Red Headed Stranger

Released in 1975, Red Headed Stranger is the definitive statement of the Outlaw Country movement, though it sounds nothing like the rowdy honky-tonk often associated with the subgenre. After gaining full creative control from Columbia Records, Nelson recorded the album at Autumn Sound Studios for a mere $4,000. The result was so sparse that label executives famously mistook the finished master for a collection of demos. The album is a concept record following a 'stranger' who kills his unfaithful wife and her lover, then wanders through the West seeking redemption. Musically, it is anchored by Nelson's idiosyncratic, behind-the-beat phrasing and his nylon-string guitar work, supplemented by his sister Bobbie's elegant piano. It proved that country music could be high art, achieving massive commercial success and producing Nelson's first number-one hit, 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.' It remains a cornerstone of the American songbook.