway
And I’m still gonna be here for you ’till my dying day baby
Right now, I’m just in so much pain baby
Cuz you just won’t come back to me
Will you? Just come back to me

BRIDGE 3 is spoken
(Lonely) Yes baby my heart is lonely
(Lonely) My heart hurts baby
(Lonely) Yes I feel pain too Baby please
This time instead just come to my bed
And baby just don’t let me go

CHORUS TO END

ENJOY!!

5 -5 6 6 6 -5 -5 5 -5 6 -5 4 4
There’s a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin’ in,

-4 6 6 6 -5 -5 5 -4 -4 -4 5
The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders.

5 -5 6 6 -6 6 -5 5 5 -5 6 -5 4 4
There’s a truck out on the four-lane, a mile or more away,

-4 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 5 -4 -4 4
The whinin’ of his wheels just makes it colder.

6 6 6 6 -6 6 -5 5 -4 5 -5 6 -5 4 4
He’s an hour away from ridin’ on your prayers up in the sky

6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 5 -4 5
And ten days on the road are barely gone.

5 -5 6 -6 6 -5 5 -5 5 -5 4 4
There’s a fire softly burnin’; supper’s on the stove.

6 6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 5 -4 4
But it’s the light in your eyes that makes him warm.

-6 -6 -6 -6 6 6 6 -5 5
Hey, it’s good to be back home again.

-6 -6 6 6 6 5 5 6 5 -4 4
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend.

-6 5 6 6 -6 -5 -5 -5 5 -4 4
Yes’n’hey, it’s good to be back home again.

chorus:

-7 6 6 -7-6 -7 7 7 8
A railroad-e-r, a railroad-er,

9 -8 -8 7 -7 -6
a railroad-er for me.

-7 6 6 6 -7 -6 -6 7 7 8
If ever I marry in this wide world,

8 -8 -8 -8 7 -7 -6 6
A railroader’s bri-de I’ll be.

verse 1:
Now I would not marry a blacksmith,
he’s always in the black.
I’d rather marry an engineer,
that throws the throttle back.

chorus:

verse 2:
I would not marry a farmer,
he’s always in the dirt.
I’d rather marry an engineer,
that wears a striped shirt.

chorus:

verse 3:
I would not marry a sheriff,
for he is sure to die.
But I would marry a railroader,
who has them pretty blue eyes.

chorus:

verse 4:
I would not marry a preacher,
he preaches too much hell.
But I would marry a railroader,
who rings the big brass bell.

chorus:

verse 5:
Father, oh dear father,
forgive me if you can.
If you ever see your daughter again,
It’ll be with a railroad man.

chorus:

-1 3 3 3 -3 -4
It seems like yesterday
<-2 -4 -4 -4 <4 -5 <4 -4
But it was long ago——–
6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
4 4 4 -4 -4 -4 -3 3 3 3 3 2 2 -1
There in the darkness with the radio playing low-
-1 -1 3 3 3 -3 -4
And the secrets that we shared
<-2 -4 -4 -4 <4 -5 <4 -4
The mountains that we moved—
6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
Caught like a wildfire out of control—
-4 -4 -4 4 4 4 4 4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -4 -3
‘Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
-4 -5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
And I remember what she said to me—–
-4 -5 6 6 6 6 6 -5 -5
How she swore that it never would end
-4 -5 6 6 6 6 -5 -5 6 -5 -4 -3 3
I remember how she held me oh so tight–
4 4 4 4 4 4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3
Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then

-1 3 -3 -4
Against the wind
4 -5 6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
We were runnin’ against the wind
-4 -5 6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 3
We were young and strong, we were runnin’
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind

-1 3 3 3 -3 -4
The years rolled slowly past
<-2 <-2 -4 -4 -4 <4 -5 <4 -4
And I– found myself alone——
6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
4 4 4 -4 -4 -4 -3 3 3 3 3 2 2 -1
I found myself further and further from my- home
-1 -1 3 3 3 -3 -4
And I guess I lost my way
<-2 -4 -4 -4 -4 <4 -5 <4 -4
There were oh so many- roads—
-4 -5 6 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
I was living to run and running to live—
-4 -4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -4 -3
Never worryied about paying or even- how much I owed-
-5 -5 6 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time—
-4 -5 6 6 6 6 6 -5 -5
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
-4 -5 6 6 -5 -5 6 -4 -3 3
I began to find myself searching
4 4 4 4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3
Searching for shelter again and again

-1 3 -3 -4
Against the wind
4 -5 6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
A little something against the wind
-5 6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 3
I found myself seeking shelter
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
Well those drifter’s days are past me now—-
-4 -5 6 6 6 6 6 -5 -5
I’ve got so much more to think about
6 -5 -5 6 -5 -4 -3 3
Deadlines and commitments-
4 4 4 4 -4 -3 -3 -3
What to leave in, what to leave out

-1 3 -3 -4
Against the wind
4 -5 6 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3 3
I’m still runnin’ against the wind
-5 6 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 3
I’m older now but still runnin’
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind

-4 -5 6 7 -5 -5 -5 -4 -3
Well I’m older now and still runnin’
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind
3 -3 3 3
Against the wind

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed “Satchmo“, “Satch“, and “Pops“, was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor who was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, he followed his mentor, Joe “King” Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz Band. In Chicago, he spent time with other popular jazz musicians, reconnecting with his friend Bix Beiderbecke and spending time with Hoagy Carmichael and Lil Hardin. He earned a reputation at “cutting contests”, and relocated to New York in order to join Fletcher Henderson’s band.

With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song. He was also skilled at scat singing. Armstrong is renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice as well as his trumpet playing. By the end of Armstrong’s career in the 1960s, his influence had spread to popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first popular African-American entertainers to “cross over” to wide popularity with white (and international) audiences. He rarely publicly politicized his race, to the dismay of fellow African Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation in the Little Rock crisis. He was able to access the upper echelons of American society at a time when this was difficult for black men.

Armstrong appeared in films such as High Society (1956) alongside Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, and Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand. He received many accolades including three Grammy Award nominations and a win for his vocal performance of Hello, Dolly! in 1964.

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Early life

Armstrong often stated that he was born on July 4, 1900. Although he died in 1971, it was not until the mid-1980s that his true birth date, August 4, 1901, was discovered by Tad Jones by researching baptismal records. At least three other biographies treat the July 4 birth date as a myth.

Armstrong was born in New Orleans to Mary Albert and William Armstrong. Albert was from Boutte, Louisiana, and gave birth at home when she was about sixteen. William Armstrong abandoned the family shortly after. About two years later, he had a daughter, Beatrice “Mama Lucy” Armstrong, who was raised by Albert.

Louis Armstrong was raised by his grandmother until the age of five when he was returned to his mother. He spent his youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood known as The Battlefield. At six he attended the Fisk School for Boys, a school that accepted black children in the racially segregated system of New Orleans. He did odd jobs for the Karnoffskys, a family of Lithuanian Jews. While selling coal in Storyville, he heard spasm bands, groups that played music out of household objects. He heard the early sounds of jazz from bands that played in brothels and dance halls such as Pete Lala’s, where King Oliver performed.

The Karnoffskys  took him in and treated him like family. Knowing he lived without a father, they fed and nurtured him. In his memoir Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., the Year of 1907, he described his discovery that this family was also subject to discrimination by “other white folks” who felt that they were better than Jews: “I was only seven years old but I could easily see the ungodly treatment that the white folks were handing the poor Jewish family whom I worked for.” He wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life and wrote about what he learned from them: “how to live—real life and determination.” His first musical performance may have been at the side of the Karnoffsky’s junk wagon. To distinguish them from other hawkers, he tried playing a tin horn to attract customers. Morris Karnoffsky gave Armstrong an advance toward the purchase of a cornet from a pawn shop.

When Armstrong was eleven, he dropped out of school. His mother moved into a one-room house on Perdido Street with him, Lucy, and her common-law husband, Tom Lee, next door to her brother Ike and his two sons. Armstrong joined a quartet of boys who sang in the streets for money. He also got into trouble. Cornetist Bunk Johnson said he taught the eleven-year-old to play by ear at Dago Tony’s honky tonk. (In his later years Armstrong credited King Oliver.) He said about his youth, “Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans … It has given me something to live for.”

Borrowing his stepfather’s gun without permission, he fired a blank into the air and was arrested on December 31, 1912. He spent the night at New Orleans Juvenile Court, then was sentenced the next day to detention at the Colored Waif’s Home. Life at the home was spartan. Mattresses were absent; meals were often little more than bread and molasses. Captain Joseph Jones ran the home like a military camp and used corporal punishment.

Armstrong developed his cornet skills by playing in the band. Peter Davis, who frequently appeared at the home at the request of Captain Jones, became Armstrong’s first teacher and chose him as bandleader. With this band, the thirteen year-old Armstrong attracted the attention of Kid Ory.

On June 14, 1914, Armstrong was released into the custody of his father and his new stepmother, Gertrude. He lived in this household with two stepbrothers for several months. After Gertrude gave birth to a daughter, Armstrong’s father never welcomed him, so he returned to his mother, Mary Albert. In her small home, he had to share a bed with his mother and sister. His mother still lived in The Battlefield, leaving him open to old temptations, but he sought work as a musician. He found a job at a dance hall owned by Henry Ponce, who had connections to organized crime. He met the six-foot tall drummer Black Benny, who became his guide and bodyguard. Around the age of fifteen, he pimped for a prostitute named Nootsy, but that relationship failed after she stabbed Armstrong in the shoulder and his mother nearly choked her to death.

Career

Riverboat education

Armstrong played in brass bands and riverboats in New Orleans, first on an excursion boat in September 1918. He traveled with the band of Fate Marable, which toured on the steamboat Sidney with the Streckfus Steamers line up and down the Mississippi River. Marable was proud of his musical knowledge, and he insisted that Armstrong and other musicians in his band learn sight reading. Armstrong described his time with Marable as “going to the University”, since it gave him a wider experience working with written arrangements. He did return to New Orleans periodically.  In 1919, Oliver decided to go north and resigned his position in Kid Ory’s band; Armstrong replaced him. He also became second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band.

Chicago and recording for Gennett

Throughout his riverboat experience, Armstrong’s musicianship began to mature and expand. At twenty, he could read music. He became one of the first jazz musicians to be featured on extended trumpet solos, injecting his own personality and style. He started singing in his performances. In 1922, he moved to Chicago at the invitation of King Oliver. With Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band he could make enough money to quit his day jobs. Although race relations were poor, Chicago was booming. The city had jobs for blacks making good wages at factories with some left over for entertainment.

Oliver’s band was among the most influential jazz bands in Chicago in the early 1920s. Armstrong lived luxuriously in his own apartment with his first private bath. Excited as he was to be in Chicago, he began his career-long pastime of writing letters to friends in New Orleans. Armstrong could blow two hundred high Cs in a row. As his reputation grew, he was challenged to cutting contests by other musicians.

His first studio recordings were with Oliver for Gennett Records on April 5–6, 1923. They endured several hours on the train to remote Richmond, Indiana, and the band was paid little. The quality of the performances was affected by lack of rehearsal, crude recording equipment, bad acoustics, and a cramped studio. In addition, Richmond was a*sociated with the Ku Klux Klan.

Lil Hardin Armstrong urged him to seek more prominent billing and develop his style apart from the influence of Oliver. She encouraged him to play classical music in church concerts to broaden his skills. She prodded him into wearing more stylish attire to offset his girth. Her influence eventually undermined Armstrong’s relationship with his mentor, especially concerning his salary and additional money that Oliver held back from Armstrong and other band members. Armstrong’s mother, May Ann Albert, came to visit him in Chicago during the summer of 1923 after being told that Armstrong was “out of work, out of money, hungry, and sick”; Hardin located and decorated an apartment for her to live in while she stayed.

In the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra

Armstrong and Oliver parted amicably in 1924. Shortly afterward, Armstrong received an invitation to go to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the top African-American band of the time. He switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. His influence on Henderson’s tenor sax soloist, Coleman Hawkins, can be judged by listening to the records made by the band during this period.

Armstrong adapted to the tightly controlled style of Henderson, playing trumpet and experimenting with the trombone. The other members were affected by Armstrong’s emotional style. His act included singing and telling tales of New Orleans characters, especially preachers. The Henderson Orchestra played in prominent venues for patrons only, including the Roseland Ballroom, with arrangements by Don Redman. Duke Ellington’s orchestra went to Roseland to catch Armstrong’s performances.

During this time, Armstrong recorded with Clarence Williams (a friend from New Orleans), the Williams Blue Five, Sidney Bechet, and blues singers Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith.

The Hot Five

In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago largely at the insistence of Lil, who wanted to expand his career and his income. In publicity, much to his chagrin, she billed him as “the World’s Greatest Trumpet Player”. For a time he was a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band and working for his wife. He formed Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five and recorded the hits “Potato Head Blues” and “Muggles”. The word “muggles” was a slang term for marijuana, something he used often during his life.

The Hot Five included Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Johnny St. Cyr (banjo), Lil Armstrong on piano, and usually no drummer. Over a twelve-month period starting in November 1925, this quintet produced twenty-four records.  Armstrong’s band leading style was easygoing, as St. Cyr noted, “One felt so relaxed working with him, and he was very broad-minded … always did his best to feature each individual.”[45] Among the most notable of the Hot Five and Seven records were “Cornet Chop Suey”, “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue”, “Hotter Than that” and “Potato Head Blues,” all featuring highly creative solos by Armstrong. According to Thomas Brothers, recordings, such as “Struttin’ with Some Barbeque,” were so superb, “planned with density and variety, bluesyness, and showiness,” that they were probably showcased at the Sunset Café. His recordings soon after with pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines (most famously their 1928 “Weather Bird” duet) and Armstrong’s trumpet introduction to and solo in “West End Blues” remain some of the most famous and influential improvisations in jazz history. Armstrong was now free to develop his personal style as he wished, which included a heavy dose of effervescent jive, such as “Whip That Thing, Miss Lil” and “Mr. Johnny Dodds, Aw, Do That Clarinet, Boy!”

Armstrong also played with Erskine Tate’s Little Symphony, which played mostly at the Vendome Theatre. They furnished music for silent movies and live shows, including jazz versions of classical music, such as “Madame Butterfly”, which gave Armstrong experience with longer forms of music and with hosting before a large audience. He began to scat sing (improvised vocal jazz using nonsensical words) and was among the first to record it, on the Hot Five recording “Heebie Jeebies” in 1926. The recording was so popular that the group became the most famous jazz band in the United States, even though they had not performed live to any great extent. Young musicians across the country, black or white, were turned on by Armstrong’s new type of jazz.

After separating from Lil, Armstrong started to play at the Sunset Café for Al Capone’s a*sociate Joe Glaser in the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, with Earl Hines on piano, which was renamed Louis Armstrong and his Stompers, though Hines was the music director and Glaser managed the orchestra. Hines and Armstrong became fast friends and successful collaborators. It was at the Sunset Café that Armstrong accompanied singer Adelaide Hall. It was during Hall’s tenure at the venue that she experimented, developed and expanded her use and art of Scat singing with Armstrong’s guidance and encouragement.

In the first half of 1927, Armstrong a*sembled his Hot Seven group, which added drummer Al “Baby” Dodds and tuba player, Pete Briggs, while preserving most of his original Hot Five lineup. John Thomas replaced Kid Ory on trombone. Later that year he organized a series of new Hot Five sessions which resulted in nine more records. In the last half of 1928, he started recording with a new group: Zutty Singleton (drums), Earl Hines (piano), Jimmy Strong (clarinet), Fred Robinson (trombone), and Mancy Carr (banjo).

Emerging as a vocalist

Armstrong returned to New York in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra for the musical Hot Chocolates, an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and pianist Fats Waller. He also made a cameo appearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the show with his rendition of “Ain’t Misbehavin'”. His version of the song became his biggest selling record to date.

Armstrong started to work at Connie’s Inn in Harlem, chief rival to the Cotton Club, a venue for elaborately staged floor shows, and a front for gangster Dutch Schultz. Armstrong also had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of famous songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael. His 1930s recordings took full advantage of the new RCA ribbon microphone, introduced in 1931, which imparted a characteristic warmth to vocals and immediately became an intrinsic part of the ‘crooning’ sound of artists like Bing Crosby. Armstrong’s famous interpretation of Carmichael’s “Stardust” became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong’s unique vocal sound and style and his innovative approach to singing songs that had already become standards.

Armstrong’s radical re-working of Sidney Arodin and Carmichael’s “Lazy River” (recorded in 1931) encapsulated many features of his groundbreaking approach to melody and phrasing. The song begins with a brief trumpet solo, then the main melody is introduced by sobbing horns, memorably punctuated by Armstrong’s growling interjections at the end of each bar: “Yeah! …”Uh-huh”…”Sure”…”Way down, way down.” In the first verse, he ignores the notated melody entirely and sings as if playing a trumpet solo, pitching most of the first line on a single note and using strongly syncopated phrasing. In the second stanza he breaks into an almost fully improvised melody, which then evolves into a classic passage of Armstrong “scat singing”.

As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong’s vocal innovations served as a foundation stone for the art of jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gravelly coloration of his voice became a musical archetype that was much imitated and endlessly impersonated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist. His resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences on sides such as “Lazy River” exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as Bing Crosby.

Working during hard times

The Great Depression of the early 1930s was especially hard on the jazz scene. The Cotton Club closed in 1936 after a long downward spiral, and many musicians stopped playing altogether as club dates evaporated. Bix Beiderbecke died and Fletcher Henderson’s band broke up. King Oliver made a few records but otherwise struggled. Sidney Bechet became a tailor, later moving to Paris and Kid Ory returned to New Orleans and raised chickens.

Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 to seek new opportunities. He played at the New Cotton Club in Los Angeles with Lionel Hampton on drums. The band drew the Hollywood crowd, which could still afford a lavish night life, while radio broadcasts from the club connected with younger audiences at home. Bing Crosby and many other celebrities were regulars at the club. In 1931, Armstrong appeared in his first movie, Ex-Flame and was also convicted of marijuana possession but received a suspended sentence. He returned to Chicago in late 1931 and played in bands more in the Guy Lombardo vein and he recorded more standards. When the mob insisted that he get out of town,[  Armstrong visited New Orleans, had a hero’s welcome, and saw old friends. He sponsored a local baseball team known as Armstrong’s Secret Nine and had a cigar named after him. But soon he was on the road again. After a tour across the country shadowed by the mob, he fled to Europe.

After returning to the United States, he undertook several exhausting tours. His agent Johnny Collins’s erratic behavior and his own spending ways left Armstrong short of cash. Breach of contract violations plagued him. He hired Joe Glaser as his new manager, a tough mob-connected wheeler-dealer, who began to straighten out his legal mess, his mob troubles, and his debts. Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. As a result, he branched out, developing his vocal style and making his first theatrical appearances. He appeared in movies again, including Crosby’s 1936 hit Pennies from Heaven. In 1937, Armstrong substituted for Rudy Vallee on the CBS radio network and became the first African American to host a sponsored, national broadcast.

The Harlem Renaissance

During the 1920s, Louis Armstrong brought a huge impact during the Harlem Renaissance within the Jazz world. The music he created was an incredible part of his life during the Harlem Renaissance. His impact touched many, including a well-known man during that time named Langston Hughes. The admiration he had for Armstrong and acknowledging him as one of the most recognized musicians during the era. Within Hughes writings, he created many books which held the central idea of jazz and recognition to Armstrong as one of the most important person to be part of the new found love of their culture. The sound of jazz, along with many other musicians such as Armstrong, helped shape Hughes as a writer. Just as the musicians, Hughes wrote his words with jazz.

Armstrong changed the jazz during the Harlem Renaissance. Being known as “the world’s greatest trumpet player” during this time he continued his legacy and decided to continue a focus on his own vocal career. The popularity he gained brought together many black and white audiences to watch him perform.

Reviving jazz with the All Stars

After spending many years on the road, Armstrong settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of Tin Pan Alley and the gangster-ridden music business, as well as anti-black prejudice, he continued to develop his playing. He recorded Hoagy Carmichael’s “Rockin’ Chair” for Okeh Records.

During the next 30 years, Armstrong played more than 300 performances a year. Bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public tastes: ballrooms closed, and there was competition from television and from other types of music becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible under such circumstances to finance a 16-piece touring band.

During the 1940s, a widespread revival of interest in the traditional jazz of the 1920s made it possible for Armstrong to consider a return to the small-group musical style of his youth. Armstrong was featured as a guest artist with Lionel Hampton’s band at the famed second Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. on October 12, 1946. Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17, 1947, featuring Armstrong with trombonist/singer Jack Teagarden, Armstrong’s manager, Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947, and established a six-piece traditional jazz group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other top swing and Dixieland musicians, most of whom were previously leaders of big bands. The new group was announced at the opening of Billy Berg’s Supper Club.

This group was called Louis Armstrong and His All Stars and included at various times Earl “Fatha” Hines, Barney Bigard, Edmond Hall, Jack Teagarden, Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw, Billy Kyle, Marty Napoleon, Big Sid “Buddy” Catlett, Cozy Cole, Tyree Glenn, Barrett Deems, Mort Herbert, Joe Darensbourg, Eddie Shu, Joe Muranyi and percussionist Danny Barcelona. During this period, Armstrong made many recordings and appeared in over thirty films. He was the first jazz musician to appear on the cover of Time magazine, on February 21, 1949. Louis Armstrong and his All Stars were featured at the ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert also at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. held on June 7, 1953 along with Shorty Rogers, Roy Brown, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, and Nat “King” Cole.

A jazz ambassador

By the 1950s, Armstrong was a widely beloved American icon and cultural ambassador who commanded an international fanbase. However, a growing generation gap became apparent between him and the young jazz musicians who emerged in the postwar era such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins. The postwar generation regarded their music as abstract art and considered Armstrong’s vaudevillian style, half-musician and half-stage entertainer, outmoded and Uncle Tomism, “… he seemed a link to minstrelsy that we were ashamed of.” He called bebop “Chinese music”. While touring Australia, 1954, he was asked if he could play bebop. “Bebop?” he husked. “I just play music. Guys who invent terms like that are walking the streets with their instruments under their arms.”

February 28, 1948, Suzy Delair sang the French song C’est si bon at the Hotel Negresco during the first Nice Jazz Festival. Louis Armstrong was present and loved the song. June 26, 1950, he recorded the American version of the song (English lyrics by Jerry Seelen) in New York City with Sy Oliver and his Orchestra. When it was released, the disc was a worldwide success and the song was then performed by the greatest international singers.

In the 1960s, he toured Ghana and Nigeria.

After finishing his contract with Decca Records, he became a freelance artist and recorded for other labels.[71][72] He continued an intense international touring schedule, but in 1959 he suffered a heart attack in Italy and had to rest.

In 1964, after over two years without setting foot in a studio, he recorded his biggest-selling record, “Hello, Dolly!”, a song by Jerry Herman, originally sung by Carol Channing. Armstrong’s version remained on the Hot 100 for 22 weeks, longer than any other record produced that year, and went to No. 1 making him, at 62 years, 9 months and 5 days, the oldest person ever to accomplish that feat. In the process, he dislodged the Beatles from the No. 1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.
External audio
audio icon Louis Daniel Armstrong talks with Studs Terkel on WFMT; 1962/6/24, 33:43, Studs Terkel Radio Archive

Armstrong kept touring well into his 60s, even visiting part of the communist bloc in 1965. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under the sponsorship of the US State Department with great success, earning the nickname “Ambassador Satch” and inspiring Dave Brubeck to compose his jazz musical The Real Ambassadors. By 1968, he was approaching 70 and his health began to give out. He suffered heart and kidney ailments that forced him to stop touring. He did not perform publicly at all in 1969 and spent most of the year recuperating at home. Meanwhile, his longtime manager Joe Glaser died. By the summer of 1970, his doctors pronounced him fit enough to resume live performances. He embarked on another world tour, but a heart attack forced him to take a break for two months.

Personal life

Pronunciation of name

The Louis Armstrong House Museum website states:

Judging from home recorded tapes now in our Museum Collections, Louis pronounced his own name as “Lewis”. On his 1964 record “Hello, Dolly”, he sings, “This is Lewis, Dolly” but in 1933 he made a record called “Laughin’ Louie”. Many broadcast announcers, fans, and acquaintances called him “Louie” and in a videotaped interview from 1983 Lucille Armstrong calls her late husband “Louie” as well. Musicians and close friends usually called him “Pops”.

In a memoir written for Robert Goffin between 1943 and 1944, Armstrong states, “All white folks call me Louie,” perhaps suggesting that he himself did not or, on the other hand, that no whites addressed him by one of his nicknames such as Pops. That said, Armstrong was registered as “Lewie” for the 1920 U.S. Census. On various live records he’s called “Louie” on stage, such as on the 1952 “Can Anyone Explain?” from the live album In Scandinavia vol.1. The same applies to his 1952 studio recording of the song “Chloe”, where the choir in the background sings “Louie … Louie”, with Armstrong responding “What was that? Somebody called my name?” “Lewie” is the French pronunciation of “Louis” and is commonly used in Louisiana. In 1970, Louis and Lucille appeared on The Mike Douglas Show to demonstrate the preparation red beans and rice, a dish so enjoyed by Armstrong that he signed correspondence “Red Beans and Ricely Yours”. In the video with Armstrong standing at her side, Lucille prepares his favorite red beans recipe and refers to “Louie” several times.

Family

Armstrong was performing at the Brick House in Gretna, Louisiana, when he met Daisy Parker, a local prostitute. He started the affair as a client. He returned to Gretna on several occasions to visit her. He found the courage to look for her home to see her away from work. It was on this occasion that he found out that she had a common-law husband. Not long after this fiasco, Parker traveled to Armstrong’s home on Perdido Street.  They checked into Kid Green’s hotel that evening. On the next day, March 19, 1919, Armstrong and Parker married at City Hall. They adopted a three-year-old boy, Clarence, whose mother, Armstrong’s cousin Flora, had died soon after giving birth. Clarence Armstrong was mentally disabled as the result of a head injury at an early age, and Armstrong spent the rest of his life taking care of him. His marriage to Parker ended when they separated in 1923.

On February 4, 1924, he married Lil Hardin Armstrong, King Oliver’s pianist. She had divorced her first husband a few years earlier. His second wife helped him develop his career, but they separated in 1931 and divorced in 1938. Armstrong then married Alpha Smith.  His relationship with Alpha, however, began while he was playing at the Vendome during the 1920s and continued long after. His marriage to his third wife lasted four years, and they divorced in 1942. Louis then married Lucille Wilson in October 1942, a singer at the Cotton Club, to whom he was married until his death in 1971.

Armstrong’s marriages never produced any offspring. However, in December 2012, 57-year-old Sharon Preston-Folta claimed to be his daughter from a 1950s affair between Armstrong and Lucille “Sweets” Preston, a dancer at the Cotton Club. In a 1955 letter to his manager, Joe Glaser, Armstrong affirmed his belief that Preston’s newborn baby was his daughter, and ordered Glaser to pay a monthly allowance of $400 (US$4,772 in 2019 dollars ) to mother and child.

Personality

Armstrong was noted for his colorful and charismatic personality. His autobiography vexed some biographers and historians, as he had a habit of telling tales, particularly of his early childhood when he was less scrutinized, and his embellishments of his history often lack consistency.

In addition to being an entertainer, Armstrong was a leading personality of the day. He was beloved by an American public that gave even the greatest African American performers little access beyond their public celebrity, and he was able to live a private life of access and privilege afforded to few other African Americans during that era.

He generally remained politically neutral, which at times alienated him from members of the black community who looked to him to use his prominence with white America to become more of an outspoken figure during the civil rights movement. However, he did criticize President Eisenhower for not acting forcefully enough on civil rights.

Lip problems

The trumpet is a notoriously hard instrument on the lips, and Armstrong suffered from lip damage over much of his life due to his aggressive style of playing and preference for narrow mouthpieces that would stay in place easier, but which tended to dig into the soft flesh of his inner lip. During his 1930s European tour, he suffered an ulceration so severe that he had to stop playing entirely for a year. Eventually he took to using salves and creams on his lips and also cutting off scar tissue with a razor blade. By the 1950s, he was an official spokesman for Ansatz-Creme Lip Salve.

During a backstage meeting with trombonist Marshall Brown in 1959, Armstrong received the suggestion that he should go to a doctor and receive proper treatment for his lips instead of relying on home remedies, but he did not get around to doing it until the final years of his life, by which point his health was failing and doctors considered surgery too risky.

Nicknames

The nicknames “Satchmo” and “Satch” are short for “Satchelmouth”. The nickname has many possible origins. The most common tale that biographers tell is the story of Armstrong as a young boy in New Orleans dancing for pennies. He scooped the coins off the street and stuck them into his mouth to prevent bigger children from stealing them. Someone dubbed him “satchel mouth” for his mouth acting as a satchel. Another tale is that because of his large mouth, he was nicknamed “satchel mouth” which was shortened to “Satchmo”.

Early on he was also known as “Dipper”, short for “Dippermouth”, a reference to the piece Dippermouth Blues and something of a riff on his unusual embouchure.

The nickname “Pops” came from Armstrong’s own tendency to forget people’s names and simply call them “Pops” instead. The nickname was turned on Armstrong himself. It was used as the title of a 2010 biography of Armstrong by Terry Teachout.

After a competition at the Savoy, he was crowned and nicknamed “King Menelik,” after the Emperor of Ethiopia, for slaying “ofay jazz demons.”

Race

Armstrong was largely accepted into white society, both on stage and off, a rarity for a black person at the time. Some musicians criticized Armstrong for playing in front of segregated audiences, and for not taking a strong enough stand in the American civil rights movement.  When he did speak out, it made national news, including his criticism of President Eisenhower, calling him “two-faced” and “gutless” because of his inaction during the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. As a protest, Armstrong canceled a planned tour of the Soviet Union on behalf of the State Department saying: “The way they’re treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell” and that he could not represent his government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people. The FBI kept a file on Armstrong for his outspokenness about integration.

Religion

When asked about his religion, Armstrong answered that he was raised a Baptist, always wore a Star of David, and was friends with the pope. He wore the Star of David in honor of the Karnoffsky family, who took him in as a child and lent him money to buy his first cornet. He was baptized a Catholic in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in New Orleans, and he met Pope Pius XII and Pope Paul VI.

Personal habits

Armstrong was concerned with his health. He used laxatives to control his weight, a practice he advocated both to acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title Lose Weight the Satchmo Way. Armstrong’s laxative of preference in his younger days was Pluto Water, but when he discovered the herbal remedy Swiss Kriss, he became an enthusiastic convert, extolling its virtues to anyone who would listen and passing out packets to everyone he encountered, including members of the British Royal Family. (Armstrong also appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, cards that he had printed to send out to friends; the cards bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet—as viewed through a keyhole—with the slogan “Satch says, ‘Leave it all behind ya!'”) The cards have sometimes been incorrectly described as ads for Swiss Kriss. In a live recording of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Velma Middleton, he changes the lyric from “Put another record on while I pour” to “Take some Swiss Kriss while I pour.” His laxative use began as a child when his mother would collect dandelions and peppergrass around the railroad tracks to give to her children for their health.

Armstrong was a heavy marijuana smoker for much of his life and spent nine days in jail in 1930 after being arrested for drug possession outside a club. He described marijuana as “a thousand times better than whiskey”.

The concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected in such songs as “Cheesecake”, “Cornet Chop Suey”,  though “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” was written about a fine-looking companion, not about food. He kept a strong connection throughout his life to the cooking of New Orleans, always signing his letters, “Red beans and ricely yours …”

A fan of Major League Baseball, he founded a team in New Orleans that was known as Raggedy Nine and transformed the team into his Armstrong’s “Secret Nine Baseball”.

Writings

Armstrong’s gregariousness extended to writing. On the road, he wrote constantly, sharing favorite themes of his life with correspondents around the world. He avidly typed or wrote on whatever stationery was at hand, recording instant takes on music, sex, food, childhood memories, his heavy “medicinal” marijuana use—and even his bowel movements, which he gleefully described.

Social organizations

Louis Armstrong was not, as is often claimed, a Freemason. Although he is usually listed as being a member of Montgomery Lodge No. 18 (Prince Hall) in New York, no such lodge has ever existed. However, Armstrong stated in his autobiography that he was a member of the Knights of Pythias, which although real is not a Masonic group.

Music

Horn playing and early jazz

In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. Along with his “clarinet-like figurations and high notes in his cornet solos”, he was also known for his “intense rhythmic ‘swing’, a complex conception involving … accented upbeats, upbeat to downbeat slurring, and complementary relations among rhythmic patterns.”  The most lauded recordings on which Armstrong plays trumpet include the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions, as well as those of the Red Onion Jazz Babies. Armstrong’s improvisations, while unconventionally sophisticated for that era, were also subtle and highly melodic. The solo that Armstrong plays during the song “Potato Head Blues” has long been considered his best solo of that series.

Prior to Armstrong, most collective ensemble playing in jazz, along with its occasional solos, simply varied the melodies of the songs. Armstrong was virtually the first to create significant variations based on the chord harmonies of the songs instead of merely on the melodies. This opened a rich field for creation and improvisation, and significantly changed the music into a soloist’s art form.

Often, Armstrong re-composed pop-tunes he played, simply with variations that made them more compelling to jazz listeners of the era. At the same time, however, his oeuvre includes many original melodies, creative leaps, and relaxed or driving rhythms. Armstrong’s playing technique, honed by constant practice, extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In his records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what had been essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.

Armstrong was one of the first artists to use recordings of his performances to improve himself. Armstrong was an avid audiophile. He had a large collection of recordings, including reel-to-reel tapes, which he took on the road with him in a trunk during his later career. He enjoyed listening to his own recordings, and comparing his performances musically. In the den of his home, he had the latest audio equipment and would sometimes rehearse and record along with his older recordings or the radio.

Vocal popularity

As his music progressed and popularity grew, his singing also became very important. Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it with the first recording on which he scatted, “Heebie Jeebies”. At a recording session for Okeh Records, when the sheet music supposedly fell on the floor and the music began before he could pick up the pages, Armstrong simply started singing nonsense syllables while Okeh president E.A. Fearn, who was at the session, kept telling him to continue. Armstrong did, thinking the track would be discarded, but that was the version that was pressed to disc, sold, and became an unexpected hit. Although the story was thought to be apocryphal, Armstrong himself confirmed it in at least one interview as well as in his memoirs. On a later recording, Armstrong also sang out “I done forgot the words” in the middle of recording “I’m A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas”.

Such records were hits and scat singing became a major part of his performances. Long before this, however, Armstrong was playing around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet. Armstrong once told Cab Calloway that his scat style was derived “from the Jews rockin”, an Orthodox Jewish style of chanting during prayer.

Composing

Armstrong was a gifted composer who wrote more than fifty songs, some of which have become jazz standards (e.g. “Gully Low Blues”, “Potato Head Blues” and “Swing That Music”).

Colleagues and followers

During his long career he played and sang with some of the most important instrumentalists and vocalists of the time; among them were Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Jimmie Rodgers, Bessie Smith and perhaps most famously Ella Fitzgerald. His influence upon Crosby is particularly important with regard to the subsequent development of popular music: Crosby admired and copied Armstrong, as is evident on many of his early recordings, notably “Just One More Chance” (1931). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz describes Crosby’s debt to Armstrong in precise detail, although it does not acknowledge Armstrong by name:

Crosby … was important in introducing into the mainstream of popular singing an Afro-American concept of song as a lyrical extension of speech … His techniques—easing the weight of the breath on the vocal cords, passing into a head voice at a low register, using forward production to aid distinct enunciation, singing on consonants (a practice of black singers), and making discreet use of appoggiaturas, mordents, and slurs to emphasize the text—were emulated by nearly all later popular singers.

Armstrong recorded two albums with Ella Fitzgerald: Ella and Louis, and Ella and Louis Again for Verve Records, with the sessions featuring the backing musicianship of the Oscar Peterson Trio and drummers Buddy Rich (on the first album), and Louie Bellson (on the second). Norman Granz then had the vision for Ella and Louis to record Porgy and Bess.

His recordings for Columbia Records, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954) and Satch Plays Fats (all Fats Waller tunes) (1955) were both being considered masterpieces, as well as moderately well selling. In 1961 the All Stars participated in two albums—The Great Summit and The Great Reunion (now together as a single disc) with Duke Ellington. The albums feature many of Ellington’s most famous compositions (as well as two exclusive cuts) with Duke sitting in on piano. His participation in Dave Brubeck’s high-concept jazz musical The Real Ambassadors (1963) was critically acclaimed, and features “Summer Song”, one of Armstrong’s most popular vocal efforts.

In 1964, his recording of the song “Hello Dolly” went to number one. An album of the same title was quickly created around the song, and also shot to number one (knocking The Beatles off the top of the chart). The album sold very well for the rest of the year, quickly going “Gold” (500,000). His performance of “Hello Dolly” won for best male pop vocal performance at the 1964 Grammy Awards.

Hits and later career

Armstrong had nineteen “Top Ten” records including “Stardust”, “What a Wonderful World”, “When The Saints Go Marching In”, “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, “Ain’t Misbehavin'”, “You Rascal You”, and “Stompin’ at the Savoy”. “We Have All the Time in the World” was featured on the soundtrack of the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and enjoyed renewed popularity in the UK in 1994 when it featured on a Guinness advertisement. It reached number 3 in the charts on being re-released.

In 1964, Armstrong knocked The Beatles off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Hello, Dolly!”, which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the oldest artist to have a number one song. His 1964 song “Bout Time” was later featured in the film Bewitched.

Armstrong performed in Italy at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival where he sang “Mi Va di Cantare” alongside his friend, the Eritrean-born Italian singer Lara Saint Paul. In February 1968, he also appeared with Lara Saint Paul on the Italian RAI television channel where he performed “Grassa e Bella”, a track he sang in Italian for the Italian market and C.D.I. label.

In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the United Kingdom with “What a Wonderful World”, which topped the British charts for a month. Armstrong appeared on the October 28, 1970, Johnny Cash Show, where he sang Nat King Cole’s hit “Ramblin’ Rose” and joined Cash to re-create his performance backing Jimmie Rodgers on “Blue Yodel No. 9”.

Stylistic range

Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from blues to the arrangements of Guy Lombardo, to Latin American folksongs, to classical symphonies and opera. He incorporated influences from all these sources into his performances, sometimes to the bewilderment of fans who wanted him to stay in convenient narrow categories. Armstrong was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. Some of his solos from the 1950s, such as the hard rocking version of “St. Louis Blues” from the WC Handy album, show that the influence went in both directions.

Film, television, and radio

Armstrong appeared in more than a dozen Hollywood films, usually playing a bandleader or musician. His most familiar role was as the bandleader c*m narrator in the 1956 musical High Society starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm. He appears throughout the film, also sings the title song as well as performs a duet with Crosby, “Now You Has Jazz”.[121] In 1947, he played himself in the movie New Orleans opposite Billie Holiday, which chronicled the demise of the Storyville district and the ensuing exodus of musicians from New Orleans to Chicago. In the 1959 film The Five Pennies he played himself, sang, and played several classic numbers. With Danny Kaye he performed a duet of “When the Saints Go Marching In” during which Kaye impersonated Armstrong. He had a part in the film alongside James Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story.

Armstrong was the first African American to host a nationally broadcast radio show in the 1930s. In 1969, he had a cameo role in Gene Kelly’s film version of Hello, Dolly! as the bandleader Louis. He sang the title song with actress Barbra Streisand. His solo recording of “Hello, Dolly!” is one of his most recognizable performances. He was heard on such radio programs as The Story of Swing (1937) and This Is Jazz (1947), and he also made television appearances, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, including appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, a self-described Armstrong admirer, a*serted that a 1952 Louis Armstrong concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris played a significant role in inspiring him to create the fictional creatures called Cronopios that are the subject of a number of Cortázar’s short stories. Cortázar once called Armstrong himself “Grandísimo Cronopio” (The Great Cronopio).

There is a pivotal scene in Stardust Memories (1980) in which Woody Allen is overwhelmed by a recording of Armstrong’s “Stardust” and experiences a nostalgic epiphany.

Death

Against his doctor’s advice, Armstrong played a two-week engagement in March 1971 at the Waldorf-Astoria’s Empire Room. At the end of it, he was hospitalized for a heart attack. He was released from the hospital in May, and quickly resumed practicing his trumpet playing. Still hoping to get back on the road, Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a month before his 70th birthday. He was residing in Corona, Queens, New York City, at the time of his death. He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City. His honorary pallbearers included Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Alan King, Johnny Carson and David Frost. Peggy Lee sang The Lord’s Prayer at the services while Al Hibbler sang “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” and Fred Robbins, a long-time friend, gave the eulogy.

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

Armstrong was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972 by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.

Grammy Award
Year	Category	Title	Genre	Label	Result
1964	Male Vocal Performance	“Hello, Dolly!”	Pop	Kapp	Winner

Grammy Hall of Fame

Recordings of Armstrong were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have “qualitative or historical significance”.

 

Grammy Hall of Fame
Year recorded	Title	Genre	Label	Year inducted	Notes
1925	“St. Louis Blues“	Jazz (Single)	Columbia	1993	Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong, cornet
1926	“Heebie Jeebies”	Jazz (Single)	OKeh	1999
1928	“West End Blues”	Jazz (Single)	OKeh	1974
1928	“Weather Bird”	Jazz (Single)	OKeh	2008	with Earl Hines
1929	“St. Louis Blues”	Jazz (Single)	OKeh	2008	with Red Allen
1930	“Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing on the Corner)”	Country (Single)	Victor	2007	Jimmie Rodgers (featuring Louis Armstrong)
1932	“All of Me“	Jazz (Single)	Columbia	2005
1938	“When the Saints Go Marching In“	Blues (Single)	Decca	2016
1955	“Mack the Knife“	Jazz (Single)	Columbia	1997
1958	Porgy and Bess	Jazz (Album)	Verve	2001	with Ella Fitzgerald
1964	“Hello, Dolly!“	Pop (Single)	Kapp	2001
1967	“What a Wonderful World“	Jazz (Single)	ABC	1999

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listed Armstrong’s West End Blues on the list of 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll

 

Year recorded	Title	Label	Group
1928	West End Blues	Okeh	Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

Inductions and honors

In 1995, the U.S. Post Office issued a Louis Armstrong 32 cents commemorative postage stamp.

Year inducted	Title	Results	Notes
1952	Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame
1960	Hollywood Walk of Fame	Star	at 7601 Hollywood Blvd.
1978	Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
2004	Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at Jazz at Lincoln Center
1990	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame		Early influence
2007	Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
2007	Gennett Records Walk of Fame, Richmond, Indiana
2007	Long Island Music Hall of Fame

Film honors

In 1999 Armstrong was nominated for inclusion in the American Film Institute’s 100 Years … 100 Stars.

Legacy

The influence of Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. His irrepressible personality both as a performer and as a public figure was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer.

As a virtuoso trumpet player, Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic improvisation. Through his playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. Additionally, jazz itself was transformed from a collectively improvised folk music to a soloist’s serious art form largely through his influence. He was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.

Though Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters precedes his scatting on record in the 1930s according to Gary Giddins and others. Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to him. Holiday said that she always wanted Bessie Smith’s ‘big’ sound and Armstrong’s feeling in her singing. Even special musicians like Duke Ellington have praised Armstrong through strong testimonials. Duke Ellington, DownBeat magazine in 1971, said, “If anybody was a master, it was Louis Armstrong. He was and will continue to be the embodiment of jazz.” In 1950, Bing Crosby, the most successful vocalist of the first half of the 20th century, said, “He is the beginning and the end of music in America.”

In the summer of 2001, in commemoration of the centennial of Armstrong’s birth, New Orleans’s main airport was renamed Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

In 2002, the Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925–1928) were preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

The US Open tennis tournament’s former main stadium was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in honor of Armstrong who had lived a few blocks from the site.

Congo Square was a common gathering place for African-Americans in New Orleans for dancing and performing music. The park where Congo Square is located was later renamed Louis Armstrong Park. Dedicated in April 1980, the park includes a 12-foot statue of Armstrong, trumpet in hand.

The house where Armstrong lived for almost 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now a museum. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th Street between 34th and 37th avenues in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the Queens College, City University of New York, following the dictates of Lucille Armstrong’s will. The museum opened to the public on October 15, 2003. A new visitors center is planned.

Armstrong appeared at many New York area venues, including several extended engagements at Freedomland U.S.A. in The Bronx. His performances there are featured in the book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme Park Press, 2019).

According to literary critic Harold Bloom, “The two great American contributions to the world’s art, in the end, are Walt Whitman and, after him, Armstrong and jazz … If I had to choose between the two, ultimately, I wouldn’t. I would say that the genius of this nation at its best is indeed Walt Whitman and Louis Armstrong.”

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Louis Armstrong among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

 

Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American musician, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote “Family Bible” and recorded the song “Lumberjack” in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including “Funny How Time Slips Away”, “Hello Walls”, “Pretty Paper”, and “Crazy”. In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price’s band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, …And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like “On the Road Again”, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”, and “Pancho and Lefty”, he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.

In 1990, Nelson’s a*sets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson’s a*sets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.

Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.

Early life

Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, on April 29, 1933,[1] the son of Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson. His birth was incorrectly recorded by Dr. F. D. Sims as April 30.  He was named Willie by his cousin Mildred, who also chose Hugh as his middle name, in honor of her recently deceased younger brother.[1] Nelson traces his genealogy to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major. His parents moved to Texas from Arkansas in 1929 to look for work. His grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic. His mother left soon after he was born, and his father remarried and also moved away, leaving Nelson and his sister Bobbie to be raised by their grandparents, who taught singing back in Arkansas and started their grandchildren in music. Nelson’s grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords, and Nelson sang gospel songs in the local church alongside Bobbie. He wrote his first song at age seven, and when he was nine, he played guitar for local band Bohemian Polka. During the summer, the family picked cotton alongside other Abbott residents. Nelson disliked picking cotton, so he earned money by singing in dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks from age 13, which he continued through high school. His musical influences were Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong.

Nelson attended Abbott High School, where he was a halfback on the football team, guard on the basketball team, and shortstop in baseball. He also raised pigs with the Future Farmers of America. While still at school, he sang and played guitar in The Texans, a band formed by his sister’s husband, Bud Fletcher. The band played in honky tonks, and also had a Sunday morning spot at KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas. Meanwhile, Nelson had a short stint as a relief phone operator in Abbott, followed by a job as a tree trimmer for the local electric company, as well as a pawn shop employee. After leaving school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force for eight to nine months. Upon his return in 1952, he married Martha Matthews, and from 1954 to 1956 studied agriculture at Baylor University, where he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, until dropping out to pursue a career in music. He worked as a nightclub bouncer, autohouse partsman, saddle maker, and tree trimmer again. He later joined Johnny Bush’s band.

Nelson moved with his family to Pleasanton, Texas, where he auditioned for a job as a DJ at KBOP. The owner of the station, Dr. Ben Parker, gave Nelson the job despite his lack of experience working on radio. With the equipment of the station, Nelson made his first two recordings in 1955: “The Storm Has Just Begun” and “When I’ve Sung My Last Hillbilly Song”. He recorded the tracks on used tapes, and sent the demos to the local label SARG Records, which rejected them.  He then had stints working for KDNT in Denton, KCUL, and KCNC in Fort Worth, where he hosted The Western Express, taught Sunday school, and played in nightclubs. He then decided to move to San Diego but, when he was unable to find a job there, he hitchhiked to Portland, Oregon, where his mother lived.[15] When nobody picked him up, he ended up sleeping in a ditch[19] before hopping a freight train bound for Eugene. A truck driver drove him to a bus station and loaned him $10 for a ticket to reach Portland.

Music career

Beginnings (1956–1971)

Nelson was hired by KVAN in Vancouver, Washington and appeared frequently on a television show. He made his first record in 1956, “No Place for Me”, that included Leon Payne’s “Lumberjack” on the B-side. The recording failed. Nelson continued working as a radio announcer and singing in Vancouver clubs. He made several appearances in a Colorado nightclub, later moving to Springfield, Missouri. After failing to land a spot on the Ozark Jubilee, he started to work as a dishwasher. Unhappy with his job, he moved back to Texas. After a short time in Waco, he settled in Fort Worth, and quit the music business for a year. He sold bibles and vacuum cleaners door-to-door,[ and eventually became a sales manager for the Encyclopedia Americana.

After his son Billy was born in 1958, the family moved to Houston, Texas. On the way, Nelson stopped by the Esquire Ballroom to sell his original songs to house band singer Larry Butler. Butler refused to purchase the song “Mr. Record Man” for $10, instead giving Nelson a $50 loan to rent an apartment and a six-night job singing in the club. Nelson rented the apartment near Houston in Pasadena, Texas, where he also worked at the radio station as the sign-on disc jockey. During this time, he recorded two singles for Pappy Daily on D Records “Man With the Blues”/”The Storm Has Just Begun” and “What a Way to Live”/”Misery Mansion”. Nelson then was hired by guitar instructor Paul Buskirk to work as an instructor in his school. He sold “Family Bible” to Buskirk for $50 and “Night Life” for $150. “Family Bible” turned into a hit for Claude Gray in 1960.

Nelson moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1960, but was unable to find a label to sign him. During this period he often spent time at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a bar near the Grand Ole Opry frequented by the show’s stars and other singers and songwriters. There Nelson met Hank Cochran, a songwriter who worked for the publishing company Pamper Music, owned by Ray Price and Hal Smith. Cochran heard Nelson during a jam session with Buddy Emmons and Jimmy Day. Cochran had just earned a raise of $50 a week, but convinced Smith to pay Nelson the money instead to sign him to Pamper Music. On hearing Nelson sing “Hello Walls” at Tootsie’s, Faron Young decided to record it.  After Ray Price recorded Nelson’s “Night Life”, and his previous bassist Johnny Paycheck quit, Nelson joined Price’s touring band as a bass player. While playing with Price and the Cherokee Cowboys, his songs became hits for other artists, including “Funny How Time Slips Away” (Billy Walker), “Pretty Paper” (Roy Orbison), and, most famously, “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. Nelson and Cochran also met Cline’s husband, Charlie Dick at Tootsie’s. Dick liked a song of Nelson’s he heard on the bar’s jukebox. Nelson played him a demo tape of “Crazy.” Later that night Dick played the tape for Cline, who decided to record it. “Crazy” became the biggest jukebox hit of all time.

Nelson signed with Liberty Records and was recording by August 1961 at Quonset Hut Studio. His first two successful singles as an artist were released by the next year, including “Willingly” (a duet with his soon-to-be second wife, Shirley Collie, which became his first charting single and first Top Ten at No. 10) and “Touch Me” (his second Top Ten, stalling at No. 7).  Nelson’s tenure at Liberty yielded his first album entitled …And Then I Wrote, released in September 1962. In 1963 Collie and Nelson were married in Las Vegas. He then worked on the west coast offices of Pamper Records, in Pico Rivera, California. Since the job did not allow him the time to play music of his own, he left it and bought a ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. Fred Foster of Monument Records signed Nelson in early 1964, but only one single was released: “I Never Cared For You”.

By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved to RCA Victor at the behest of Chet Atkins, signing a contract for $10,000 per year.[38] Country Willie – His Own Songs became Nelson’s first RCA Victor album, recorded in April 1965. That same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry,  and he met and became friends with Waylon Jennings after watching one of his shows in Phoenix, Arizona.  In 1967, he formed his backing band “The Record Men”, featuring Johnny Bush, Jimmy Day, Paul English and David Zettner. During his first few years on RCA Victor, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969, his singles reached the Top 25 in a consistent manner. “One in a Row” (#19, 1966), “The Party’s Over” (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise’s “Bring Me Sunshine” (#13, March 1969) were Nelson’s best-selling records during his time with RCA.[23]

By 1970, most of Nelson’s songwriting royalties were invested in tours that did not produce significant profits. In addition to the problems in his career, Nelson divorced Shirley Collie in 1970. In December, his ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee, burned down. He interpreted the incident as a signal for a change. He moved to a ranch near Bandera, Texas, and married Connie Koepke. In early 1971 his single “I’m a Memory” reached the top 30. After he recorded his final RCA single, “Mountain Dew” (backed with “Phases, Stages, Circles, Cycles and Scenes”), in late April 1972, RCA requested that Nelson renew his contract ahead of schedule, with the implication that RCA would not release his latest recordings if he did not. Due to the failure of his albums, and particularly frustrated by the reception of Yesterday’s Wine, although his contract was not over, Nelson decided to retire from music.

Outlaw country and success (1972–1989)

Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the burgeoning hippie music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters) rejuvenated the singer. His popularity in Austin soared as he played his own brand of country music marked by country, folk and jazz influences. In March, he performed on the final day of the Dripping Springs Reunion, a three-day country music festival aimed by its producers to be an annual event. Despite the failure to reach the expected attendance, the concept of the festival inspired Nelson to create the Fourth of July Picnic, his own annual event, starting the following year.

Nelson decided to return to the recording business, he signed Neil Reshen as his manager to negotiate with RCA, who got the label to agree to end his contract upon repayment of $14,000. Reshen eventually signed Nelson to Atlantic Records for $25,000 per year, where he became the label’s first country artist. He formed his backing band, The Family, and by February 1973, he was recording his acclaimed Shotgun Willie at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

Shotgun Willie, released in May 1973, earned excellent reviews but did not sell well. The album led Nelson to a new style, later stating that Shotgun Willie had “cleared his throat”. His next release, Phases and Stages, released in 1974, was a concept album about a couple’s divorce, inspired by his own experience. Side one of the record is from the viewpoint of the woman, and side two is from the viewpoint of the man. The album included the hit single “Bloody Mary Morning.” The same year, he produced and starred in the pilot episode of PBS’ Austin City Limits.

Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he signed a contract that gave him complete creative control, made possible by the critical and commercial success of his previous albums. The result was the critically acclaimed and massively popular 1975 concept album Red Headed Stranger. Although Columbia was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson and Waylon Jennings insisted. The album included a cover of Fred Rose’s 1945 song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”, that had been released as a single previous to the album, and became Nelson’s first number one hit as a singer. Throughout his 1975 tour, Nelson raised funds for PBS-affiliated stations across the south promoting Austin City Limits. The pilot was aired first on those stations, later being released nationwide. The positive reception of the show prompted PBS to order ten episodes for 1976, formally launching the show.

As Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, the pair were combined into a genre called outlaw country, since it did not conform to Nashville standards. The album Wanted! The Outlaws in 1976 with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser cemented the pair’s outlaw image and became country music’s first platinum album. Later that year Nelson released The Sound in Your Mind (certified gold in 1978 and platinum in 2001) and his first gospel album Troublemaker (certified gold in 1986).

In the summer of 1977, Nelson discovered that Reshen had been filing tax extensions and not paying the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) since he took over as his manager. In June, a package containing cocaine was sent from Reshen’s office in New York to Jennings in Nashville.  The package was followed by the DEA, and Jennings was arrested. The charges were later dropped, since Reshen’s a*sistant, Mark Rothbaum stepped in and took the charges. Rothbaum was sentenced to serve time in jail. Impressed by his attitude, Nelson fired Reshen and hired Rothbaum as his manager. In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums. One, Waylon & Willie, was a collaboration with Jennings that included “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”, a hit single written and performed by Ed Bruce. Though observers predicted that Stardust would ruin his career, it went platinum the same year. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including “Good Hearted Woman”, “Remember Me”, “If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time”, and “Uncloudy Day”.

During the 1980s, Nelson recorded a series of hit singles including “Midnight Rider”, a 1980 cover of the Allman Brothers song which Nelson recorded for The Electric Horseman,[68] the soundtrack “On the Road Again” from the movie Honeysuckle Rose, and a duet with Julio Iglesias titled “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”.[69]

In 1982, Pancho & Lefty, a duet album with Merle Haggard produced by Chips Moman was released.[70] During the recording sessions of Pancho and Lefty, session guitarist Johnny Christopher and co-writer of “Always on My Mind”, tried to pitch the song to an uninterested Haggard. Nelson, who was unaware of Elvis Presley’s version of the song asked him to record it. Produced by Moman, the single of the song was released, as well as the album of the same name. The single topped Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, while it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The release won three awards during the 25th Annual Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The single was certified platinum; while the album was certified quadruple-platinum, and later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

Meanwhile, two collaborations with Waylon Jennings were released;WWII in 1982, and Take it to the Limit, another collaboration with Waylon Jennings was released in 1983. In the mid-1980s, Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed The Highwaymen, who achieved platinum record sales and toured the world. Meanwhile, he became more involved with charity work, such as singing on We are the World in 1984. In 1985, Nelson had another success with Half Nelson, a compilation album of duets with a range of artists such as Ray Charles and Neil Young. In 1980, Nelson performed on the south lawn of the White House. The concert of September 13 featured First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Nelson in a duet of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother”. Nelson frequently visited the White House, where according to the biography by Joe Nick Patoski, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, he smoked marijuana on the White House roof.

Later career (1990–present)

In 1996, Nelson re-recorded the tracks “Hello Walls” with the band The Reverend Horton Heat, and “Bloody Mary Morning” with the Supersuckers for Twisted Willie, a tribute album featuring rock versions of Nelson’s songs performed by artists such as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Cantrell, Mark Lanegan, L7, The Presidents of the United States of America, and Jello Biafra, among others. Proceeds from the sale of the record benefit Nelson’s Farm Aid.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson toured continuously, recording several albums including 1998’s critically acclaimed Teatro,  and performed and recorded with other acts including Phish, Johnny Cash, and Toby Keith. His duet with Keith, “Beer for My Horses”, was released as a single and topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts for six consecutive weeks in 2003, while the accompanying video won an award for “Best Video” at the 2004 Academy of Country Music Awards. A USA Network television special celebrated Nelson’s 70th birthday, and Nelson released The Essential Willie Nelson as part of the celebration. Nelson also appeared on Ringo Starr’s 2003 album, Ringo Rama, as a guest vocal on “Write One for Me”.

Nelson was featured on the album True Love by Toots and the Maytals, which won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Trey Anastasio, Gwen Stefani, and Keith Richards. In the following year of 2005, Nelson released a reggae album entitled Countryman which featured Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals on the song “I’m a Worried Man”.

Nelson headlined the 2005 Tsunami Relief Austin to Asia concert to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which raised an estimated $75 thousand for UNICEF. Also in 2005, a live performance of the Johnny Cash song “Busted” with Ray Charles was released on Charles’ duets album Genius & Friends. Nelson’s 2007 performance with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center, was released as the live album Two Men with the Blues in 2008; reaching number one in Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and number twenty on the Billboard 200. The same year, Nelson recorded his first album with Buddy Cannon as the producer, Moment of Forever. Cannon acquainted Nelson earlier, during the production of his collaboration with Kenny Chesney on the duet “That Lucky Old Sun”, for Chesney’s album of the same name. In 2009 Nelson and Marsalis joined with Norah Jones in a tribute concert to Ray Charles, which resulted in the Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles album, released in 2011.

In 2010, Nelson released Country Music, a compilation of standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. The album peaked number four in Billboard’s Top Country Albums, and twenty on the Billboard 200. It was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards. In 2011 Nelson participated in the concert Kokua For Japan, a fund raising event for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan which raised $1.6 million.

In February 2012, Legacy Recordings signed a deal with Nelson that included the release of new material, as well as past releases that would be selected and complemented with outtakes and other material selected by him. With the new deal, Buddy Cannon returned to produce the recordings of Nelson. After selecting the material and the sound of the tunes with the singer, Cannon’s work method consisted in the recording of the tracks with studio musicians, with the takes later completed on a separate session by Nelson with his guitar. Cannon’s a*sociation to Nelson also extended to songwriting, with singer and producer composing the lyrics by exchanging text messages.

Nelson’s first release for the Legacy Recordings was Heroes, that included guest appearances by his sons Lukas and Micah of the band Insects vs Robots, Ray Price, Merle Haggard, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Billy Joe Shaver and Sheryl Crow. The album reached number four on Billboard’s Top Country Albums.  His 2013 release To All the Girls…, a collection of duets with all female partners, featured among others Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. The album entered Billboard’s Top Country Albums at number two, marking his highest position on the chart since the release of his 1989 A Horse Called Music, and extending his record to a total of forty-six top ten albums on the country charts. Nelson scored as well his second top ten album on the Billboard 200, with the release entering at number nine.

His following release was Band of Brothers, in 2014, the first Nelson album to feature the most newly self-penned songs since 1996’s Spirit. Upon its release, it topped Billboard’s Top Country albums chart, the first time since 1986’s The Promiseland, the last Nelson album to top it. The release reached number five on the Billboard 200, Nelson’s highest position on the chart since 1982’s Always on My Mind. In December 2014, a duet with Rhonda Vincent, “Only Me”, topped Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Airplay chart. In June 2015, his collaboration with Haggard Django and Jimmie topped Billboard’s Top Country albums chart and reached number seven on the Billboard 200.

In 2017, Nelson released God’s Problem Child. The release, consisting mostly of Nelson originals co-written with Cannon, entered the Top country albums at number one, while it reached number ten on the Billboard 200.

In 2018, Nelson sang a song written by Daniel Lanois called “Cruel World” for the soundtrack of Rockstar Games’s action-adventure video game Red Dead Redemption 2. Lanois wrote the song especially for Nelson. When a hurricane prevented Nelson from recording the song, the production team sent the track to Josh Homme in the hopes that he could record it in time for the game’s release. Nelson was ultimately able to record the song in time in Los Angeles; the team considered combining the two versions into a duet, but ultimately included both versions in the game. Also in 2018, Nelson was one of several artists on Restoration, a cover album containing various country renditions of songs originally by Elton John, on which he performed “Border Song”.

Following the U.S. coronavirus pandemic lockdowns that began in March 2020, Nelson livestreamed a series of benefit concerts. The first two raised $700,000 for people who had suffered financial loss due to effects on the U.S. economy.  The third, which was held on April 20, 2020, was a variety show titled Come and Toke It.  Some of the content was cannabis-themed, and some of the proceeds will be used to support The Last Prisoner Project, a restorative justice program relating to persons convicted of cannabis related crimes.

In 2020, Nelson was approached by Karen O of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs to collaborate. They chose to do a cover of David Bowie and Queen’s Under Pressure.

IRS troubles

In 1990, the IRS seized most of Nelson’s a*sets, claiming that he owed $32 million. In addition to the unpaid taxes, Nelson’s situation was worsened by the weak investments he had made during the early 1980s.  In 1978, after he fired Reshen, Nelson was introduced by Dallas lawyer Terry Bray to the accounting firm Price Waterhouse. To repay the debt Reshen had created with the IRS, Nelson was recommended to invest in tax shelters that ultimately flopped.  While the IRS disallowed his deductions for 1980, 1981 and 1982 (at a time that Nelson’s income multiplied), due to penalties and interests, the debt increased by the end of the decade.

His lawyer, Jay Goldberg, negotiated the sum to be lowered to $16 million. Later, Nelson’s attorney renegotiated a settlement with the IRS in which he paid $6 million, although Nelson did not comply with the agreement. Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories? as a double album, with all profits destined for the IRS. Many of his a*sets were auctioned and purchased by friends, who donated or rented his possessions to him for a nominal fee. He sued Price Waterhouse, contending that they put his money in illegal tax shelters. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount and Nelson cleared his debts by 1993.

Other ventures

Nelson’s acting debut was in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by appearances in Honeysuckle Rose, Thief, and Barbarosa. He played the role of Red Loon in Coming Out of the Ice in 1982 and starred in Songwriter two years later. He portrayed the lead role in the 1986 film version of his album Red Headed Stranger. Other movies that Nelson acted in include Wag the Dog, Gone Fishin’ (as Billy ‘Catch’ Pooler), the 1986 television movie Stagecoach (with Johnny Cash), Half Baked, Beerfest, The Dukes of Hazzard, Surfer, Dude and Swing Vote. He has also made guest appearances on Miami Vice (1986’s “El Viejo” episode); Delta; Nash Bridges; The Simpsons; Monk; Adventures in Wonderland; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; King of the Hill; The Colbert Report; Swing Vote; and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

In 1988 his first book, Willie: An Autobiography, was published. The Facts of Life: And Other Dirty Jokes, a personal recollection of tour and musical stories from his career, combined with song lyrics, followed in 2002. In 2005 he co-authored Farm Aid: A Song for America, a commemorative book about the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of Farm Aid. His third book, co-authored with long-time friend Turk Pipkin, The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart, was published in 2006. In 2007 a book advocating the use of bio-diesel and the reduction of gas emissions, On The Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and The Future of the Family Farm, was published. His next book, A Tale Out of Luck, published in 2008 and co-authored by Mike Blakely, was Nelson’s first fictional book. In 2012, it was announced the release of a new autobiography by Nelson, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road. Released on November 13, it was named after the song from his album Heroes. The book contained further biographical details, as well as family pictures and stories about Nelson’s political views, as well as his advocation for marijuana. The artwork of the book was designed by Nelson’s son, Micah, and the foreword written by Kinky Friedman. In 2015, the publication of a second Nelson autobiography entitled It’s a Long Story: My Life co-authored with David Ritz, the book was published on May 5, 2015. Pretty Paper, another collaboration with Ritz was published the following year.

In 2002, Nelson became the official spokesman of the Texas Roadhouse, a chain of steakhouses. Nelson heavily promoted the chain and appeared on a special on Food Network. The chain installed Willie’s Corner, a section dedicated to him and decked out with Willie memorabilia, at several locations.

In 2008, Nelson reopened Willie’s Place, a truck stop in Carl’s Corner, Texas. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed Nelson to invest in it. The establishment had about 80 employees and was used as a concert hall with a bar and a 1,000 square feet (93 m2) dance floor. It closed in 2011 after defaulting on a loan, leading to foreclosure and bankruptcy. In 2010, Nelson founded with the collaboration of producers and filmmakers Luck Films, a company dedicated to produce feature films, documentaries and concerts. The next year, he created the Willie’s Roadhouse show which aired on channel 56 of SiriusXM radio. The channel was a result of the merger of his two other channels The Roadhouse and Willie’s Place.

In November 2014, it was announced that Nelson would be the host of the television series Inside Arlyn, shot at Arlyn Studio in Austin, Texas. The thirteen-episode first season would feature artists being interviewed by Nelson and Dan Rather, followed by a performance. The series concept received attention from cable channels that requested to see the pilot episode. Following the legalization of marijuana in different states, Nelson announced in 2015 through spokesman Michael Bowman the establishment of his own marijuana brand, Willie’s Reserve. Plans to open chain stores in the states where marijuana was legalized were announced, to be expanded state-to-state if marijuana legalization is further expanded. Bowman called the brand “a culmination of (Nelson’s) vision, and his whole life”.

In 2017, Nelson appeared as himself in Woody Harrelson’s live film, Lost in London. In June 2017, he appeared alongside Merle Haggard in the documentary The American Epic Sessions directed by Bernard MacMahon. They performed a song Haggard had composed for the film, “The Only Man Wilder Than Me”, and Bob Wills’s classic “Old Fashioned Love”,  which they recorded live direct to disc on the first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. It was the last filmed performance of the pair. Rolling Stone commented that “in the final performance of Sessions, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard perform the duet ‘The Only Man Wilder Than Me.’ Haggard has a look of complete joy on his face throughout the session in the old-timey recording set-up once used by his musical heroes.”

Music style

Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His “unique sound”, which uses a “relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar” and his “nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing”, has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a “vital icon in country music”, influencing the “new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s”.

Guitars

In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their “Prismatone” pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson’s request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers’ horse “Trigger”. The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.

Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar’s body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson’s friends and a*sociates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell’s, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: “When Trigger goes, I’ll quit”. He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager’s house until his debt was paid off in 1993.

Activism

Nelson is active in a number of issues. Along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, he set up Farm Aid in 1985 to a*sist and increase awareness of the importance of family farms, after Bob Dylan’s comments during the Live Aid concert that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt. The first concert included Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Neil Young among many others, and raised over $9 million for America’s family farmers. Besides organizing and performing in the annual concerts, Nelson is the president of the board of Farm Aid.

Nelson is a co-chair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board. He has worked with NORML for years, promoting marijuana legalization. In 2005 Nelson and his family hosted the first annual “Willie Nelson & NORML Benefit Golf Tournament”, leading to a cover appearance and inside interview in the January 2008 issue of High Times magazine. After his arrest for possession of marijuana in 2010, Nelson created the TeaPot party under the motto “Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!”

In 2001, following the September 11 attacks, he participated in the benefit telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes, leading the rest of the celebrities singing the song “America the Beautiful”. In 2010, during an interview with Larry King, Nelson expressed his doubts with regards to the attacks and the official story. Nelson explained that he could not believe that the buildings could collapse due to the planes, attributing instead the result to an implosion.

Nelson supported Dennis Kucinich’s campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He raised money, appeared at events, and composed the song “Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?”, criticizing the war in Iraq. He recorded a radio advertisement asking for support to put musician/author Kinky Friedman on the ballot as an independent candidate for the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election.  Friedman promised Nelson a job in Austin as the head of a new Texas Energy Commission due to his support of bio-fuels. In January 2008, Nelson filed a suit against the Texas Democratic Party, alleging that the party violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution by refusing to allow co-plaintiff Kucinich to appear on the primary ballot because he had scratched out part of the loyalty oath on his application.

In 2004, Nelson and his wife Annie became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific Bio-diesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon, and the other at Carl’s Corner, Texas (the Texas plant was founded by Carl Cornelius, a longtime Nelson friend and the eponym for Carl’s Corner). In 2005, Nelson and several other business partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel (“Bio-Willie”), a company that is marketing bio-diesel bio-fuel to truck stops. The fuel is made from vegetable oil (mainly soybean oil), and can be burned without modification in diesel engines.

Nelson is an advocate for better treatment for horses and has been campaigning for the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311) alongside the Animal Welfare Institute. He is on its board of directors and has adopted a number of horses from Habitat for Horses. In 2008, Nelson signed on to warn consumers about the cruel and illegal living conditions for calves raised to produce milk for dairy products. He wrote letters to Land O’Lakes and Challenge Dairy, two of the major corporations that use milk from calves raised at California’s Mendes Calf Ranch, which employs an intensive confinement practice that was the subject of a lawsuit and campaign brought by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Nelson is seen in the film The Garden supporting the impoverished community South Central Farm in Southern Los Angeles.

A supporter of the LGBT movement, Nelson published in 2006 through iTunes a version of Ned Sublette’s “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other”, that met instant success. During an interview with Texas Monthly in 2013, regarding the Defense of Marriage Act and Same-sex marriage in the United States, Nelson responded to a comparison the interviewer made with the Civil Rights Movement, stating: “We’ll look back and say it was crazy that we ever even argued about this”. He also presented two logos with the pink equal sign, symbol of the LGBT movement. The first one, featured the sign represented with two long braids; while the second one, featured the sign represented with two marijuana cigarettes. The use of the logos became popular quickly in social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

In June 2018, Nelson deplored the Trump administration family separation policy. During his Fourth of July Picnic, he performed a song with Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for the Senate election in Texas. Nelson endorsed O’Rourke, and received negative reactions from the conservative part of his followers. On September 29, 2018, Nelson offered a free concert in Austin supporting the candidate’s run. The last number he performed was “Vote ‘Em Out”, a new track that was subsequently released as a single.

Personal life

Nelson has been married four times and has seven children. His first marriage was to Martha Matthews from 1952 to 1962. The couple had three children: Lana, Susie, and Willie “Billy” Hugh, Jr. The latter killed himself in 1991. The marriage was marked by violence, with Matthews a*saulting Nelson several times, including one incident when she sewed him up in bedsheets and beat him with a broomstick. Nelson’s next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971, after Collie found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. Nelson married Koepke the same year, and they had another daughter, Amy Lee Nelson. Following a divorce in 1988, he married his current wife, Annie D’Angelo, in 1991. They have two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah.

Nelson owns “Luck, Texas”, a ranch in Spicewood, and also lives in Maui, Hawaii with several celebrity neighbors. While swimming in Hawaii in 1981, Nelson’s lung collapsed. He was taken to the Maui Memorial Hospital and his scheduled concerts were canceled. Nelson temporarily stopped smoking cigarettes each time his lungs became congested, and resumed when the congestion ended. He was then smoking between two and three packs per day. After suffering from pneumonia several times, he decided to quit either marijuana or tobacco. He chose to quit tobacco.[181] In 2008, he started to smoke marijuana with a carbon-free system to avoid the effects of smoke. In 2004 Nelson underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, as he had damaged his wrists by continuously playing the guitar. On the recommendation of his doctor, he canceled his scheduled concerts and only wrote songs during his recovery. In 2012 he canceled a fund-raising appearance in the Denver area. He suffered from breathing problems due to high altitude and emphysema and was taken to a local hospital. His publicist Elaine Schock confirmed soon after that Nelson’s health was good and that he was heading to his next scheduled concert in Dallas, Texas. After repeated instances of pneumonia and emphysema through the years, Nelson underwent stem-cell therapy in 2015 to improve the state of his lungs.

During his childhood, Nelson grew interested in martial arts. He ordered self-defense manuals on jujitsu and judo that he saw advertised in Batman and Superman comic books. Nelson started to formally practice kung fu after he moved to Nashville, in the 1960s. During the 1980s, Nelson began training in taekwondo and now holds a second-degree black belt in that discipline. During the 1990s, Nelson started to practice the Korean martial art GongKwon Yusul. In 2014, after twenty years in the discipline, his Grand Master Sam Um presented him with a fifth-degree black belt in a ceremony held in Austin, Texas. A 2014 Tae Kwon Do Times magazine interview revealed that Nelson had developed an unorthodox manner of training during the lengthy periods of time he was on tour. Nelson would conduct his martial arts training on his tour bus “The Honeysuckle Rose” and send videos to his supervising Master for review and critique.

Legal issues

Nelson has been arrested several times for marijuana possession. The first occasion was in 1974 in Dallas, Texas. In 1977 after a tour with Hank Cochran, Nelson traveled to The Bahamas. Nelson and Cochran arrived late to the airport and boarded the flight without luggage. The bags were later sent to them. As Nelson and Cochran claimed their luggage in the Bahamas, a customs officer questioned Nelson after marijuana was found in a pair of his jeans. Nelson was arrested and jailed. As Cochran made arrangements to pay the bail, he took Nelson a six-pack of beer to his cell. Nelson was released a few hours later. Inebriated, he fell after he jumped celebrating and was taken to the emergency room. He then appeared before the judge, who dropped the charges but ordered Nelson to never return to the country.

In 1994, highway patrolmen found marijuana in his car near Waco, Texas. His requirement to appear in court prevented him attending the Grammy awards that year.  While traveling to Ann W. Richards’ funeral in 2006, Nelson, along with his manager and his sister, Bobbie, were arrested in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms.  Nelson received six months probation.

On November 26, 2010, Nelson was arrested in Sierra Blanca, Texas, for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus while traveling from Los Angeles back to Texas. He was released after paying bail of $2,500. Prosecutor Kit Bramblett supported not sentencing Nelson to jail due to the small amount of marijuana involved, but suggested instead a $100 fine and told Nelson that he would have him sing “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” for the court. Judge Becky Dean-Walker said that Nelson would have to pay the fine but not to perform the song, explaining that the prosecutor was joking. Nelson’s lawyer Joe Turner reached an agreement with the prosecutor. Nelson was set to pay a $500 fine to avoid a two-year jail sentence with a 30-day review period, which in case of another incident would end the agreement. The judge later rejected the agreement, claiming that Nelson was receiving preferential treatment for his celebrity status; the offense normally carried a one-year jail sentence. Bramblett declared that the case would remain open until it was either dismissed or the judge changed her opinion.

Legacy

Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.[ In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.

In 2003, Texas Governor Perry signed bill No. 2582, introduced by State Representative Elizabeth Ames Jones and Senator Jeff Wentworth, which funded the Texas Music Project, the state’s official music charity. Nelson was named honorary chairman of the advisory board of the project. In 2005, Democratic Texas Senator Gonzalo Barrientos introduced a bill to name 49 miles (79 km) of the Travis County section of State Highway 130 after Nelson, and at one point 23 of the 31 state senators were co-sponsors of the bill. The legislation was dropped after two Republican senators, Florence Shapiro and Wentworth, objected, citing Nelson’s lack of connection to the highway, his fund raisers for Democrats, his drinking, and his marijuana advocacy.

An important collection of Willie Nelson materials (1975–1994) became part of the Wittliff collections of Southwestern Writers, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. The collection contains lyrics, screenplays, letters, concert programs, tour itineraries, posters, articles, clippings, personal effects, promotional items, souvenirs, and documents. It documents Nelson’s IRS troubles and how Farm Aid contributions were used. Most of the material was collected by Nelson’s friend Bill Wittliff, who wrote or co-wrote Honeysuckle Rose, Barbarosa and Red Headed Stranger. In 2014, Nelson donated his personal collection to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. The items include photographs, correspondence, song manuscripts, posters, certificate records, awards, signed books, screenplays, personal items and gifts and tributes from Nelson’s fans.

In April 2010, Nelson received the “Feed the Peace” award from The Nobelity Project for his extensive work with Farm Aid and overall contributions to world peace. On June 23, 2010, he was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Nelson is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum. In 2010, Austin, Texas renamed Second Street to Willie Nelson Boulevard. The city also unveiled a life-size statue to honor him, placed at the entrance of Austin City Limits’ new studio. The non-profit organization Capital Area Statues commissioned sculptor Clete Shields to execute the project. The statue was unveiled on April 20, 2012. The date selected by the city of Austin unintentionally coincided with the number 4/20, a*sociated with cannabis culture. In spite of the coincidence and Nelson’s advocacy for the legalization of marijuana, the ceremony was scheduled also for 4:20 pm. During the ceremony, Nelson performed the song “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”. The same year, Nelson was honored during the 46th Annual Country Music Association Awards as the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was also named after him.[ In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. The following year, he was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Also included among the first inductees was his friend Darrell Royal, whose jamming parties that Nelson participated in were the source of inspiration for the show.

For many years, Nelson’s image was marked by his red hair, often divided into two long braids partially concealed under a bandanna. In the April 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Nelson was interviewed about his long locks. “I started braiding my hair when it started getting too long, and that was, I don’t know, probably in the 70’s.” On May 26, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Nelson had cut his hair, and Nashville music journalist Jimmy Carter published a photograph of the pigtail-free Nelson on his website. Nelson wanted a more maintainable hairstyle, as well helping him stay cool more easily at his Maui home. In October 2014, the braids of Nelson were sold for $37,000 at an auction of the Waylon Jennings estate. In 1983, Nelson cut his braids and gave them to Jennings as a gift during a party celebrating Jennings’ sobriety.

Nelson’s touring and recording group, the Family, is full of longstanding members. The original lineup included his sister Bobbie Nelson, drummer Paul English, harmonicist Mickey Raphael, bassist Bee Spears, Billy English (Paul’s younger brother), and Jody Payne. The current lineup includes all the members but Jody Payne, who retired, and Bee Spears, who died in 2011. Willie & Family tours North America in the bio-diesel bus Honeysuckle Rose, which is fueled by Bio-Willie. Nelson’s tour buses were customized by Florida Coach since 1979. The company built the Honeysuckle Rose I in 1983, which was replaced after a collision in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1990. The interior was salvaged and reused for the second version of the bus the same year. Nelson changed his tour bus in 1996, 2005 and 2013, currently touring on the Honeysuckle Rose V.

 

 

5 5 -4 5 -4 5 6 5_
It’s going to take some time this time
3 -3* -3 -3* -3 -3*
To get myself in shape
5 5 -4 5 5 -4 5 6 5_
I really fell out of line this time
-5 -5 5 -5 5 -5
I really missed the gate

-5 6 6 -5 6 -5 6 5 -5
The birds on the telephone line (next time)
5 6 -5 6 5 5 -5
Are crying out to me (next time)
-5 6 -5 5 5 6 7 6 5
And I won’t be so blind next time
-3 5 -6_ 6 -5 5 6 -5_
And I’ll find some harmony

3 -3 5 5 -4 5 -4 5 6 5_
But it’s going to take some time this time
3 -3* -3 -3* -3 -3*_
And I can’t make demands
3 -3 3 5 5 5 -4 5 6 5_
But like the young trees in the wintertime
-5 5 -5 5 -5_
I’ll learn how to bend

6 -5 6_ 5 -5 7 -5
After all the tears we’ve spent
6 -5 5 -4 -4 -3 3 3_
How could we make amends?
-3 -4 5_ -4 5 -3 5 6 -5 5 -5
So it’s one more round for experience
-3 5 -6_ 6 -5 5 6 -5_
And I’m on the road again
-3 5 6 6 -5 6 -5 5 5_ -5 5 5__ (Pause)
And it’s going to take some time this time
3 -3* -3 -3* -3 -3*_ (Pause)
And I can’t make demands
-5 5 -5 5 -5_
I’ll learn how to bend
(Interldue)

5* 5* 5 5* 5 5* -6 5*_
It’s going to take some time this time
3* -4 -3* -4 -3* -4_
No matter what I’ve planned
3* -3* 3* 5* 5* 5* 5 5* -6 5*_
But like the young trees in the wintertime
-5* 5* -5* 5* -5*_
I’ll learn how to bend
-6 -5* -6_ 5* -5* 7* -5*
After all the tears we’ve spent
-6 -5* 5* 5 5 -3* 3* 3*_
How could we make amends?
-3* 5 5* 5 5* -3* 5* -6 -5* 5* -5*
So it’s one more round for experience
-3* 5* -6*_ -6 -5* 5* -6 -5*_
And I’m on the road again
-3* 5* -6 -6 -5* -6 -5* 5* 5*_ -5* 5* 5*__
And it’s going to take some time this time

This plays with karaoke music, same Artist, run time 2:54.

Bob Segar
Key: G

-3”4 5 5 5 -4 5 -4
-6 7 8 8 8 -8 8 -8
On a long and lonesome highway

5 5 -44 5
8 8 -87 8
East of Omaha.

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 7
You can listen to the engine

-3 4 -4 -4 4 -3 -4
-7 7 -8 -8 7 -7 -8
moaning out its one note song

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 7 -8 7
You can think about the woman

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 -4 4-3”
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 7 -8 -8 7-6
Or the girl you knew the night before

-3” 4 5 5 5 -4 5 5 -4
-6 7 8 8 8 -8 8 8 -8
But your thoughts will soon be wandering,

4 5 5 -4 4 5
7 8 8 -8 7 8
The way they always do.

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 7
When you’re riding sixteen hours

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 7 -8
And there’s nothing much to do

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 4 4 -3”
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 7 7 -6
And you don’t feel much like riding,

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4 -3”
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 7 -8 7 -6
You just wish the trip was through.

Chorus:

-3” 4 -4 -4 -4 5 5 4
-6 7 -8 -8 -8 8 8 7
Here I am, on the road again

5 5 5 -4 -4 -4 -4 5
8 8 8 -8 -8 -8 -8 8
There I am, up on the stage.

-3” 4 -4 5 5 5 5 -4
-6 7 -8 8 8 8 8 7
Here I go, playing star again.

5 5 -44 4 -3”3 -3”
8 8 -87 7 -66 -6
There I go, turn the page.

6 7 -8 -8 -8 -7 -8 -7
On a long and lonesome highway
-8 -8 -7 7 -8
East of Omaha.
6 7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 7
You can listen to the engine
-6* 7 -7 -7 7 -6* -7
moaning out its one note song
6 7 -7 -7 -7 7 -7 7
You can think about the woman
6 7 -7 -7 -7
Or the girl you knew
7 -7 -7 7 6
The night before

6 7 -8 -8 -8 -7 -8 -8 -7
But your thoughts will soon be wandering,
7 -8 -8 -7 7 -8
The way they always do.
6 7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 7
When your riding sixteen hours
6 7 -7 -7 -7 7 -7
And theres nothing much to do
6 7 -7 -7 -7 7 7 6
And you don’t feel much like riding,
6 7 -7 -7 -7 7 -7 7 6
You just wish the trip was through.

Chorus:
6 7 -7 -7 -7 -8 -8 7
Here I am, on the road again
-8 -8 -8 -7 -7 -7 -7 -8
There I am, up on the stage.
6 7 -7 -8 -8 -8 -8 7
Here I go, playing star again.
-8 -8 -7 7 7 6 -5 6
There I go, turn the page.

4 -4 5 5 5 6 5
I remember to this day
5 -4 4 4 -4 5
The bright red Georgia clay
5 5 5 5 6 5
How it stuck to the tires
5 -4 4 -4 4 -4
After the summer rain.
4 -4 5 5 5 5 6 5
Will power made that old car go
-4 -4 5 -4 4 4 -4 5
A woman’s mind told me that’s so
5 5 5 5 5 5 -4
Oh, how I wish we were back
-4 -4 -4 4 4
On the road again.

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 5
Travellin’ and livin’ off the land.
-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
5 5 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
How I love bein’ a free man.

4 5 5 5 6 5
Now I can still recall
5 -4 4 4 -4 5
The wheat-fields of Saint Paul
4 -4 5 5 5 6 5
And the mornin’ we got caught
5 5 5 -4 4 -4
Robbin’ from an old hen,
4 -4 5 5 5 5 6 5
Old MacDonald, he made us work
5 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 4 -4 5
But then he paid us for what it was worth
4 5 5 5 5 5 -4 -4
Another tank of gas and back
-4 -4 -4 4 4
On the road again.

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 5
Travellin’ and livin’ off the land.
-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
5 5 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
How I love bein’ a free man.

4 -4 5 5 5 5 6 5
Now I’ll never forget that day
5 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 4 -4 5
We motored stately into big L. A.
4 5 5 5 5 5 5
The lights of the city put
5 5 5 4 5 -4
Settlin’ down in my brain,
4 4 4 -4 5 5 5 6 5
Though it’s only been a month or so
5 -4 5 -4 4 4 4 -4 5
That old car’s buggin’ us to go
4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -4
You gotta get away and get back
-4 -4 -4 4 4
On the road again.

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 5
Travellin’ and livin’ off the land.
-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
5 5 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
How I love bein’ a free man.

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 5
Travellin’ and livin’ off the land.
-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
5 5 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
How I love bein’ a free man.

-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
-4 -4 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 5
Travellin’ and livin’ off the land.
-5 -5 6 6 -5 -5 5 5
Me and you and a dog named Boo
5 5 -4 -4 -4 4 -4 4
How I love bein’ a free man.

Blues is the most important harmonica style. Once you have learnt the basics, you will be able to play blues with musicians everywhere.
Most people a*sociate the harmonica with blues, music sounding like this:

Blues Harmonica Type (or Blues Harp) is name used in the Americas. But in Asia, people call  Richter-tuned harmonica, or 10-hole harmonica, is the most widely known type of harmonica.

 It is a variety of diatonic harmonica, with ten holes which offer the player 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and a blow for each hole minus one repeated note) in a three-octave range.

The standard diatonic harmonica is designed to allow a player to play chords and melody in a single key. Because they are only designed to be played in a single key at a time, diatonic harmonicas are available in all keys. Harps labeled G through B start (on hole 1 blow) below middle C, while Harps labeled D♭ through F♯ start above middle C (C₄). Here is the layout for a standard diatonic harmonica, labeled C, starting on middle C (C₄).

Although there are three octaves between 1 and 10 “blow”, there is only one full major scale available on the harmonica, between holes 4 and 7. The lower holes are designed around the tonic (C major) and dominant (G major) chords, allowing a player to play these chords underneath a melody by blocking or unblocking the lower holes with the tongue. The most important notes (the tonic triad C–E–G) are given the blow, and the secondary notes (B–D–F–A), the draw.

Introduction to Blues Harmonica

[toc heading_levels=”3,4,5″]

Valved diatonics

The valved diatonic is one of the most common ways of playing chromatic scales on diatonic harmonicas. While chromatic is available, valved diatonic is also common, and there are reasons to use a valved diatonic rather than chromatics. It does not have a slide a*sembly (so that it has less air leakage), and it has a wider tonal range and dynamic. As well, it has a smaller size and is much more suitable to use with microphone, and it is still cheaper than chromatic, even for a premade one like Hohner’s Auto Valve or Suzuki Promaster MR-350v.

Valved diatonics are made by fitting windsavers on draw holes 1–6 and blow holes 7–10; this way, all reeds can be bent down a semitone at least, although most players can easily bend down a whole tone. Alternatively, one can simply buy a factory-made valved diatonic such as the Suzuki Promaster Valved.

The disadvantage of the valved diatonic is that it does not require one to develop proper embouchure in order to bend the notes accurately. Also, many of the notes reached by bending are nearer just intonation, and the slightly lower equal tempered pitches preferred by western classical music are unattainable.
This limits the number of chromatic notes available when playing classical repertoire when compared with that of jazz or blues. Another thing worth noting is that, due to the valved bends being one-reed bends, the sound is less full than traditional bends, and may seem dull, making it less dynamic. One way to address this is by having an additional reed that activates when one bends a note; this is the philosophy of Hohner’s XB-40 and Suzuki’s SUB30 Ultrabend.

Playing in different keys

Aside from bending, Richter-tuned harmonicas are modal.

Playing the harmonica in the key to which it is tuned is known as “straight harp” or “first position” playing. For example, playing music in the key of C on a C-tuned harmonica.

More common (especially in blues and rock) is “crossharp” or “second position” playing which involves playing in the key which is a perfect fourth below the key of the harmonica (for example, on a C tuned harmonica, a second position blues would be in G—resulting in the instrument playing in mixolydian mode). This is because the notes of the G pentatonic scale (a commonly used scale in blues and rock) are more easily accessible on a C-tuned harmonica.
The lower notes of harps in the lower keys (G through C) are easier to bend, but take more wind. Since much of crossharp is played on the inhalation, every opportunity for exhalation must be capitalized upon—by blowing out lots of air on every exhaled note and during every pause. Crossharp lends itself to seventh and ninth chords (particularly G⁷ and G⁹) as well as blue notes (particularly on D chords, where the harmonica is tuned to play D minor while the other instruments play D major).

Another method is to play in the key one whole tone above that of the harmonica. On a C-tuned harmonica, this would mean playing in the key of D. This is known as “slant harp” or “third position” playing, and results in the harmonica playing in dorian mode. This is much less intuitive as it requires the ability to bend notes completely accurately, and there are fewer useful chords available than in 1st or 2nd position playing.
The technique offers many notes that are not achievable in the other positions without overblows, such as the blue note on the third degree, which may or may not be favorable depending on the circumstance. The bends available at the lower end of the instrument also make playing melodies in a D major scale relatively easy for those who have any semblance of proficiency at the bending technique, though most of the notes (all but the second and fourth, E and G) in the scale are on the draw, requiring great skill and strategy in exhaling, even more so than in crossharp.

Continuing along the circle of fifths, fourth position, fifth position, sixth position and zeroth positions can be played, with the scales played in those positions indicated as follows:

Position	Tonic	Heptatonic mode	Pentatonic scales	Name
0	F	Lydian	Major
1	C	Ionian (major)	Major, ritusen	Straight harp
2	G	Mixolydian	Major, ritusen, suspended	Crossharp
3	D	Dorian	Minor, ritusen, suspended	Slant harp
4	A	Aeolian (natural minor)	Minor, man gong, suspended
5	E	Phrygian	Minor, man gong
6	B	Locrian	Man gong, blues

Note that using blue notes, any of the seven positions can be used over music in its corresponding major scale if only the notes in the corresponding pentatonic scale are played.

Specially tuned instruments

Some players prefer specially tuned variants of the diatonic harmonica. Several manufacturers, for instance Lee Oskar Harmonicas, make a variety of harmonicas to help players used to a “cross-harp” style to play in other styles. Cross-harp players usually base their play around a mixolydian scale starting on 2 draw and ending a 6 blow (with a bend needed to get the second tone of the scale; a full scale can be played from 6 blow to 9 blow).
Lee Oskar specially tunes harmonicas to allow players to play a natural minor or major scale from 2 draw to 6 blow, or a harmonic minor scale from 4 blow to 7 blow. Below are some sample layouts (the key labels describe the scale from 2 draw to 6 blow, whereas traditional harmonicas are labelled according to the scale between 4 and 8 blow).

• Country tune: Identical to standard Richter tuning, except hole 5 draw is raised a semitone.
• Natural minor (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow) / Dorian (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow):

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
blow	C	E♭	G	C	E♭	G	C	E♭	G	C
draw	D	G	B♭	D	F	A	B♭	D	F	A

• Harmonic minor (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
blow	C	E♭	G	C	E♭	G	C	E♭	G	C
draw	D	G	B	D	F	A♭	B	D	F	A♭

• Major (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow), Lee Oskar Melody Maker (this will be labeled as “G”: Melody Major’s key indicate cross harp’s key, starting from draw 2)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
blow	C	E	A	C	E	G	C	E	G	C
draw	D	G	B	D	F♯	A	B	D	F♯	A

With the major second on 3 blow (where, in standard Richter tuning, the cross harp tonic would be repeated) and a major 7th (rather than a minor 7th) on 5 draw, the Melody Maker has a full major scale. This can be very useful for playing major key melodies, for example, fiddle tunes, quickly, without having to do a lot of precise bending or overblowing.
This tuning, designed and marketed by Lee Oskar, is a particularly interesting evolution of the harmonica, since it allows a player accustomed to playing “cross harp” (in Mixolydian) to play in a major key (which is what the standard layout is designed for in the first place).
Rather than providing the standard tonic C and dominant G⁷ chords, the Melody Maker provides a G^M7 chord (2–5 draw), a C⁶ chord (1–4 blow), an Am or Am⁷ chord (3–5 or 3–6 blow), a D chord (4–6 draw) and a C chord (6–10 blow). If we are in the key of G, then, the melody maker provides the I chord, the IV chord, the V chord and the ii chord, allowing ii–V–I progressions as well as I–IV–V progressions.

• Optimized blues tuning (this will be labeled as “C”: starting from draw 1)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
blow	B♭	D♭	F	A♭	B♭	D♭	F	A♭	B♭	D♭
draw	C	E	G	B	C	E	G	B	C	E

It is also possible for harp players to tune the harmonica themselves. By making small scratches in a reed, the note played can be changed. It is possible to either get a higher or a lower note. Some harp players make extensive use of these modifications.
One of the most famous examples is the harp solo on “On the Road Again” by Canned Heat, on which the harmonicist, Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, gets the minor third crossharp on the sixth drawn reed, which is normally the major second crossharp. There are books, toolkits and guides to tuning and harp customization available on the Internet; anyone interested in trying their hand at tuning should be prepared to sacrifice a few harmonicas during the learning curve.

12-hole and 14-hole diatonic

Hohner had made a few non-standard harmonicas. All of them have more than 10 holes and are labeled “grosse richter”. For 12 holes, Hohner makes the M364 Marine Band, as well as the M36460 Marine Band Soloist. The Marine Band Soloist is solo tuned, with 3 full diatonic octaves with all notes of the major scale of the key of C.
Since it can bend notes in the same way as a regular diatonic harmonica in the middle octave, some players use this for blues (and even jazz) instead of the more well-known solo-tuned harmonica, the chromatic harmonica, since the bent notes sound very different from true semi-tones. (For layout, see below at Chromatic harmonica, key out) In this configuration, blues players usually play in the third position, the D-minor blue scale.

In addition to the M364 models with 12 holes, there is also the Hohner Marine Band M365 14-hole harmonica. The general dimensions of the 12- and 14- hole Hohner harmonicas are a bit bigger than regular diatonic harmonicas. The M36401 and M36501 harmonicas (in the key of C) are pitched one octave lower than the standard 10-hole C diatonic. Thus, hole-4 blow is the same pitch as hole-1 on a regular diatonic harmonica in the key of C. The Marine Band M36408 and M36508 (in G) are similar to a usual G diatonic, having the higher end expanded.

Holes 1 through 4 and 6 are draw-bendable, and holes 8 through 14 are blow-bendable. Note the extra holes 11–14 which in theory extend the bending capabilities a lot (from A down to E in hole-14, for example), although in practice these are quite limited.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
blow	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E
draw	D	G	B	D	F	A	B	D	F	A	B	D	F	A

There is also the Steve Baker Special (M3658) manufactured by Hohner, a special tuned 14-hole diatonic. Below, the layout of the Steve Baker Special in the key of C:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
blow	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E
draw	D	G	B	D	G	B	D	F	A	B	D	F	A	B

They come in five keys:

• C – M36581
• D – M36583
• F – M36586
• G – M36588
• A – M36590

This harmonica opens up lots of interesting possibilities, especially for blues harmonica, like extended tongue-block octave playing, the possibility to play exactly the same 2nd position riffs in two octaves, etc.

Extra-reed harmonicas

Two harmonica models have been released with altered designs that allow for increased bending abilities, and in effect, chromatic playing on a diatonic harmonica. They are often referred to as “extra-reed” harmonicas, because they carry more than the usual 20 reeds of a diatonic harp.

The Hohner XB-40, invented by Rick Epping, features an entirely new body design, though in practice, it is still a Richter-tuned (diatonic) harmonica. Here the blow reeds and the draw reeds are sealed off one from another with valves, effectively creating two separate cells in the comb for each hole in the mouthpiece: one for blow and another for draw. A second reed is then placed in this cell at a zero-offset (no gapping) so that it does not sound under normal playing.
However, it is placed on the opposite side of the reed-plate from the speaking reed and tuned so that it responds when the player “bends” the note downwards in pitch. This allows for every note on the XB-40 to be bent downwards a whole-tone or more, whereas on standard diatonics only certain notes (the higher-pitched in the cell) will bend at all.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
blow	B♭ B C	D E♭ E	F G♭ G	B♭ B C	D E♭ E	F G♭ G	B♭ B C	D E♭ E	F G♭ G	A♯ B C
draw	D D♭ C	G G♭ F	B B♭ A A♭	D D♭ C	F E E♭	A A♭ G	B B♭ A	D D♭ C	F E E♭	A A♭ G

The other Richter-tuned harmonica of this kind is the Suzuki SUB30 Ultrabend. Where the XB-40 uses valves and a total of 40 reeds, the SUB30 takes a different approach. Each hole of the harmonica houses a third reed, totalling thirty reeds altogether and thus, where the harmonica draws its name.
The third reed is dubbed a “sympathetic reed”, tuned one tone below the pitch of the lowest note, and is normally passive to airflow. The reed becomes active when the player uses the bending technique, allowing the low note in each hole to be bent down one semitone. Unlike the XB-40, the SUB30 retains the typical shape and size of most other ten-hole diatonic harmonicas.

Source: Internet

Susan Salidor is an award-winning children’s music composer and performer with the heart of a teacher.  She is the author, along with illustrator Natalka Soiko, of two picture books for young children, I’ve Got Peace In My Fingers and One Little Act of Kindness (Sideline Ink Publishing), based on two of her most widely-known original songs.

Susan has written over 150 songs for children.  Her original music is influenced by her professional experience in musical theatre, cabaret folk and in her work as a preschool music specialist. Her recording Come and Make a Circle 3: Even More Terrific Tunes for Children and Those Who Love Them, is the third in the Circle series. All three Circle albums have received Parents’ Choice awards, and they are among the most popular of Susan’s eight recordings for children.

Susan has also been honored as a songwriter with several ASCAP Popular Awards for Songwriting.  In addition, the song “Color Me Singing,” is featured in a primary school textbook Making Music (Scott Foresman/Silver Burdett).  Susan’s recordings are recommended in The Best of Everything for Your Baby (Krantz/Exley, Prentice Hall), and her song, “Ruby B.,” appears in the first edition of civil rights icon Ruby Bridges’ autobiography Through My Eyes (Scholastic Press).  She has also published The Susan Salidor Songbook, a songbook and CD set of original music from her first four recordings.  For five years Susan co-hosted “Kids Play Radio,” a weekly broadcast on Chicago’s WLUW 88.7 FM.  Her songs have been heard on in-flight kids’ programming on UNITED Airlines, XM Radio, Spotify, Sirius Satellite Radio and are available wherever music is streamed and downloaded.

Susan’s concert venues include schools, libraries, colleges, theatres, children’s museums, music festivals and bookstores throughout the country.  On the educational front, she teaches preschool music in and around Chicago each weekday throughout the school year, and her music workshops (Sure-Fire Hits for Preschool Teachers, Sure-Fire Hits 2: Just the Songs, and Come and Make a Circle) have received rave reviews at professional teaching conferences nationwide.  She has presented multiple times for the NAEYC conference, which draws 25,000 early childhood educators annually.  Susan has served as an “Artist in Residence” for the Rockford Public Schools’ Early Childhood Program, Waukegan Public Schools and Mary Meyer School (Chicago), teaching music classes and training teachers.  Susan and husband Jay Rehak created a children’s show, Noah’s Ark: The Musical, which has been produced in both Chicago and Michigan.  All of Susan’s recordings are available on Spotify,  Apple iTunes, Amazon.com and CDBaby.com.  Susan and Jay have created dozens of YouTube videos to her songs, but they are most delighted by the hundreds of original videos recorded by fans of Susan’s music found on the internet.  Her song, “I’ve Got Peace in My Fingers,” is included in the songbook Rise Again! compiled by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson (a follow up songbook to Rise Up Singing!).  The song is sung in elementary schools throughout Spain to help celebrate its Day of Non-Violence and Peace each year on January 30th, and it can be heard in school celebrations throughout Canada for its Remembrance Day each November.

Susan continues to teach and perform online and in-person, as COVID protocols allow, and she is working on her third picture book for children plus a brand new album of songs written during the last decade.