Willie Nelson named recipient of Gershwin Prize for Popular Song
Country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson has been named the next recipient of the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, it was announced Thursday.
In a career spanning more than six decades, the Texas native has evolved from a disk jockey and songwriter to one of the most successful country recording artists in the worlds, winning 11 Grammy Awards and selling more than 40 million records.
His voice, seemingly worn by time and burdened by experience even in his earliest recordings, attracted new audiences to country. But Nelson also served as a major innovator -- expanding the genre of country itself by exploring the language of blues, jazz, folk, rock and Latin, while also sparking a new sound: "outlaw country."
Librarian of Congress James Billington called Nelson "a master communicator" who has redrawn the boundaries of country music throughout his career. "The sincerity and universally appealing message of his lyrics place him in a category of his own while still remaining grounded in his country-music roots. ... Like America itself, he has absorbed and assimilated diverse stylistic influences into his stories and songs."
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song -- named in tribute to composers George and Ira Gershwin -- honors the lifetime contributions of artists to the field of popular song. Previous recipients of the Gershwin Prize include Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Carole King, and the songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Last year's recipient was Billy Joel.
"It is an honor to be the next recipient of the Gershwin Prize. I appreciate it greatly," Nelson said.
Since his first album, "And Then I Wrote," released in 1962, Nelson has recorded 70 studio albums (most recently "December Day," released last December) and nearly a dozen live albums, and has released more than 40 compilations.
He's also collaborated with such artists as Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Leon Russell, Dolly Parton, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Ray Price, Wynton Marsalis, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Bono, Julio Iglesias and Snoop Dogg.
His biggest hits include "Red Headed Stranger" (1975), "The Sound in Your Mind" and "The Troublemaker" (1976), "Stardust" (1978), "Always On My Mind" (1982), "The Promiseland" (1986), "The Great Divide" (2002), and last year's "Band of Brothers," which hit Number 1 on the country chart. His 2015 collaboration with Haggard, "Django & Jimmie," was also a Number 1 country hit, and placed number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart as well.
He is the recipient of 11 Grammy Awards, as well as multiple honors from the Country Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards and the American Music Awards.
After appearing in the 1979 film, "The Electric Horseman," Nelson also starred in the movies "Honeysuckle Rose," "Barbarosa," "Songwriter," and the TV movie, "Red Headed Stranger." He received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "On the Road Again."
Nelson will receive the Gershwin Prize in November in Washington, D.C., where he will be celebrated with a series of events honoring his career.
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