Liner Notes

Red Headed Stranger

We’re going to have a little extra fun with this episode. In fact, you might say I have high hopes for it.

One of my dad’s, and my, favorite artists is Willie Nelson. One of my favorite holidays is the day this episode drops, and I’m not talking about Easter.

Some of the most favorite songs-to-record in music history are on this album. So famous, just the songs you’ll hear have been recorded more than 63 hundred times. That’s what you call standards.

And the voice who sings them? A classic!

We definitely need to take a toke of Indica for this one as we get mellow.

So get ready to bake a mixture of melancholy and marijuana with one of the most recognizable voices in history singing some of history’s most recognizable vocals in Volume 225: The Standard Stoner.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Go Directly to Any Song or Break on YouTube:

00:00 – Season’s Show Intro
00:49 – Episode Introduction
02:07 – Georgia on My Mind
06:24 – First Break: Why I chose this record for this episode
09:08 – All Of Me
12:58 – Second Break: More information about the record, its marketplace value and what condition my dad’s vinyl is in.
15:39 – Blue Skies
19:09 – Third Break: Artist Bio
22:24 – Unchained Melody
26:10 – Fourth Break: this episode’s Interesting Side Note.
29:20 – On The Sunny Side Of The Street
31:50 – Describe Willie’s Autobiography Roll me Up and Smoke Me when I Die
34:00 – Moonlight In Vermont
37:21 – Fifth Break: Final Words
39:22 – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
41:51 – Special bonus song intro
42:32 – Someone To Watch Over Me
46:31 – Close

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Willie Nelson – Stardust
Label: Columbia – JC 35305
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Promo, Terre Haute
Released: 1978
Genre: Rock, Blues, Pop
Style: Country Blues

Georgia On My Mind
Written-By – Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930
A song record 1125 times

All Of Me
Written-By – Gerald Marks and Seymore Simons in 1931
Recorded 953 times

Blue Skies
Written-By – Irving Berlin in 1926
Recorded 637 times

Unchained Melody
Written-By – Alex North and Hy Zaret in 1955
Recorded 708 times

On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Written-By – Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh in 1930
Recorded 814 times

Moonlight In Vermont
Written-By – John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf in 1944
Recorded 545 times

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
Written-By – Bob Russell and Duke Ellington in 1940
Recorded 611 times

Someone To Watch Over Me
Written-By – George and Ira Gershwin in 1926
Recorded 928 times

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#willienelson #standards #stoners #stonerholiday #420 #musicalmemories #musichistory #vinylcollecting #vinylrecords

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 225 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

We’re going to have a little extra fun with this episode. In fact, you might say I have high hopes for it.

One of my dad’s, and my, favorite artists is Willie Nelson. One of my favorite holidays is the day this episode drops, and I’m not talking about Easter.

Some of the most favorite songs-to-record in music history are on this album. So famous, just the songs you’ll hear have been recorded more than 63 hundred times. That’s what you call standards.

And the voice who sings them? A classic!

We definitely need to take a toke of indica for this one as we get mellow.

So get ready to bake a mixture of melancholy and marijuana with one of the most recognizable voices in history singing some of history’s most recognizable vocals in Volume 225: The Standard Stoner.

[Music: Georgia on My Mind]

The incomparable voice of the one and only Willie Nelson singing a song that many people think he wrote, Georgia on My Mind
Written-By – Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930
A song record 1125 times according to second hand music dot com.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

To put it BLUNTLY, I HAD to take this opportunity for a show celebrating a famous stoner on this stoner holiday. In fact, maybe the patron saint of stoners since it’s customary to leave a plate of special cookies out for him on April 19 before you go to bed.

And the Willie Nelson autobiography I’m partially basing this episode off of was one my dad read before he loaned it to me.

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die. I was kind of surprised when I saw the book in my dad’s library. But it’s a great read and I think it calmed some of the questions he had about MY smoking when he saw such a famous person embracing its goodness.

My dad only had one vinyl LP of Nelson’s music, but he owned several CDs and cassettes and I know he listened to Willie’s music a lot later in his life. I would often hear the Red-Headed Stranger’s voice on the back patio during the summer.

The songs on this episode were recorded 6,321 times. You can’t get more standard than that. And you can’t get more of a celebrated stoner than Willie Nelson.

Yes, I’m a smoker. Something that took both my mom and dad some time to get used to, once they found out.

If you’re still kind of lost on the connection, the number 420 is code for smoking weed. It’s the time of day people are said to have met back in the 1970s in order to get high after school or work. At my last job we referred to it as a safety meeting. The date, April 20, which is written 4/20 has turned into an annual celebration of everything cannabis.

That’s why I have chosen this artist for this episode on this date.

Next up, a song that became the title and theme song of a great Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin film.

[Music: All Of Me]

All Of Me
Written-By – Gerald Marks and Seymore Simons in 1931
Recorded 953 times

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Willie Nelson – Stardust
Label: Columbia – JC 35305
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Promo, Terre Haute
Released: 1978
Genre: Rock, Blues, Pop
Style: Country Blues

This is stamped Promo Copy

We will hear 7 of the 10 songs on this album

There are no liner notes for this record, but the back cover does list among other things the musicians on this recording.

Vocals, Guitar – Willie Nelson
Guitar – Jody Payne
Piano – Bobbie Nelson – Willie’s sister
Harmonica – Mickey Raphael
Bass – Bee Spears, Chris Ethridge
Drums – Paul English, Rex Ludwig
Conductor [String] – Jules Chaiken
Producer, Arranger who also played Organ and Piano – Booker T. Jones

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$69.95 High
$5.00 Low

$25.59 Average
$20.00 Median

Last sold on Apr 01, 2025 for $19.99

My dad’s copy is in good condition. Not much noise at all on the entire disk. The surface seems to be pretty clean, with no real markings.

The cover is in fair condition. Definite wear along the edges. There’s some tearing of the paper, but no slits that open up. There’s only a slight circular wear mark where the album sits inside.

There is a green magic marker streak on the back, but no other usual markings. He does not have the typical address label on the front cover.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at two bucks.

Next up is just one of those songs I play every chance I get.

[Music: Blue Skies]

How many times have you heard this song on this show?
Blue Skies
Written-By – Irving Berlin in 1926
Recorded 637 times

There is absolutely no time to do justice to any kind of biography for this mega super star. So I’ll try to pack one up and hit some high notes.

Willie Nelson, the red-headed troubadour of Texas, has blazed trails in country music and counterculture alike. Born April 28, 1933 in Abbott, Texas, Willie’s early days were steeped in honky-tonks and radio gigs before he hit Nashville to pen hits like “Crazy” for Patsy Cline. But it wasn’t until he ditched the turtle-necks and sports jackets for braids and bandanas in Austin that he truly found his groove. Albums like *Shotgun Willie* and *Red Headed Stranger* cemented his status as a leader of the outlaw country movement—a genre that broke free from Nashville’s cookie-cutter mold. With his jazz-inflected phrasing and gut-string guitar, Willie became a musical maverick, blending country, rock, and pop into a sound as smooth as a freshly rolled joint. His career boasts an evergreen playlist, including hits like “On the Road Again” and “Always On My Mind,” which have made him an icon.

Beyond the music, Willie has been a high-profile advocate for cannabis legalization, puffing his way into legend with stories like sparking up on the White House roof. His love affair with the herb began in the 1950s, though it took him a few tries to master the art of inhaling properly (rookie mistake!). By the ’70s, he was weaving sly references to weed into his songs and championing its medicinal and recreational benefits. Willie’s Reserve, his cannabis brand launched in 2016, is a nod to his lifelong commitment to “rolling one for the road.” Even after hanging up his smoking gear due to health concerns, Willie remains an edible enthusiast and a vocal supporter of marijuana reform—a true OG of the green scene.

But Willie’s legacy isn’t just about music or marijuana; it’s about community. His Fourth of July picnics and Farm Aid concerts have brought people together while raising awareness for family farmers. Whether he’s crooning classics like “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” or advocating for cannabis freedom with NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), Willie embodies a laid-back spirit that’s as enduring as the scent of a freshly lit joint wafting through Luckenbach, Texas.

He is “on the road again,” proving that life—and music—is better when you keep it mellow.

In just eight days from when this episode drops, Willie Nelson turns 92 years old.

OK…time for another big hit.

[Music: Unchained Melody]

Unchained Melody
Written-By – Alex North and Hy Zaret in 1955
Recorded 708 times

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with why Willie loves his weed.

Just to let you know, I let a mixture of chatbots write this for me, with a little fact-checking on my part.

Willie Nelson and marijuana go together like whiskey and a honky tonk heartbreak. The man didn’t just blaze trails in country music—he blazed everything. In Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Willie doesn’t tiptoe around his fondness for the green goddess. He talks about weed like it’s a lifelong dance partner—always there, always swaying to the rhythm, never stepping on his boots. The title alone tells you he’s not shy about his preference for a proper puff, even after he’s shuffled off this mortal stage. He credits the sweet leaf with keeping him mellow and creative, claiming it’s helped him write some of his greatest hits. Willie’s even gone so far as to say that cannabis saved his life, keeping him from “wanting to kill people” and helping him kick harder habits.

He’s compared weed to medicine, meditation, and even mentioned it’s helped him swap out harsher vices like whiskey and cigarettes. “I don’t drink anymore,” he once said. “I only smoke my medicine.”

In fact, Willie’s relationship with Mary Jane is so legendary that he once lit up on the White House roof with President Carter’s son, proving that even the highest office in the land isn’t immune to getting a little higher.

Over the years, Willie has been a vocal advocate for cannabis legalization, calling it a plant of peace and healing. He’s likened it to a good friend who never lets you down, unlike, say, the IRS. His public persona is practically a walking, talking (and probably toking) billboard for the benefits of marijuana. Whether he’s crooning about heartbreak or strumming his way through a honky-tonk anthem, you can bet there’s a little herbal inspiration wafting through the air. Willie doesn’t just smoke reefer; he’s practically its poet laureate.

And let’s not forget his entrepreneurial spirit. Willie’s cannabis brand, Willie’s Reserve, is like the Whole Foods of weed—organic, high-quality, and unapologetically Willie. He’s turned his love for the plant into a business that’s as authentic as his music. So, whether you’re celebrating 4/20 with a joint, a brownie, or just a playlist of Willie’s greatest hits, remember: the man himself would probably say, “Stay high, stay happy, and keep on rollin’.”

I’ll smoke to that. (flick Bic)

Here’s to Willie. Always looking on the sunny side. (light one up?)

[Music: On The Sunny Side Of The Street]

On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Written-By – Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh in 1930
Recorded 814 times

Since I’m playing an extra song, I thought I would take a quick moment to introduce you to the book I was kind of surprised my dad had on his shelf. He really enjoyed it and made sure he passed it along to me when he was finished. He must have passed it on to someone else after I returned it because we couldn’t find it in his library after died.

I enjoyed it also. Willie has some great stories from the road. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the Amazon description.

In Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, Willie Nelson muses about his greatest influences and the things that are most important to him, and celebrates the family, friends, and colleagues who have blessed his remarkable journey. Willie riffs on everything, from music to poker, Texas to Nashville, and more. He shares the outlaw wisdom he has acquired over the course of eight decades, along with favorite jokes and insights from family, bandmates, and close friends.

A road journal written in Willie Nelson’s inimitable, homespun voice and a fitting tribute to America’s greatest traveling bard, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, introduced by another favorite son of Texas, Kinky Friedman, is a deeply personal look into the heart and soul of a unique man and one of the greatest artists of our time, a songwriter and performer whose legacy will endure for generations to come.

The book was published in 2012.

Three years later he turned that title into a song with help from Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson and another famous stoner Snoop Dogg. Give it a listen if you get a chance.

Has that indica kicked in yet? This next one is as mellow as you get.

[Music: Moonlight In Vermont]

Moonlight In Vermont
Written-By – John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf in 1944
Recorded 545 times

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

There was so much good music on this record, I didn’t even play the title track, Stardust.

I can always listen to Willie. And I often do especially when I’m in an Outlaw country mood, or just want to hear some good singing.

This musician was one of the other true music connections my dad and I had, other than the Tijuana Brass. And I’m sure that after he read Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die, he realized why I was probably a smoker myself, and he seemed to be more relaxed about discussing that habit with me.

I don’t remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

I’m pretty sure this one was acquired after I left, but I can’t be sure.

I know I would have listened to it if I knew it was there. It has simple yet memorable cover art painted by Susanna Clark. It depicts a dark starry night with only a handful of bright stars. The words in a white serif font spell out Willie Nelson with Stardust underneath in equal size font. Clark’s signature is in the lower left.

The back has a great photo of Willie taken by Beverly Parker. He’s wearing a colorful cold weather jacket with a blue bandana around his neck. He’s wearing a top hat the kind we were used to seeing on Tom Petty. There’s a blurry small mountain range in the background.

I’m pretty sure I would have remembered this cover.

Well, I don’t think the title of this next song is true when talking about Willie.

[Music: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore]

That’s really misleading coming from Willie.
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
Written-By – Bob Russell and Duke Ellington in 1940
Recorded 611 times

So I kind of misled you here. I do have one more tune. After listening to this record several times, I realized there was one more song I should be playing. It’s like this song represents the entire collection that sits behind me along that back wall.

It’s as if my dad is still watching over me.

[Music: Someone To Watch Over Me]

Someone To Watch Over Me
Written-By – George and Ira Gershwin in 1926
Recorded 928 times

And there you have selections from an album featuring a leader in the cannabis revolution performing songs that had been recorded thousands of times before.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 225: The Standard Stoner

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 226: Hirt’s Dixieland Horn

Until then,
Stay baked my friends.