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Article: Choirs of cowboys.(Willie Nelson and other artists from Austin, Texas)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- January 16, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Country music
AUSTIN, TEXAS
WILLIE NELSON recently became only the second Texan to receive the prestigious Kennedy Centre Arts Award for his contribution to American music. About time too, some would say.
If country music has been saved from commercial Nashville's oily quiffs and bubblegum lyrics, it is thanks to a single-handed rescue operation by this great man. The Lonestar state has always boasted a rich musical talent, but it took the coming of Mr Nelson and his fellow cosmic cowboys, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, to catapult the sleepy state capital-Austin-into the spotlight. The city still doesn't quite live up it to its own ...