“WILLIE NELSON” Facts & Figures

by Desmond Kelly

Willie Nelson, the name is so well-known, the media in L.A. (not the real ones, but of course, as Donald Trump calls them, “the fake ones”), seem to have nothing better to do, so they are “killing-off” “legends” & Willie is the latest, (oh, my humble apologies), Willie is NOT really “dead” yet, but the news is out that he now wants everybody out there to pray for him, because he is now on the cusp of eternity, & very soon, another “chosen” Undertaker from Los Angeles will be making much more money covering the Willie Nelson funeral.This is one of the “brighter” starts to my stories Definitely one of the “best businesses” to be in folks, as people all over the World “die, to come to you”.

The facts & figures right at this moment are these. Willie Nelson is.not dead (yet) however, Ben Dorcy, affectionately known to everyone as “Lovey” IS DEAD. Who is Lovey Dorcy, ?, you ask. Well, Lovey was one of the longest-serving “Roadies” to many “Stars”, & Willie Nelson was one of them . He was also a personal friend & died at the ripe old age of 92. For those of my readers who don’t know what a “Roadie” is, they are in charge of carting around and setting up equipment for on-stage performances of the Entertainers. Lovey was reputed to be one of the oldest who loved his job and was also well-loved in return. Rest in peace, Lovey.

Everyone has to die, sometime. When I was still a fairly young man (in Australia), lucky enough to be well- known as an entertainer, someone telephoned my number at home & my wife(at the time) Cynthia, picked up the phone to be told in a rather sad, shocked voice ” We have just heard that Desmond Kelly has died”!!(shock, horror), My wife had “this thing” about being disturbed while cooking (agreed, I used to get plenty of telephone calls & was not always on hand to pick them up), said, quite politely to the “caller” “No, Desmond is very much alive, only the GOOD die young”. I’ll never know why she said that, I wadn’t the best husband in the World, but I wasn’t the worst, either.

Anyway, to get back to Willie Nelson. Yes, he has had a few medical set-backs lately but let us not forget the fact that he was one of the “outlaws” of Showbiz. He was born Willie Hugh Nelson on the 29th of April, 1933, American Musician, singer, song-writer, author, poet, actor & activist. This makes him just past 84 years of age. When I first heard great Country Stars like Hank Williams Senior and Willie Nelson, I was taken aback with the overly-nasal tone of their voices.

However, they were singing the only way they knew how to sing and one either “followed” them or didn’t. Hank Williams didn’t have much of a chance to prove his all-round talents. He died when he was just 29.

Willie Nelson, to me, had one of the rarest talents that I have ever seen in an Entertainer. Like Frank Sinatra, who was reputed to be “technically, the best singer in the World” simply because of the “phrasing” of each song. He was not known as “The Voice” for nothing.

Sinatra was not a “song-writer” however, and even his greatest “hit” My Way, was written for him by Paul Anka. “Shotgun Willie”, in my book, did many things that other entertainers of the era hadn’t a hope of doing. He played very good “guitar” (albeit the instrument was old & ragged). Willie wrote many fine Country songs, both for himself & other artistes.

What I consider to be his “rarest talent” is that Willie Nelson can not only phrase a song like Sinatra used to do, in addition, most of his songs are sung completely out of “cadence”, to the listening ear, but then, what is amazing, is that he, totally professionally, keeps a 100% “timing” throughout the song, not confusing his “backing musicians” , when he uses them, one iota.

This is extremely difficult to do. You think he is singing “out of time” & yet, he is very much “in time”.

I’ll close this article wishing Willue Nelson a sincere “get well” on behalf of all our Lankan Aussies. You certainly made your mark as a superb entertainer, your songs have made “millionaires” of many of your Collegues, you have also given your I.R.S. people plenty of headaches which they probably deserved.
You were a true “Outlaw” Willie Nelson. I take my “bandana” out to you.
P.S. Any typo-errors regretted.