Downtown Garland Celebrates Red Headed Stranger 50 Years After Willie's Nelson Release

In 1975, Willie Nelson released the seminal Red Headed Stranger, his first studio album to go platinum in the United States.

It was the first of many seminal moments for 91-year-old icon, who’s released over 100 albums to date and has basically never stopped touring (he’s set for a date in Dallas this summer).

Red Headed Stranger was recorded in Garland at Autumn Sound Studio, now known as Audio Dallas. Now 50 years later, Nelson’s songs are returning to the city in a sprawling two-day celebration of the album and his legendary decades-long career.

Festivities kick off on Friday, May 16, with a screening of Red Headed Stranger, the 1986 Western that stars Nelson as Julian Shay, a reverend in the midst of a violent crisis of faith. The screening will be held at the Plaza Theatre (521 W. State St.) preceded by a conversation hosted by journalist Michael Granberry with Nelson biographer Joe Nick Patoski and an appearance by new country icon Joshua Ray Walker starting at 7 p.m.

Friday is just the table setter to a full-blown Nelson takeover of the city on Saturday, which will include the Texas Music Office certifying Garland as a “music-friendly city,” joining Dallas and Fort Worth.

Throughout the day, a murderer’s row of North Texas’ country scene is scheduled to perform around the downtown Garland Square from 3–6 p.m., including Nathan Mongol Wells, Remy Reilly, David Forsyth, Doug Burr, Frankie Leonie and Jackson and Levi Scribner.

In the evening, Walker returns for a live performance at the Granville Arts Center along with Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel, Rhett Miller of Old 97's, plus Max and Heather Stalling and instrumentation by John Pedigo. The legendary North Texas musicians will each take turns playing songs from the record and sharing personal stories about its influence on them.

"Willie Nelson changed the way songwriters were allowed to make records forever," Walker says. "We have an example that proves that unaltered artistic vision and great storytelling can be a financially viable model."

Walker says that he doesn't yet know which songs he'll be performing from the record, but he expects the decision will come naturally as the show approaches.

"The 'Americana' genre wouldn’t exist today without Red Headed Stranger," he says.

In the lobby, an exhibition of Nelson memorabilia will be on display from the Texas Music Collection of the Wittliff Collections housed at Texas State University. Outside the theater, Nelson’s tour bus “Honeysuckle Rose” will be available for photos.

Tickets to Friday’s screening are available for $15. The live music sets throughout the day on Saturday are free, but the evening show at Granville Arts Center has a limited number of reserved seats available from $75–
95, or a VIP section for $105. VIP ticketholders will also receive a complimentary pass to the movie screening.