Rainbow Connection (album)

Rainbow Connection is the 49th studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. It was recorded in December 2000 and January 2001 at Willie's ranch near Spicewood, Texas. 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
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 12, 2001
StudioPedernales Recording (Spicewood, Texas)
GenreCountry
LabelIsland[1]
ProducerMatt Hubbard, Amy Nelson, David Zettner, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson chronology
Milk Cow Blues
(2000)
Rainbow Connection
(2001)
The Great Divide
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Rainbow Connection was nominated for the 44th Grammy Award for Best Country Album.

Track listing

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  1. "Rainbow Connection" (Paul Williams, Kenneth Ascher) – 4:29[5]
  2. "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover" (Paul Edgar Johnson) – 2:30
  3. "Ol' Blue" (Traditional) – 2:36
  4. "Wise Old Me" (Amy Nelson) – 4:14
  5. "Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon" (Rex Griffin) – 1:28
  6. "Playmate" (Henry W. Petrie) – 1:37
  7. "I'm My Own Grandpa" (Dwight Latham, Moe Jaffe) – 3:19
  8. "Rock Me to Sleep" (Tom Hunter) – 3:16
  9. "Playin' Dominoes and Shootin' Dice" (Tex Woods, O.D. Dobbs) – 2:46
  10. "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" (Willie Nelson) – 1:55
  11. "Outskirts of Town" (Casey Bill Weldon) – 7:20
  12. "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (Mickey Newbury) – 3:42
  13. "The Thirty-Third of August" (Mickey Newbury)– 4:33

Personnel

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  • Willie Nelson – 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

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Chart (2001) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 52

References

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  1. ^ "Willie Nelson and Jackie King". www.austinchronicle.com.
  2. ^ "Rainbow Connection - Willie Nelson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Willie Nelson". robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (February 13, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Powers, Ann (April 24, 2001). "POP REVIEW; Grizzled Baby All Grown Up to Be a Cowboy". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.