45 Years Ago Today, Willie Nelson Ruled the Charts With This Acoustic Jazz Tribute to His “Folk Hero”

As Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert sing on their feud-ending duet “Horses and Divorces”, What a–hole doesn’t like Willie? In a time of deep polarization, Willie Nelson remains universally beloved. Celebrating his 93rd birthday last month, the national treasure is still sharing his gifts with the world through live performances and brand-new music. His seven-decade career has delivered plenty of delightful surprises, with one of them being his 1981 album Somewhere Over the Rainbow. An acoustic jazz arrangement of 1940s pop standards, the LP topped the country albums chart on this day (May 16) in 1981.

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Named for the 1939 Wizard of Oz theme, Willie Nelson recorded his 26th LP at Gilley’s Recording Studio in Pasadena, Texas.

Using only a mandolin, a fiddle, a stand-up bass and guitars, Nelson put his rootsy spin on time-honored classics like Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa” and the 19th-century lullaby “Twinkle, Twinkle Litte Star”.

This Willie Nelson Album Honored “the Best Guitar Player Ever”

It wasn’t quite like anything listeners had ever heard from the Red-Headed Stranger, and it demonstrated his sweeping musical tastes. Notably, WillieNelson meant Somewhere Over the Rainbow as a tribute to one of his personal heroes, Django Reinhardt. He once wrote about his discovery of the renowned jazz guitarist and composer’s work.

“No other musician has had a greater influence on me,” he said. “I felt like his guitar was talking to me. Django filled every song he played… even sad songs… with pure joy. His songs were like little short stories.”

Already captivated by his music, Nelson became further enthralled by Reinhardt’s personal story. After that, “he became like a folk hero to me,” recalled the Grammy winner.

Born in Belgium in 1910, Reinhardt nearly died in a caravan fire at age 18. With two fingers severely burned on his left hand, the promising guitarist learned he would never again play his beloved instrument. Reinhardt ignored this.

“Not only did he keep playing, but he found a way to turn the handicap into an advantage,” Nelson said. “He reinvented his guitar by soloing with only two fingers. He got better.”

[RELATED: On This Day in 1953, the World Lost Willie Nelson’s Greatest Guitar Influence, Who Mastered His Instrument Despite a Severe Disability]

In fact, Nelson sought to emulate Reinhardt’s sound when he purchased his trusty guitar, Trigger, in 1969. He took the electrical components from his old Baldwin guitar and installed them into the new Martin N-20 nylon string classical acoustic guitar. Trigger hasn’t left his side since.

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