''Rainbow Connection'' is the 49th studio album by
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
singer
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
. It was recorded in December 2000 and January 2001 at Willie's ranch near Spicewood, TX.
Willie’s daughter Amy Nelson was just five years old when she first heard Kermit the Frog sing “Rainbow Connection” in The Muppet Movie, and she spent the next twenty years trying to talk her dad into recording it. In 2001, he finally did, with Amy—an accomplished musician in her own right—co-producing.
''Rainbow Connection'' was nominated for the 44th
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for
Best Country Album
The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors ...
.
Track listing
#"
Rainbow Connection
"Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film ''The Muppet Movie'', with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. The song was performed by Jim Henson – as Kermit the Frog – in the film. "Rainbow Connection" reache ...
" (
Paul Williams,
Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth Lee Ascher (born October 26, 1944 in Washington, D.C.) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema productio ...
) – 4:29
#"
I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover" (Paul Edgar Johnson) – 2:30
#"
Ol' Blue" (Traditional) – 2:36
#"Wise Old Me" (Amy Nelson) – 4:14
#"Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon" (
Rex Griffin
Alsie "Rex" Griffin ( – ) was an American country musician and songwriter.
Biography
Early years
Griffin was born in Gadsden, Alabama as the second of seven children to Marion and Selma Griffin. He grew up on a farm and received little scho ...
) – 1:28
#"Playmate" (
Henry W. Petrie) – 1:37
#"
I'm My Own Grandpa" (Dwight Latham, Moe Jaffe) – 3:19
#"Rock Me to Sleep" (
Tom Hunter
Sir Thomas Blane Hunter (born 6 May 1961) is a Scottish businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
Sports Division
Tom set up his first business after graduating from the University of Strathclyde as he was, in his own words, "unemployab ...
) – 3:16
#"Playin' Dominoes and Shootin' Dice" (Tex Woods, O.D. Dobbs) – 2:46
#"Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" (
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
) – 1:55
#"Outskirts of Town" (
Casey Bill Weldon) – 7:20
#"
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is a psychedelic rock song written by Mickey Newbury and best known from a version by The First Edition, recorded in 1967 and released to popular success in 1968. Said to reflect the ...
" (
Mickey Newbury
Milton Sims "Mickey" Newbury Jr. (May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002) was an American songwriter, recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Early life and career
Newbury was born in Houston, Texas, on May 19, ...
) – 3:42
#"The Thirty-Third of August" (
Mickey Newbury
Milton Sims "Mickey" Newbury Jr. (May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002) was an American songwriter, recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Early life and career
Newbury was born in Houston, Texas, on May 19, ...
)– 4:33
Personnel
*
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
– Guitar, vocals
*
Matt Hubbard – Harmonica, electric bass, bongos, keyboards, electric piano
*Amy Nelson – Vocals, background vocals, vocal harmony
*Lana Nelson – Vocals
*George Fowler - Background vocals
*Paula Nelson – Vocals
*Gabe Rhodes – Guitar
*David Zettner – Pedal steel, electric bass, guitar
Chart performance
References
2001 albums
Willie Nelson albums
Island Records albums
{{2000s-country-album-stub