TRUE POETS, Part 4, 5, 6: Willie Nelson, Floyd Tillman and Hank Cochran

Two words come to mind when I think of Willie Nelson: Amazing & Prolific. Amazing song stylist, songwriter and guitar player. I love that beat up acoustic with the hole in it and always look forward to his solos--you always know a Willie solo. Prolific--the sheer volume of songs, many great, some not-so-great. Three I don't enjoy--I refer to "Whiskey River", "Always On My Mind" and "On The Road Again". Prolific in the number of albums he puts out--perhaps too many. But there are gems among them. I guess I first became aware of Willie Nelson when he released "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain", a great song recorded years earlier by Roy Acuff. That was a breakthrough for an artist who had written such magnificent tunes as "Night Life", "Crazy" and "Hello Walls", megahits for Ray Price, Patsy Cline and Faron Young, respectively, among many others. He'd also had a helping hand from Ernest Tubb, who featured him on his TV show several times. But "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" and then his "Stardust" album really put him on the global radar. It's impossible to know every song or record ever made by Willie, but my favorite songs include "It Always Will Be", a tune that showcases his voice and guitar, and the record, "To Lefty, From Willie", a tribute album to a major influence, Lefty Frizzell, that features the best version of "I Never Go Around Mirrors" that I've ever hear.

My very favorite Willie moment is an old episode of "Austin City Limits" featuring a song circle of sorts, with Willie and two of country music's greatest songwriters--Floyd Tillman and Hank Cochran; Ray Price joined them halfway into the show. Floyd Tillman's songs iinclude "Slipping Around", "I Gotta Have My Baby Back", "I Love You So Much It Hurts Me" and "This Cold War With You", were were hits for him, among other artists. He also wrote "Drivin' Nails In My Coffin" and "It Makes No Difference Now", hits for the great Ernest Tubb. Hank Cochran wrote: "I Fall To Pieces"/Patsy Cline; "Don't Touch Me"/Jeannie Seely; "A-11"/Johnny Paycheck; "Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me"/Ray Price; "Make The World Go Away"/Eddy Arnold; ''She's Got You"/Patsy Cline; "Little Bitty Tear"/Burl Ives--what an amazing output! Watching that show, my jaw dropped and I emerged with a deep respect for song stylists and songwriters who really know the craft. Willie, Floyd and Hank, three poets whose songs are among the very finest, true country standards.

Here are three classic videos--first, Patsy Cline singing Hank Cochran's "I Fall To Pieces," then Jeannie Seely and her signature "Don't Touch Me," another Cochran masterpiece, then Willie and four songs that became megahits for other stars.

Patsy Cline: "I Fall To Pieces"


Jeannie Seely: "Don't Touch Me"