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Willie Nelson moved from his home state of Texas to Nashville in 1961, and it didn’t take long for him to prove that he could write a hit country tune. Nelson’s future as a performer, though, was less clear. Only in 1975, with ‘Red Headed Stranger’ and ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,’ would Willie and the general public finally connect. Since then his path to iconhood has met with few obstacles, I.R.S. trouble aside. Now 70, he remains a vital force in American Music. Lend an ear to the 14 tracks from the early ‘60’s collection, and you may find yourself wondering what Nashville’s problem with Willie Nelson was back then. — Mac Randall