Willie Nelson

Popand country music were never entirely isolated from one another. Some of thematerial sung by the early generations of country recording artists originatedon Tin Pan Alley before seeping into the folk traditions of the South. Later,Tony Bennett recorded Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and, during the early’60s, Nashville’s“countrypolitan” acts aimed for crossover appeal. Still, it was consideredunusual in 1978 when outlaw country singer Willie Nelson recorded an album ofold pop standards named for a Hoagy Carmichael favorite, Stardust.

Itwas so commercially successful and enjoyable for Nelson that he continued todip into the Great American Songbook for years to come. Stardust: Legacy Edition packages the 1978 LP with a second disc ofstandards recorded by Nelson in the ’80s and ’90s. With a reedy grain in hisvoice, Nelson was no bel canto singer, no Sinatra, but he sang the old songswith conviction. The original Stardustwas produced by ’60s soul man Booker T. Jones, who gave Nelson a low-keygrounding with a comfortable combo drawing from country and R&B whilesounding like neither. The high pointwas Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” in a performance true to its Jewish cantormelancholy, belying the optimism of the lyrics.