A Night on the Town - Willie Nelson

The old man's still got it!

At 77 years old, Willie Nelson and the Family came out on stage rather punctually.  

With the familiar opening to "Whiskey River", Nelson was eager to play, beginning even before the rest of the band had a chance to get situated.

They fell right in.

With a set list that comprised the familiar ("Funny How Time Slips Away/Crazy/Night Life" Medley) to the not so familiar ("Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour?"), Nelson and the Family put on a great show.

Little sister Bobbie even got to fit in "Down Yonder".

If there was a disappointment, it was the lack of an encore.  But, at 77, Nelson can do what he wants and I, for one, was happy to get to see him again.

Thank you Willie!!! And thank you to Bobbie, Mickey, Bee, Billy and Paul!!!

Playlist for March 18th, 2011

This weekend, out on the prairie, we will be graced by the presence of a music legend.

Willie Nelson was born on April 30th, 1933 in Abbott, Texas.  At age thirteen, he began playing music in local taverns, influenced by musicians such as Hank Williams and Django Reinhardt.

During his time in the Abbott area band the Bohemian Fiddlers, Nelson started to get recognized.  It was during this time that the first "Willie Nelson Fan Club" started.

After graduating high school, Nelson joined the Air Force, but was discharged due to chronic back problems.

After that, he became a disc jockey to earn a living, but began pursuing music professionally.

After moving to Nashville in 1960 and encountering struggles as a professional musician, Nelson began selling tunes that would become hits for other artists, including Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Roy Orbison ("Pretty Paper") and Faron Young ("Hello Walls").

A move to Austin, Texas in 1971 helped move Willie in his own direction, playing a hybrid of country, jazz and western swing that would bring him fans from all across the world.

Willie is well known for not only his great music, but his activism as well, working to help family farmers, advocating for marijuana legalization and lending his voice in support of tolerance and peace.

This week, we pay tribute to the awesome Willie Nelson and wish him many more years "on the road".



Enjoy!!!

TV Night - The Avengers

Patrick Macnee as John Steed and
Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale
during the second season of
"The Avengers"

Before the bowler hats, the Savile Row suits and the campy (yet, still awesome) storylines, there was a very well written spy-fi series.

The first iteration of the series "The Avengers" starred Ian Hendry as Dr. David Keel.  In the first episode, Dr. Keel meets up with a gentleman by the name of John Wickham Gascoyne Berresford Steed (Patrick Macnee) who not only helps him but talks him into working with him on other cases.

Unfortunately, only two of these episodes survive, neither available to the public.

For the second season, John Steed became the star of the show.  An agent with "the Ministry," Steed works with nightclub singer Venus Smith (Julie Stevens), Dr. Martin King (Jon Rollason) and, most importantly, Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), a widower who is not only an anthropologist but is also an expert in Judo.  Steed and his assistants work to solve cases involving rogue diamond merchants, Irish thieves and computer experts.

Macnee as John Steed and
Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in later seasons of
"The Avengers"

Blackman went on to star in the James Bond classic, "Goldfinger", but the series continued, (famously) with Macnee along with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel.

A little bit of trivia, Patrick Macnee is "an avid nudist" & "once invited Honor Blackman to watch him play tennis in the nude, an invitation she declined."

You should....

Check it out!!! (WP)(AMG)(IMDB)