Throughout his career, 91-year-old music icon Willie Nelson has been known to highlight the music catalogs of other artists and songwriters, including Frank Sinatra, Cindy Walker, Kris Kristofferson and Ray Price.
Nelson’s upcoming Legacy Recordings album Oh What a Beautiful World, out April 25, will highlight the songwriting compositions of another lauded singer/songwriter and fellow Texan: Rodney Crowell.
The dozen-song album, Nelson’s 77th solo studio project, finds the prolific artist offering fresh interpretations of songs written or co-written by Crowell, and reunites Nelson with longtime producer Buddy Cannon.
Crowell himself trades vocals with Nelson on the album’s first release and title track to the project. “Oh What a Beautiful World” appeared as the closing song on Crowell’s 2014 album Tarpaper Sky. Nelson first recorded one of Crowell’s compositions in 1983, and most recently recorded Crowell’s songs for his 2024 album The Border, including the album’s title track (written by Crowell and Allen Shamblin) and “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway,” written by Crowell and Will Jennings.
The album also features instrumentation from Bobby Terry (acoustic guitar, steel guitar, electric guitar), James Mitchell (electric guitar), Jim “Moose” Brown (B-3 organ, piano, Wurlitzer), Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Fred Eltringham (drums, percussion) and Glenn Worf (bass, upright bass), alongside background vocals by Wyatt Beard, Buddy Cannon and Melonie Cannon.
Crowell formed the band The Cherry Bombs in the 1970s, then went on to gain acclaim as an artist and songwriter, releasing his 1978 debut album Ain’t Living Long Like This, while also writing or co-writing songs that became hits for artists including Highway 101 (“Somewhere Tonight”), Gary Stewart, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker and Waylon Jennings (who each recorded versions of Crowell’s “Ain’t Living Long Like This”), and Emmylou Harris and the Oak Ridge Boys (who both recorded “Leaving Louisiana in Broad Daylight”). Crowell’s “Song For the Life” has been recorded by John Denver, Jennings and Alan Jackson, while Keith Urban recorded Crowell’s “Making Memories of Us,” while Tim McGraw covered Crowell’s “Please Remember Me.” “Shame on the Moon” became a hit for Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band.
In 1988, Crowell’s album Diamonds & Dirt notched five consecutive Hot Country Songs chart No. 1 singles, including “It’s Such a Small World” (with Rosanne Cash), “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried,” “She’s Crazy For Leavin’,” the Grammy-winning “After All This Time” and “Above and Beyond.” The album was also nominated for album at the year at the CMA Awards. Crowell earned another Grammy for best Americana album in 2013 for his album Old Yellow Moon. In 2006, he also earned a lifetime achievement award in songwriting from the Americana Music Association.
