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Steven Powell's avatar

Only a moron would have read the whole article and come away thinking you had anything but admiration for Willie, and his voice and his whole body of work. You were right by the way, he doesn't sing like any other country crooner!

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Lawson Wallace's avatar

One of my greatest regrets is never going to one of his picnics when I lived in Texas. I enjoyed your article.

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michaelcorcoran's avatar

Those were brutal affairs to cover, mainly because of the heat, but also hours of Willie's friends opening the show.

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Lawson Wallace's avatar

I bet, I went to the Texas Jam at the Cotton Bowl one summer. Damned near died from heat stroke.

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Steve Dillon's avatar

it is great that you were saying that about Willie not being able to sing when essentially you were saying that that is what makes him great

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Amanda Bowman's avatar

I love your mea culpa! Your honesty was refreshing.

It took me a few years to appreciate Willie’s jazz-like vocals. The man is brilliant.

I’ve never been to his birthday parties or Farm Aids. I loathe heat and crowds. I feel for all scribes that have to cover them.

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Pecos 45's avatar

What gets me about your blog, Michael, is the seemingly endless list of people who are no longer with us. Just about every post you make mentions folks I once knew well, but now they are gone. Gives me a bit of melancholy, but then I'm glad just to still be here.

The stars that once burned so brightly have now flamed out in their fall to earth.

(Every day is a gift.)

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Pecos 45's avatar

That co-promoter of the Dripping Springs festival was Geno McCoslin. He used to run The Western Place up in Dallas and would throw one Willie Nelson Family and Friends show at the old Dallas Sportatorium each year that he always over sold, but made a butt load of money. One year the Dallas Fire Marshall stood at the door counting the bodies entering until it reached capacity. Then they shut the door and said no more entrants because the building had reached its limit per the fire code. That left a ton of ticket holders standing outside. They weren't too happy, but there was little they could do. Geno killed himself about 40 years ago. Sad end, but there have been many in the music biz.

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