Legendary country singer/songwriter Willie Nelson is 70 at the end of April, so expect a rush of rereleases from the various labels he has worked with over the years.
Sony label Legacy has already confirmed ten titles will be reissued this year, the first - a two-disc retrospective called 'The Essential Willie Nelson', will hit the stores on 18 Mar. Among the other albums due for a remastered rerelease are 'Willie Nelson & Family Live', 'Pancho & Lefty', 'San Antonio Rose' and 'Always on My Mind'.
Sugar Hill Records meanwhile will release a compilation of tracks recorded in his pre-major days in the early sixties. Called ‘Crazy: The Demo Sessions’ the album, out 11 Feb, boasts eight previously unreleased recordings, including one Nelson original that was only recently discovered.
No word on whether current label, Universal’s Lost Highway Records, will try to cash in on the birthday, though they are likely to give Nelson’s live album, ‘Stars & Guitars’, released last November, another push.