Song of the Day 8/21: Willie Nelson, “Red Headed Stranger”

The title song and the conceptual genesis of the album that made Willie Nelson’s career. “The Tale of the Red Headed Stranger” was a nearly forgotten country tune that Willie used to play as a DJ when it came out in 1954. His then-wife suggested he build a concept album around it, which he did in 1975, mixing some old country standards with a couple of originals and musical links to hold the story together. He recorded the whole album with just a drummer, himself on guitar and his sister Bobbie on the piano, plus a little harmonica and mandolin for color, at a cost of only $20,000. When executives at Columbia heard it, they thought it was a demo tape, and were infuriated when he told them no, this was the finished product. Columbia had just signed Nelson to a contract giving him full control of his releases, so they gritted their teeth and released the LP, which eventually went double platinum and was instrumental in kicking off the “outlaw” movement in country music.

The lyrics were written by Edith Lindeman, whose day job was entertainment editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, with music by Carl Stutz, a musician who worked as an accountant and high school math teacher. They wrote the song with Perry Como in mind, but he never recorded it. It was instead Arthur Smith and his Cracker Jacks who released it as a single. Though it didn’t reach the charts, it got a good bit of airplay. Their version gallops along compared to Willie’s laconic pace.