Meet The Nominees Vol. 8

Willie Nelson

Dolly Parton’s nomination and subsequent election last year stirred up a LOT of debate. As one of the foundational ingredients that make up the rock & roll stew, it’s self evident that there should be country representation in the Hall, and there are several major figures in the genre who have been inducted as early influences. But, depending on how you choose to categorize Brenda Lee, before Dolly entered Johnny Cash was the only true country artist inducted in the artist category. So that brought up two key questions. First, should there be more country music figures inducted? Second, if so, was Dolly the most appropriate person to break that seal, or should it instead have been someone with a larger footprint in rock & roll? Such as Emmylou Harris. Or Gram Parsons. Or Willie.

To be clear, Willie Nelson is as much of a rock act as Dolly is. He has dabbled in multiple genres over the course of his epic career, but very little of it can honestly be classified as rock. But he absolutely has always had a rock & roll aura about him, and not just due to his prodigious weed consumption. He epitomizes the “you can’t tell me what to do, I’ll follow my own muse” ethos better than anyone.

His early career followed the standard narrative, attempting to make a go of it in Nashville. Although he had major success as a songwriter, it wasn’t happening for him as an artist. He eventually left Nashville and set up base in his home state of Texas, where he finally established his legend. He created an atmosphere that allowed him to be true to himself, while connecting with a series of likeminded musicians who branded themselves as outlaws.

Collaboration has always been a big part of his brand. In addition to the albums he recorded with Waylon Jennings his catalogue is filled with duet albums with the likes of Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, and so many others. His annual multi-artist Fourth of July barbecues have been an institution for decades, and he continues to be the headliner for Farm Aid each year. And he joined forces with 3 other country heavyweights to record a trio of albums as The Highwaymen. There has never been a shortage of fellow artists eager to swim in his wake.

A major factor in his timelessness comes down to the fact that he didn’t really make it big until he was already in his 40s. There has always been a comforting presence about him. In fact, it’s a bit jarring to see photos or clips of a young Willie. It doesn’t seem like the same guy.

Part of what has made him such an institution has been how unique he is. Yes, his roots are in country and Americana, but he has always been musically curious and adventurous. One of his earliest mainstream successes was the Stardust album, in which he tackled the Great American Songbook in his own way. Hell, he even put out a reggae album late in his career. And no one else sounds like him, with his distinctly nasal voice, his tendency to ride around the melody and sing outside the lines, and the characteristic sounds that come out of his old, beat up guitar.

Willie is a musical legend and national institution of the highest order. As I’ve said in the past, it can be tricky to make predictions with such a large group of voters, but it’s safe to say that he’s close to a lock.

If elected, will he perform at the ceremony? Absolutely. The dude is pushing 90, and he still has a touring schedule that would exhaust a man a third of his age. It’s a good bet that he would close the show, and the majority of the other inducted artists would join him for a singalong finale.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit - Always On My Mind

My personal favorite - I’ll give a two part answer. My favorite Willie solo song is On the Road Again. If you examine the totality of his career, it’s Highwayman.

Potential Side Category Inductee - Mick Ronson

The initial inductee in the Musical Excellence category was Leon Russell back in 2011. That felt very fitting, as he was a perfect example of the term “jack of all trades.” Russell was a premier session musician, producer, and songwriter, in addition to his time as a chart topping recording artist. Perhaps neither of those elements in and of themselves could be Hall worthy, but combining all them added enough points to his ledger to make him an easy call. The same could likely be said for Mick Ronson.

He was best known for his longtime connection with David Bowie, as the chief musician in his band before, during, and after the classic Ziggy Stardust era. Not only were his clean guitar lines and crisp solos a key element in Bowie’s sound, but he was also a malleable enough player to be able to adjust to Bowie’s frequent stylistic changes. Ronson’s versatility helped make Bowie possible.

Additionally he collaborated with other major players such as Lou Reed and Ian Hunter, and was a member of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. As a much renowned musician and producer, he is exactly the type of key background player that deserves posthumous recognition from the Hall.

The Race To The Playoffs

I try my best to avoid dipping into the “things were better back when” well too often, but as the NBA season reaches the quarter pole, the way it is playing out brings back memories of a bygone era. I fondly remember the days when only 6 teams per conference made the playoffs. Once the playoff field expanded to 8 per, there would occasionally be times that I really missed that. In a few seasons I would see the 7th place team playing at a 50 win pace and wonder how much pressure they would be under if they needed to leap over the 6th team otherwise they would be left outside despite their high victory total.

This year there has been a great deal of parity, particularly among the Western Conference teams. They’re packed so tightly that any hot or cold streak could quickly move a team from looking at a likely home court advantage in their first round series to needing to depend upon the play-in tournament to play on or vice versa. As I’m writing this only 3 games separate the current #4 seed from the #11 seed in the Western Conference. The last few weeks of the season promise to be filled with tension as teams scramble for playoff position. Can’t wait.

You Stay Classy, San Diego And Open Up That Wallet

It’s become a cliche to point out that every MLB franchise has the ability to spend money, it’s just that too many choose not to do so. Proof of concept can be found with one of the smaller market teams, as San Diego continues to splurge in hopes of finally nabbing their first World Series title. Signing Manny Machado to a megabucks extension shows that the championship trophy is more than just a piece of metal to them. If San Diego can willingly spend, then nothing prevents other small market franchises from doing the same.

Good for Machado, and good for the Padres organization. They had spent years as arguably the most anonymous team in the sport. It would be a tall order to try to name five guys on the roster. The sad part had always been that San Diego has so much to offer any potential free agent. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to spend summers in that city? Beautiful weather roughly 350 days out of the year? Sign me up! Unfortunately team ownership had long welded their wallets shut.

The first sign that things were turning in the right direction came when they finally ditched their bland generic uniforms and returned to the classic brown color scheme. Since then they have spent, and spent big. Of course there is always the danger that they are spending beyond their means, particularly if none of this ultimately results in a World Series triumph. But there are few things that excite a fan base more than the realization that ownership cares about winning more than they do about bottom lines. Keep in mind that San Diego has a bit of a geographical handicap. It has the 8th highest population in the United States, yet it ranks as only the 27th ranked TV market. That’s because it has Mexico to the south and a desert to the east. Go west and you’re in the ocean, and local dolphins and seals are unlikely to purchase cable packages or season tickets. And you’re not traveling too far north before you’re starting to hit the outskirts of the LA market.

I’m a lifelong diehard Mets fan, but the Pads are likely my #1 backup rooting interest, both because a San Diego victory would serve as a lesson to some of their austerity minded brethren, but also due to childhood nostalgia I have for those old garish mustard uniforms.

Shut Up And Deal

Thanks for reading. As always, the suggestion box is open to all feedback. See you all again on Friday.