Willie's 75th Will Be "One Hell of a Ride"

1/24/2008 Stephen L. Betts   \Willie Nelson will turn 75 on April 30, and to celebrate the occasion, Legacy Recordings has a series of special projects planned. Billboard.com reports that the first will be the April 1 release of One Hell of a Ride, a four-disc, 100-song boxed set. Spotlighting recordings from Willie’s stints with numerous record labels, the collection includes rare early tracks such as “When I’ve Sang My Last Hillbilly Song,” recorded in late 1954/early 1955 for KBOP radio in Pleasanton, Texas. Also expected to be included are early 1960s takes on songs that have become both Willie Nelson classics and American standards, including “Night Life,” “Funny How Time Slips Away” and “Crazy.” Liner notes for the collection were written by Joe Nick Patoski, whose Willie Nelson biography, An Epic Life, is expected to hit bookstores this spring. On April 29, Legacy will issue #1s, a single-disc compilation of Willie's chart-topping pop and country hits. Willie’s new studio album, Moment of Forever, co-produced by Kenny Chesney and Buddy Cannon, is due Jan. 29 on Lost Highway.