Willie Nelson Is Paying Tribute To an Old Friend

It is Willie Nelson who has defined the best of country music for decades of fans, but it was songwriter Harlan Howard who best defined what country music is when he called it succinctly “Three chords and the truth.” Though that might be the Country Music Hall of Famer’s most quoted line, it’s Harlan Howard’s catalog of songs that just like Willie Nelson’s career, defines what country music is in its greatest form, and for many generations.
“Streets of Baltimore,” “Life Turned Her That Way,” and “Tiger By The Tail” are just some of the songs that Harlan Howard hung his career on, and are songs that Willie Nelson has selected for his next project called I Don’t Know A Thing About Love to be released March 3rd as a tribute to Harlan. A few more Howard tracks that didn’t make the cut but most country fans will recognize immediately are “I Fall To Pieces,” “Heartaches By The Number,” and “Why Not Me.”
Harlan Howard was considered the “Dean of Nashville Songwriters,” and not just because of all the incredible cuts he amassed, but how he was welcoming to everyone to his legendary guitar pulls, and made it a point to tutor and shepherd promising songwriters when they came to town. Harlan Howard taught Nashville how to write country music for half a century, and had the respect of everyone young and old.

In some ways, you could consider this upcoming tribute album as payback to Harlan Howard from Willie. During the CMA Awards week in 1971, Howard invited Willie Nelson to one of his famous guitar pulls. Willie was picking on Trigger, which already had the famous hole in it. It was during the pull that Willie played the songs from an album he wanted to record called Phases and Stages. Problem was, Willie was sideways with his label RCA, and wanted his creative freedom.
In that room that night was famous producer Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records. He asked Willie to sign with the label on the spot. This is what gave Willie Nelson the freedom to record what he wanted, with who he wanted, and it helped spark the “Outlaw” revolution.
I Don’t Know A Thing About Love was produced by longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, with a studio crew that includes Larry Paxton (bass, tic tac bass), Lonnie Wilson (drums), Bobby Terry (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), James Mitchell (electric guitar), Mike Johnson (steel guitar), Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Jim “Moose” Brown (piano, synthesizer, B3 organ, Wurlitzer), Wyatt Beard (background vocals), and Melonie Cannon (background vocals).
Ahead of the new album, Willie Nelson has released the old Harlan Howard classic “Busted.” It was first recorded by Johnny Cash with the Carter Family in 1963 and became a hit. Ray Charles and others have recorded the song as well.
Willie Nelson turns 90 in April, and if you’re wondering if he has anything left in the tank, his four Grammy nominations say, “yes.” Willie’s up for Best Country Solo Performance (“Live Forever” from Live Forever: A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver); Best Country Song (“I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die,” songwriting award, from A Beautiful Time); Best Country Album (A Beautiful Time); and Best Roots Gospel Album (The Willie Nelson Family). We’ll find out if he wins of February 5th.
I Don’t Know A Thing About Love is now available for pre-order.
Track List:
1. Tiger By The Tail
2. The Chokin’ Kind
3. Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got A Heartache)
4. Life Turned Her That Way
5. I Don’t Know A Thing About Love
6. Streets Of Baltimore
7. Busted
8. She Called Me Baby
9. Too Many Rivers
10. Beautiful Annab
January 17, 2023 @ 8:08 pm
Better late than never…Willie is only 56 years behind his good friend Waylon with this album…at Willie’s age now, I doubt he will be able to match Waylon in his prime, singing on the 67 album Waylon sings Ol’ Harlan.
January 18, 2023 @ 6:08 pm
As much as I love Waylon, I believe I still have the box set of his early recordings for RCA (ie pre-Honky To k Hero’s) and he was VERY much still finding us sound on at least half of it. Which isn’t to criticize Waylon, rather to me it shows how long and hard he tried to perfect his sound.
January 20, 2023 @ 2:28 pm
Buck Owen’s did an album of Harlan Howard in 1961. Heartaches for a Dime, Heartaches by the Number. Keeper of the Key, Pick Me Up on your way Down, One you slip around with, and Key’s in the Mailbox. Good music.
January 22, 2023 @ 9:45 pm
These people had real talent which you might think is rare but rather it seems good singers never get discovered anymore unless they know someone connected. Celine tanguay dion is related through my grandfather to our youngest but we don’t know her. Our Jo rivals the greatest voices but will likely never be discovered. Joanna Lauren YouTube – beautiful incredible singer, writer – she can be seen and you will know what I mean. Joanna Lauren YouTube original song – and video Siren, Paradise, Hodinni and more. You will understand. It’s who you know not how great the talent is. What a shame.
January 18, 2023 @ 2:06 am
Voice is strong. Fresh arrangement. Pickin’ is outstanding. Mickey is soarin’. This puts a big smile on my face. I can already hear Willie playing it on a hot night this summer on another Outlaw Tour.
January 20, 2023 @ 1:11 pm
No one like Willie.
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January 22, 2023 @ 1:27 pm
Everyone loves Willie. Are you “crazy”?
January 18, 2023 @ 4:50 am
Man, this is awesome.
I went to a Willie show 3 years ago and he showed up a half measure early all night. If it were anyone else we’d say he screwed up, but for Willie we call it “phrasing.”
January 18, 2023 @ 8:14 am
Listen, I adore Willie but he definitely has a tendency to overdo the phrasing — singing either way before or way after the beat. He controls it on record but it’s pretty unrestrained in concert. That aside, really looking forward to this record….and how about that cover art? Love it!!
January 18, 2023 @ 6:26 am
Thanks for the article. I haven’t heard about Harlan Howard for long time…
January 18, 2023 @ 6:33 am
I didn’t know HH wrote Why Not Me. One of the catchiest pop country songs of the 80s. Love that one.
January 18, 2023 @ 7:36 am
Coincidentally, March 3rd is also the day when Harlan died in 2002.
January 18, 2023 @ 8:13 am
I downloaded Willie’s version of Busted and added it to my classic country radio station’s playlist. If that’s not classic country, I don’t know what is.
The problem with Nashville now is there are no more Harlan Howards writing songs for them.
January 18, 2023 @ 11:03 am
God bless them all
January 18, 2023 @ 11:13 am
I knew that Johnny Cash sang “Busted,” but I didn’t know that he was the first to do the song or that he even released it as a single. Ray Charles’ version and, on the country side, John Conlee’s, seem to be the most prominent.
January 19, 2023 @ 9:33 am
My favorite version is Charlie Pride’s. Probably because that’s where I heard it first.
January 19, 2023 @ 6:33 pm
Harlan Howard was loved by everyone in country music & Nashville. Willie Nelson is lived by all country fans.
Nashville, not so much
January 18, 2023 @ 11:55 am
Lots of good stories were told about Harlan at his memorial service at the Ryman some 20 years ago. One story shared at the event was that Harlan thought that to be considered an alcoholic one had to start drinking before noon. In order to escape that label, Harlan would watch the clock until “the appointed time” (noon), then walk into the bar, rip off his smoking patch, fire up a cig, and order a Bloody Mary.
January 18, 2023 @ 3:44 pm
Just based off songs listed in this post (I unfortunately do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of the vast Harlan Howard catalogue):
Streets of Baltimore: one of the great story songs and also one of the great songs about a specific place. Also I used to go to Baltimore Orioles games with my Pop Pop.
Life Turned Her That Way: The one time I went to the Opry Little Jimmy Dickens sang this. Not to make this about me, but this song could be about me.
Rule of threes says I’m not done…love Candi Staton’s version of He (She) Called Me Baby, did not know Harlan wrote that. And ditto for a Connie Smith’s version of Too Many Rivers.
Love that Willie is doing this. Would love to see more songwriter “tribute” albums (they used to call them songbook albums). Would love a Connie Smith singing Don Gibson album or a Lee Ann Womack singing _____ (Bobbie Cryner maybe?!)
January 18, 2023 @ 5:19 pm
My favorite Harlan Howard composition is a tune about a guy in a wacky ward that denies he was ever with a gal trying to profess otherwise; John Conlee recorded it, titled, ” I Don’t Remember Loving You.”
January 18, 2023 @ 5:45 pm
As a guy who was once in a wacky ward and thought a nurse was an extra special ex of mine, I co-sign 100%! Love this song.
January 18, 2023 @ 5:19 pm
The modern-day “Hardest Working Man in Show Business”? Have to at least include Willie in the mix.
January 18, 2023 @ 7:08 pm
Hot dang! The only issue I have with this project is Willie should have recorded and placed more songs on the album. A few others to add: “Don’t Tell Me What to Do,” Above and Beyond” and “Somewhere Tonight.” It would’ve been cool to add “Blame It On Your Heart” too. Anyway, this album is cued for pre-purchase. Can’t wait…
January 18, 2023 @ 10:26 pm
The Chokin Kind is one of my absolute favorites to sing when I do Waylon!
January 20, 2023 @ 2:50 am
Willie and Krista and Roger might 3 best country writers ever rock I would take .cannon and forgery what do you think
January 20, 2023 @ 4:12 am
Love Willy the singer the look loved him all my life , my memories was Glastonbury right up the front watching him , keep singing Darling xxxxxxx old fan
January 20, 2023 @ 9:25 am
Love this commentary! Send more
IM RON FOURNIER IN RI
January 20, 2023 @ 12:13 pm
I love Streets of Baltimore . Charlie Pride version was great.
January 20, 2023 @ 2:21 pm
Willie Nelson was part of that late 50’s and 60’s group of songwriters that were the best Nashville has or ever will see. Harlan Howward, Hank Locklin, Hank Cochran, Bill Anderson, Dolly Parton, Roger Miller, Wayne Kemp, and to a certain extent Justin Tubb, Curley Putnam, and Bobby Bradfock. That was the golden age of country songwriting.
January 20, 2023 @ 7:30 pm
If his “old friend” isn’t called taxes, then move along…