Bobbie Nelson & Amanda Shires – Loving You (Opaque White Vinyl)

“’Loving You’ is a reflection on the life and music of Bobbie Nelson,” says Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires. Shires’ mission in making ‘Loving You’ is to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman. “I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 at some festival in Texas where I grew up,” she explains. “Much of my path seemed possible because I saw a woman working and making a career of music at a young age, and that woman was Bobbie Nelson.” Bobbie Nelson’s musical career dates back to the 1940s. Naturally gifted on the piano, she played in churches, revival tents, concert halls and honky-tonks, eventually joining her brother Willie Nelson’s Family Band in the early ‘70s. Shires and Nelson got together in 2021 to record at Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas – a facility co-owned and operated by Nelson’s son, Freddy Fletcher. The album ‘Loving You’ features songs Nelson and Shires played and treasured their entire lives along with Nelson’s own elegant solo piano title cut. The album would eventually trace Nelson’s musical story – and personal journey.