He's an American musical treasure. He crosses all boundaries. Those of us that love country music love him. The interesting thing is, I've known people that can't stand country music, but they love him.

He's Willie. Willie Nelson.

There really isn't a lot I can say about Willie that hasn't already been said, by me and millions of others. Suffice to say, Willie has been one of the most influential music and writing people in my life. In other words, give me 'Willie' and I'm good to go.

It was back in the early 1970's that I first heard a great Willie song, now a Willie classic, called 'Me and Paul'. It was on the flip-side of his 1971 single 'Yesterday's Wine', a Willie single that went...absolutely nowhere. The music world in general wasn't quite ready for Willie yet, at least not as an artist.

That, of course, was about to change and in a mighty big way.

Fast forward to 1985 and Willie is now one of the biggest star's in the world. He releases an album called...'Me and Paul'. It becomes an instant massive hit and contains many Willie songs we now know and love, including the title track.

So, the 'Me' is, of course, Willie. But who is this 'Paul'?

Well, if you've loved Willie nelson's music for decades, you've also loved the contribution from his drummer....

Paul English.

Yep, the 'Paul' in 'Me and Paul' is a lifelong friend and member of Willie's musical family. According to Wikipedia

Paul English is Willie Nelson's longtime drummer who started playing with him in Forth Worth in 1955, although he did not become Nelson's regular drummer until 1966. In the years in between he played with Delbert McClinton among others. In the early days, one of his duties was to serve as a strong armed collection agent for overdue payments from club owners for the band. English is the titular "Paul" of the Willie Nelson album 'Me And Paul' as well as the title track of that album.

Well, it may have been 'rough and rocky travelin', but what a great trip it's been. We've loved the road with Willie....and Paul.

Wikipedia Contributed To This Article

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