The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
See Willie Nelson through bandmate’s eyes
Harmonica great shares stories about a giant of music.
No one knows Willie Nelson quite like musician Mickey Raphael. For more than 40 years and counting, the acclaimed harmonica player has been flanking the Red Headed Stranger onstage. The unmistakable whine of his harp has become nearly as synonymous to Nelson’s music as the singer’s own voice.
During a recent tribute to Bob Dylan during Grammy week, it was Raphael who joined Nelson onstage with an all-star backing band as they and others, from Bruce Springsteen to Sheryl Crow to Jack White, took turns playing Dylan tunes.
When chatting with Raphael, stories like these prove plentiful, so we asked him to pony up a few more facts about Shotgun Willie, who performs tonight at the Tabernacle in Atlanta.
Did you know Raphael, Nelson and the rest of Willie’s band were an early incarnation of the Blues Brothers Band?
After a 1977 appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” Nelson, his band and members of the “SNL” cast adjourned to the Lone Star Cafe in Manhattan. Nelson and his group took the stage for an impromptu jam, and they invited Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi to join them.
“Either John or Danny would call off a song, and we’d play it,” Raphael said. “And that’s kind of when they started working on their band sound. ... Willie can play anything. He has such a vast knowledge of music, and it’s hard to put him in any one genre.”
Did you know what’s on Willie’s personal playlist?
Singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver once immortalized Nelson as “the wandering gypsy” in a song. This makes sense as Nelson has some gypsy in his musical blood. Nelson remains a die-hard fan of Django Reinhardt, a French gypsy jazz guitarist from the 1930s.
“That’s probably his favorite musician,” Raphael said. “And he loves Ray Charles. He and Ray Charles were close. And he loves Hank Williams and Ray Price. His musical tastes are really all over the board.”
Did you know as a band leader, Willie doesn’t lead?
“He assembled a band that doesn’t have to be led,” Raphael said. “He doesn’t really tell us anything. When we’re learn- ing a new song or we’re in the studio, he might nod when he wants you to do a solo, but he doesn’t tell you what to play. That’s why you got the gig. He shouldn’t have to tell you anything. ... It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. We’re all sort of misfit shapes, but we fit well together.”
Did you know Willie’s musical mantra?
According to Raphael, it’s “less is more.”
“Say what you can say with the least amount of notes, and keep it simple,” Raphael said. “What’s really important is the space between the notes. If I can play a solo and play four notes with great tone that are the right notes to play, it beats playing 20 that just don’t say anything. Learn to complement the song and learn to identify what the song needs.”
Did you know life on the road for Willie and his band has gotten “boring”?
The days of wild and woolly partying have drifted away along the whiskey river, Raphael says. When asked if they have any pre-show rituals, Raphael jokes and says they “sacrifice a virgin princess every night.” After a laugh, he confesses, “I just like to be quiet.”
“Actually (the road) can get pretty boring now,” he said. “I go over in the morning and have a coffee with Willie on his tour bus. And he’s either looking at the news on his computer, watching CNN, watching old Westerns or listening to his station on SiriusXM.”