In the wake of the hard news of Willie Nelson’s long-time drummer, Paul English, passing there is some good news.
The 86 year-old country music legend will release his 70th (!!!) studio album “First Rose Of Spring” ON April 24. The album features 11 new Willie Nelson studio performances and featuring original artwork created by Willie’s son Micah, and finds Willie working again with longtime friend and producer Buddy Cannon and will feature two new songs co-written by the pair: “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed.”
Among the younger songwriters featured on ‘First Rose Of Spring’ are Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson (“First Rose Of Spring”) and Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson (“Stealing Home”).
Alongside his new compositions on the album, Willie pays musical tribute to a variety of pop and country songwriters and performers, interpreting songs penned by Toby Keith (“Don’t Let The Old Man In”), Billy Joe Shaver (“We Are The Cowboys”) and Pete Graves (“Just Bummin’ Around” – a song recorded by Jimmy Dean, Dean Martin, and others).
Closing ‘First Rose Of Spring’ is Charles Aznavour’s “Hier encore,” a 1964 chanson which became an American country classic (and Roy Clark’s biggest hit) as “Yesterday When I Was Young” (English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer) in 1969 and, over the years, became a beloved standard performed by a multitude of stars including Bing Crosby, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Mel Tormé, Jack Jones, Lena Horne, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Johnny Mathis, Elton John and many more. A bittersweet reflection on mortality and life’s transient (and transcendent) beauty, “Yesterday When I Was Young.”
Pre-order “First Rose Of Spring†here.
Hear the elegantly poignant title song below:
Lyrics:
The first time that he saw her
He knew everything had changed
Overnight love started blooming
Like the first rose of spring
Auburn hair like a sunrise
Sweetest smile he’d ever seen
Butterflies, they danced around her
Like the first rose of spring
Summertime would’ve never started
And wintertime would never end
She colored his life, opened his eyes
To things he’d never dream
Without the first rose of spring
Gave him children like a garden
They gave ‘em all the love they’d need
To grow up strong, she made a home
And every year he’d bring her
The first rose of spring
The last time he saw her
He knew everything had changed
He said goodbye and let the tears fall like rain
On the first rose of spring
First Rose Of Spring will be available on CD, vinyl and digital formats as well as part of exclusive merch bundles on Willie’s web store. The album’s title track and the “First Rose Of Spring” music video are being released today.
Pre-order album and hear “First Rose Of Spring” here: https://WillieNelson.lnk.to/1stRose
Watch the video for “First Rose Of Spring” here: https://WillieNelson.lnk.to/1stRoseVideo
An atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully-written songs and poignant performances, First Rose Of Spring is the artist’s first new release since winning the 2020 Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award–Willie’s 10th overall, not including his Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards–for “Ride Me Back Home,” the title track from his 2019 Legacy Recordings release. The previous year, My Way, Willie’s musical homage to Frank Sinatra took home the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Premiering 11 new Willie Nelson studio performances and featuring original artwork created by Willie’s son Micah, First Rose Of Spring finds Willie working again with longtime friend and producer Buddy Cannon and debuts two new songs co-written by the pair: “Blue Star” and “Love Just Laughed.”
An intimate journey through life and love as seen through Willie’s unique perspective,
First Rose Of Spring finds the artist deep in every moment, sharing profound insights and experiences through songs he’s written and songs he loves to sing.
One of the key tracks on First Rose Of Spring is Willie’s heartfelt interpretation of “Our Song,” a new composition by contemporary country music hitmaker Chris Stapleton. Willie Nelson & Family will appear as special guests on Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Roadshow” on two big dates this year: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on March 14 and “A Concert for Kentucky” at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on April 25.
Willie Nelson – First Rose Of Spring
1. First Rose Of Spring (Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin & Mark Beeson)
2. Blue Star (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
3. I’ll Break Out Again Tonight (Sanger “Whitey” Shafer & Doodle Owens)
4. Don’t Let The Old Man In (Toby Keith)
5. Just Bummin’ Around (Pete Graves)
6. Our Song (Chris Stapleton)
7. We Are The Cowboys (Billy Joe Shaver)
8. Stealing Home (Marla Cannon-Goodman, Casey Beathard & Don Sampson)
9. I’m The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised (Wayne Kemp, Bobby Borchers & Mack Vickery)
10. Love Just Laughed (Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon)
11. Yesterday When I Was Young (Hier Encore) (Charles Aznavour & Herbert Kretzmer)