Willie Nelson's new album of pop standards, SUMMERTIME: WILLIE NELSON SINGS GERSHWIN, penned by America's legendary songwriting duo George and Ira Gershwin.
Among the 11 Gershwin classics recorded by Willie Nelson for his new album are two duets: ‘Let's Call The Whole Thing Off’ with Cyndi Lauper (the song was originally introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1937 film Shall We Dance) and ‘Embraceable You’ with Sheryl Crow (the song was performed by Ginger Rogers in Girl Crazy, recorded by Billie Holiday in 1944 and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2005).
Other songs on SUMMERTIME include: ‘But Not For Me’ (written for ‘Girl Crazy’), ‘Somebody Loves Me’, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ (which closes out Willie Nelson's 1978 album Stardust), ‘It Ain't Necessarily So’ (from Porgy and Bess), ‘I Got Rhythm’ (from Girl Crazy), ‘Love Is Here To Stay’ (the main theme in An American In Paris), ‘They All Laughed’ (written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance), ‘They Can't Take That Away From Me’ (written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance), and the immortal ‘Summertime’ (which has become one of the most covered songs in pop music history).
Willie Nelson's distinctive down home delivery and heartfelt vocal stylings mesh perfectly with the exquisite construction, unforgettable melodies and sublime romance of the Gershwin brothers' songs especially selected for SUMMERTIME. SUMMERTIME follows the selection of Willie as the 2015 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The first country artist ever to receive the distinguished Gershwin Prize, Willie Nelson was honoured in November 2015 with a two-day celebration in Washington, DC, culminating in a star-studded tribute concert. President Jimmy Carter, said of Willie, that his music has “enriched the lives of people far and wide for decades" and that the songwriter is truly worthy of this “prestigious and well-deserved award.”