Watch Willie Nelson Perform George and Ira Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’
Willie Nelson has shared a video of himself performing George and Ira Gershwin's "Summertime," the title track of his upcoming new album.
The performance is simple: Nelson is seated in front of a microphone, with headphones over his iconic braids and his guitar Trigger in his arms. The country icon taps his boot along to the rhythm as he plays and sings the aria from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess in his distinctive voice.
"Summertime" will appear on Nelson's upcoming album, Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin, which was produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings.
"I have been a fan of Ira and George Gershwin’s music since I was a little guy,” Nelson explained at a two-day celebration in honor of him receiving the Library of Congress’s 2015 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, during which he also announced that he had "just recorded a complete Gershwin album." The event was held in mid-November, and Nelson officially revealed his plans for the project in mid-January.
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin is set for release on Feb. 26, with pre-orders available now via Amazon and iTunes.
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