#bobbie nelson

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Willie Nelson - “Workin’ Man Blues”

Bobbie Nelson lives!

Paul English lives, too!

On tape anyway. Willie Nelson’s forthcoming (Nov. 7) solo album No. 78, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, features the final recordings of the late aforementioned Family members. And hearing Brother Willie call out, “Play it, Little Sister” before Bobbie’s saloon-style piano solo is a joy in itself.

It happens on lead single “Workin’ Man Blues,” which finds Nelson sounding relatively young at the mic and pickin’ some nifty solos on trusty Trigger. He might be Haggard, but he ain’t haggard, as this uptempo workin’ and drinkin’ song attests.

No tellin’ for sure if it’s Paul, or Billy English, or both, on drums. But that’s Bobbie and very-much-alive harmonica blower Mickey Raphael, too, on the five-minute track, which Nelson would’ve liked to have chopped.

“We can fade it out in there somewhere,” he says when it ends somewhat abruptly.

Wise call on the no fade.

Grade card: Willie Nelson - “Workin’ Man Blues” - A

9/8/25

[i-will-talk-fish]

Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson - Always On My Mind 

[893thecurrent]

A novelist might imagine a character like this: a famous male country singer's sister, a woman who also has talent but isn't able to make the same choices her brother made, who lives a parallel life in which the two sometimes collaborate but she never becomes a household name, whose triumphs and tragedies happen in the shadow of her brother's even as she supports her brother in his rise to stardom. It could be a dark story, and it certainly has its dark moments, but it has a happy ending in which the two look back at their long lives and recognize how much they've meant to one another.

It's a book, all right, but it's not a novel: it's nonfiction, in the form of Me and Sister Bobbie, the new joint memoir by Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie Nelson.

read more

[tabloidtoc]

People, September 28

Cover: A Killer in the Woods and a Teen’s Brave Escape 

Page 3: Chatter -- Demi Lovato on getting engaged to Max Ehrich after four months together, John Legend joking about expecting a third child with his wife Chrissy Teigen, Kelly Clarkson on moving on after filing for divorce in June, Keith Urban on wife Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry on struggling to get roles after her 2002 Oscar win, Jennifer Garner responding to a commenter who’d asked if she was pregnant on Instagram 

Page 4: 5 Things We’re Talking About This Week -- Golden Girls gets an all-Black reimagining, Rick Moranis makes a comeback for an ad with Ryan Reynolds, Keeping Up with the Kardashians goes kaput, Franzia introduces a boxed-wine backpack 

Page 6: Contents 

Page 8: StarTracks -- Naomi Osaka won the U.S. Open final and sported face masks honoring Black people who have been victims of racial violence 

Page 9: Mariah Carey styling daughter Monroe’s hair, Shakira showed off a bikini she designed, Kate Hudson wore a cute cat face mask while she did some shopping at Palisades Village 

Page 10: Stars’ Best Friends -- Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid walked their new pup Dexter in West Hollywood, Dennis Quaid was all smiles when he met a rescue pup on the set of Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family, Hugh Jackman strolled through N.Y.C. with his dogs Allegra and Dali, Ryan Reynolds wished his dog a happy birthday, PLEASE ADOPT, DON’T SHOP 

Page 11: Tom Brady’s first game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in New Orleans, Russell Dickerson and wife Kailey welcomes their first child Remington Edward, Bethenny Frankel during a surf lesson in the Hamptons 

Page 12: Royals Back Out & About -- Camilla Duchess of Cornwall visited the Medical Detection Dogs training center where trials are underway to determine if dogs can detect COVID-19, newlywed Princess Beatrice stepped out for a shopping trip in London as her husband waited in the car nearby, Prince William attended a Police Service of Northern Ireland Wellbeing Volunteer Training course in Belfast 

Page 15: Scoop -- Katie Holmes’ hot new romance with Emilio Vitolo Jr. 

Page 16: When they announced their split The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph said they’d remain friends but that is decidedly not the case -- Cassie was granted a restraining order against Colton claiming he showed up unannounced outside her Southern California home and placed a tracking device on her car

Page 17: Tyra Banks takes charge on Dancing with the Stars 

Page 18: Heart Monitor -- Lily Allen and David Harbour just married, Justin and Hailey Bieber happy anniversary, Jacob Elordi and Kaia Gerber new couple

Page 20: Tenet’s John David Washington on fame and family and a bold new movie, Baby Boom -- Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester 

Page 21: Kate Gosselin accuses Jon Gosselin of abuse 

Page 22: Passages, Why I Care -- after losing her brother to leukemia when they were kids Cindy Crawford is raising awareness about pediatric cancer 

Page 23: Diana Rigg 1938-2020 

Page 24: Stories to make you smile 

Page 27: People Picks -- Ratched 

Page 28: Micky Guyton -- Bridges, Q&A with Chris Messina

Page 29: Blackbird, Unpregnant 

Page 30: The Devil All the Time, Long Way Up 

Page 31: Antebellum 

Page 32: Books 

Page 34: Cover Story -- Terror in the Woods -- Jack Gershman and his dad Ari were off-roading in a California forest when they stopped to get their bearings and a stranger opened fire -- Ari was murdered and Jack escaped into the wilderness running for his life 

Page 40: Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie Nelson -- she’s still my closest friend -- in a new book the country star and his sibling and longtime musical collaborator look back on their tragedies and triumphs 

Page 45: Regina King -- all hail the king! -- the winner of 3 Emmys and an Oscar just directed her first film and is loving every minute of being on top 

Page 48: Tragedy on the West Coast -- it’s like the end of the world -- unprecedented wildfires in California and Oregon and Washington turn millions of acres into ash forcing thousands to flee and choking the region with toxic smoke 

Page 52: Pauly Shore -- still crazy after all these years -- the ‘90s comedy star survived a career implosion and coped with private grief and now at 52 he’s ready to be his goofy self again 

Page 56: Lady Gaga and her mom Cynthia Germanotta -- how we healed our relationship -- the star and her mother’s new book Channel Kindness was inspired by their own journey from trauma to understanding 

Page 58: Gabourey Sidibe -- you’re lucky to have me -- the actress is feeling some serious swagger these days with a new movie and a live-in love and a blessed career turn 

Page 60: The Home Edit founders Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer -- building an empire organizing stars’ stuff -- two Nashville moms had the idea that getting rid of clutter could be fun and pretty and now they’re celebrity gurus and TV stars 

Page 65: The It Gets Better Project: 10 Years Later -- I learned how to really live -- as a closeted LGBTQ teen Lark Doolan contemplated taking his own life and now as an openly trans man he reflects on the video series that helped him find hope 

Page 68: Kim Cattrall -- finding joy in letting go -- the former Sex and the City star is back on TV with a hot new show and ready to move on from the past 

Page 70: Coronavirus in America -- back to school -- as the pandemic continues to claim lives parents and students and teachers and administrators around the nation share their hopes and fears for this strange new school year 

Page 74: Country singer Lauren Alaina -- single and stronger than ever -- following two painful breakups the country star is embracing independence after healing her heart 

Page 76: The Fall family survival guide 

Page 81: Melanie Griffith -- what my life’s really like -- the actress opens up about finding balance and staying friends with her exes and managing all this group texting 

Page 82: Style -- it’s time to update your underwear drawer 

Page 87: Second Look -- Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez in Kajillionaire 

Page 88: One Last Thing -- Ziggy Marley -- the Grammy winner and dad of seven is releasing a new kids’ album

[krispyweiss]

Four-part “Willie Nelson & Family” Documentary to Premiere Dec. 21 on Paramount+

- “He knows something nobody else knows,” Bobby Bare says in trailer

Love and music were the two gifts Mama and Daddy Nelson gave to their grandchildren, Bobbie and Willie Nelson.

And those gifts, “saved our lives,” Nelson says in the trailer for “Willie Nelson & Family.”

Directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman, the four-part documentary tracks Nelson’s rise from Nashville, his tax problems that led to the IRS seizing nearly all he’d amassed and his re-establishment and current status as beloved elder statesman.

“He knows something nobody else knows,” Bobby Bare says. “It’s that magic that he carries around in his pocket.”

Constructed with archival photos and videos and featuring commentary from Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Don Was, Bill Anderson, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Ray Charles and others, the series premieres Dec. 21 on Paramount+.

In the trailer, Nelson says it best:

“Good music never goes out of fashion,” he says. “Like the sun, it rises every morning. Like the moon, it lights up the night. Like the seasons, it keeps changing.”

12/18/23

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Bobbie Nelson and Amanda Shires feat. Willie Nelson - “Summertime”

Having Willie Nelson sing on Bobbie Nelson and Amanda Shires’ version of “Summertime” is a thoughtful tribute to Willie’s late “little sister.”

But his voice sounds piped in from another dimension and his presence does little more than take away from Shires’ delightful vocal performance. His few tugs on Trigger would’ve been sufficient.

The Gershwins’ “Summertime” announces the June 23 arrival of Bobbie Nelson and Shires’ Loving You. It’s a jazzy little track that puts on spotlight on Bobbie Nelson’s piano; Shires also plays a restrained fiddle solo to herald Nashville Sound production values that arrive about halfway through.

It’s a lovely track, despite being overloaded with unnecessary goop.

Loving You was recorded over six days, months before Bobbie Nelson’s 2022 death and includes the pianist’s only composition, the instrumental title track, alongside such songs as “Always on My Mind,” “Angel Flying too Close to the Ground,” “Over the Rainbow” and others.

“We chose these songs because they’re songs that she loved, songs that meant the world to her and her personal journey,” Shires said in a statement.

Grade card: Bobbie Nelson and Amanda Shires feat. Willie Nelson - “Summertime” - B

4/27/23

[krispyweiss]

“Little Sister” Bobbie Nelson Dies at 91

- “Her elegance, grace, beauty and talent made this world a better place”

Bobbie Nelson, the older “little sister” of Willie Nelson and the first musician to join the Family band, died March 10.

Bobbie Nelson was 91 and died in Austin “peacefully and surrounded by family,” said a statement posted on Willie Nelson’s Facebook page.

“Her elegance, grace, beauty and talent made this world a better place,” the Nelson family statement reads.

“ … Our hearts are broken and she will be deeply missed. But we are so lucky to have had her in our lives. Please keep her family in your thoughts and give them the privacy they need at this time.”

The pianist joined her brother’s group in 1973 and was a ubiquitous presence on Willie Nelson albums and concert stages for nearly 50 years. Introduced as “Little Sister,” she was regularly showcased on the instrumental “Down Yonder” during performances.

Bobbie Nelson was one of the first women Amanda Shires saw on stage and demonstrated it was possible to have a music career and a family.

“She was wonderful, soulful, mysterious and fiery as hell. … She will forever be my hero,” Shires wrote on social media.

Bobbie Nelson worked with Willie Nelson to the end, co-writing 2020’s “Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band” and appearing on 2021’s the Willie Nelson Family.

“Nobody played piano like Bobbie Nelson and nobody ever will,” Margo Price wrote on Twitter. “She was the epitome of class, grace and style and I’m sure gonna miss seeing her on stage next to Willie Nelson. My heart goes out to Willie and the Family band.”

3/11/22

[krispyweiss]

Willie Nelson at Celeste Center, Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 5, 2022

At 89, Willie Nelson sits on stage these days.

And with little sister Bobbie having gone over yonder, the Family Band is down to Willie; son Micah (aka the Particle Kid) Nelson on second acoustic guitar; Mickey Raphael on harmonica; upright bass; and a single snare drum.

The setlist has changed, too. Gone are Bobbie’s showcase, “Down Yonder,” “Crazy,” “Nightlife” and others. In are “Bloody Mary Morning,” “Write Your Own Songs,” “Stay a Little Longer,” “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train” and “I’ll Love You Til the Day I Die.”

Despite the changes, Nelson needs no teleprompter. And he’s moved into the modern era, using projected images of trains and churches and joints and bullshit meters to illustrate his songs, rather than relying exclusively on Texan and American flags as in the past.

This was the new-look and -sound setup Nelson brought to the Ohio State Fair’s Celeste Center on Aug. 5, where a sell-out crowd gave him standing ovations for walking on and off stage and where as many dudes tried to look like the star as women emulate Stevie Nicks at Fleetwood Mac shows.

The concert was just 65 minutes. But Nelson worked hard, playing his iconic, behind-the-beat solos on Trigger and singing nearly every song save for when Micah took the lead on “Die When I’m High (Halfway to Heaven),” “Everything is Bullshit” and “I Thought about You, Lord.” Willie, full of fatherly pride, smiled brightly, sung harmony and let his boy be the star in these moments.

Some things have not changed, however. Willie sung Hank (“Move it on Over,” “I Saw the Light”); the opener, Noah Guthrie, came on stage for “Will the Circle be Unbroken;” and Willie urged Micah and his fans to “Roll Me up and Smoke Me When I Die,” which everyone hopes will be a long time from now.

Playing with his band, Good Trouble, Guthrie sounded like a cross between .38 Special and post-reunion Lynyrd Skynyrd as he played originals and covers such as “Whipping Post” and “The Midnight Special.”

Grade card: Willie Nelson at Celeste Center, 8/5/22 - B+

8/6/22