Willie Nelson will pay homage to fellow Texas country music giant Ray Price in a new album, "For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price," which is set for release Sept. 16.
Price, who died at 87 in 2013, helped change the sound of country music in the 1950s with what became known as "the Ray Price shuffle," epitomized in his No. 1 hit "Crazy Arms," from 1956. It's one of a dozen songs Nelson has recorded for the tribute.
"People asked me who my favorite singers are, and I'd say, well there's Ray Price and Frank Sinatra. I don't think there was ever any doubt that one day I'd do a Ray Price tribute album," Nelson said in a statement.
"He was as close a friend as you could have. We traveled together, lived together, played music together, partied together. We had a lot of good times."
For six of the album's tracks, Nelson is joined by his longtime Family Band harmonica player Mickey Raphael and the Time Jumpers, the Nashville-based country swing band featuring Vince Gill, Larry Franklin, Andy Reiss, Joe Spivey, Kenny Sears, Brad Albin, Billy Thomas, Jeff Taylor and Paul Franklin.
Other songs on the tribute include "Heartaches by the Number," "I'll Be There," "City Lights," "Invitation to the Blues" and "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me."
"We're sort of like brothers in a way," Price said of Nelson in a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone. "We always help each other out when we can."
The album is produced by Fred Foster, who also worked closely with Price, as did conductor-arranger Bergen White. Both took part in the final album Price recorded, "Beauty Is ...."
Foster also was at the helm in the studio when Nelson, Price and Merle Haggard teamed up in 2007 for the trio album "Last of the Breed," which helped bring Price before a new generation of country listeners.
In addition to being a singer much admired by Nelson, Price also gave him an early career break by hiring him as a staff songwriter for his Pamper music publishing company.
In the 1970s, Price spearheaded another shift in the country music landscape when he recorded Kris Kristofferson's "For the Good Times," helping both introduce Kristofferson's music to a broader country audience and usher in a new "countrypolitan" sound that dominated Nashville music in the early 1970s.
Price helped shepherd the careers of many other artists who went on to considerable success as well.
"He was just the mentor and the leader who inspires everybody to move up a notch," singer and songwriter Merle Haggard told The Times in 2013 after Price died.
"He brought Roger Miller to the surface, and he gave Willie Nelson a job in his band," Haggard said. "I'll say I was glad to know that guy."
