The Definitive Docuseries on the Extraordinary Life & Career of the Iconic Willie Nelson

Award-Winning Filmmakers Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman to Direct Multi-Part Docuseries,
Willie Nelson Providing Exclusive Participation and Access to His Archives

 Blackbird Presents and Sight Unseen are thrilled to announce production is well underway on “Willie Nelson and Family,” the definitive docuseries on the extraordinary life and career of the iconic Willie Nelson. Emmy Award® & Grammy Award®-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny and Academy Award®-nominated & Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker Oren Moverman are co-directors of this multi-part docuseries. Willie and his family and friends are providing exclusive participation and access to his archives. Filming is underway in the deep-rooted Nelson locales of Austin, Maui, Nashville, Los Angeles and New York.

The project was developed by longtime Nelson manager Mark Rothbaum and Blackbird Presents Founder & Chief Creative Officer Keith Wortman, whom have collaborated on several award-winning film, television and music projects. They identified the celebrated directors of Zimny and Moverman as uniquely suited to direct the series, along with Moverman’s award-winning production company with Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman, Sight Unseen, as a producing and financing partner. Executive Producers are Keith Wortman, Mark Rothbaum, Annie Nelson, Julia Lebedev, Eddie Vaisman and Leonid Lebedev.

“Telling Willie’s story has been a lifelong dream of ours, and we feel privileged to realize this dream with Thom, Oren and Sight Unseen,” said Rothbaum and Wortman.

“Words like ‘honored,’ ‘excited’ and ‘humbled’ don’t come close to describing the way we feel about being entrusted with telling Willie’s story. And what a story it is! We are celebrating the music, the career, the long road, the family, friends and history. But, more than anything, we are piecing together a narrative – one never before seen in its entirety – about an extraordinary man with a unique ability to bring people together; folks of all races, orientations, genders, political ideologies and musical leanings. These days, we sure could use the healing powers of Willie Nelson,” said Zimny and Moverman.

At 88 years old, Willie is as vibrant, active and dynamic as ever. In the last year alone, he has led major online concert fundraisers for Farm Aid and the Austin Community Foundation. He was the voice of 13 major sports leagues as part of the Ad Council’s national ad campaign on vaccination awareness. He released a No. 1 album of new recordings, That’s Life, where he paid homage to his favorite Frank Sinatra songs, released his latest book Willie Nelson’s Letters to America and performed and was celebrated in a once-in-a- lifetime music special Willie Nelson: American Outlaw on A&E. He is one of the musicians leading the charge to safely get back “on the road again” with the announcement of his full calendar of concert and festival dates in 2021.

About Willie Nelson
With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestsellers book, again headlined Farm Aid, an event he co-founded in 1985, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW, launched his cannabis companies Willie’s Reserve and Willie’s Remedy, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine. In July 2020, Willie released his album First Rose of Spring – an atmospheric soulful showcase of beautifully-written songs and poignant performances. September 2020 brought a memoir with his sister and pianist Bobbie Nelson titled, Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band. For 2021, he released a new studio album in February —That’s Life, Willie’s second album of standards and classics made famous by Frank Sinatra (his first, 2018’s My Way, earned Willie the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album). The two legends were friends, musical colleagues and mutual admirers of each other’s work. In June 2021, a collection of his thoughts on America, family, faith and music hit shelves as a new book titled Willie Nelson’s Letters to America. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.

About Blackbird Presents
Blackbird Presents is an award-winning creator and producer of premium music-driven content via a range of strategies including all-star concert events, tours, festivals, broadcast specials and films. Its projects feature the biggest music stars in the world (including Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, George Strait, Steven Tyler, Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, The Roots, Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile, Lionel Richie, Reba McEntire, John Mayer, Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, Jack Johnson, Robert Plant, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Juanes, Van Morrison, Sturgill Simpson, Lady A, Little Big Town, Ringo Starr, Idina Menzel, Becky G, Nathaniel Rateliff, and many others), produced for a portfolio of studio and network partners including CBS, Viacom, A&E, AMC, CMT, Live Nation, AEG, Nederlander, Facebook, PBS and more. Recent music, film and television projects include Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw, Biography: Kenny Rogers, Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert, Peace Through Music: A Global Event For Social Justice, Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard, The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson, Outlaw: Celebrating The Music of Waylon Jennings, I’ll Take You There: Celebrating 75 Years of Mavis Staples, The Life and Songs of Emmylou Harris, The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music, and All My Friends: Celebrating The Songs and Voice of Gregg Allman, which earned a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal’s awe-inspiring performance of Statesboro Blues.

Blackbird Presents is also the creator and producer of The Outlaw Music Festival Tour, in partnership with Willie Nelson; The American Roots Music & Arts Festival, in partnership with Eric Church; and The Last Waltz 40 Tour in partnership with Robbie Robertson.

New Track “Just The Way I Am” Out Now

Warner Music Nashville signed Michael Ray in early 2014 after hearing about the kid from Florida booking his own shows (200+ a year), packing them out and doing so with original material playing on country radio without a major promo team fueling its momentum. Long a student of country music, now having essentially earned his doctorate, Ray shares what he has learned those many years on the road on his first new project since 2019’s Amos. Higher Education EP is due August 27. Pre-order / pre-save the album HERE.

Hosted by Analog at Hutton Hotel in Nashville:
Lady A, Old Dominion, John Hiatt, Jerry Douglas, Tommy Emmanuel, Brantley Gilbert, Dustin Lynch, Maddie & Tae

Glen Cambell Live From the Troubadour Plus New Age Act Sangeeta Kaur

Premieres Nationwide Beginning August 1, 2021
(Check Local Listings)

  Lady A

Glen Campbell

For the last decade, public television’s critically acclaimed live music series “Front And Center” has showcased an eclectic variety of musicians, from industry veterans to emerging artists, in an intimate setting that uniquely connects an artist to their fans. Artists play their defining hits and introduce new work in a dynamic hour of music and banter about life on the road, songwriting influences and the hard work and heartbreak that come before the sold-out shows and crowded award shelves. Season 10 premieres nationwide beginning August 1 on public television stations (check local listings) with eight concerts that span genres from Rock to Country to Blues to New Age.

In a slight departure from the series’ usual format, Season 10 launches with an archival concert by the late Glen Campbell, recorded in August 2008 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Campbell returned to the iconic club, treating the audience to a mix of Campbell standards like “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” along with instant-classic covers of hits by U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Velvet Underground, The Replacements, Green Day, Foo Fighters, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Scottish band Travis. It was a night of music that explored the commonalities of genres, country-tinged arrangements and how good live music feels. This PBS “Front And Center” special demonstrates why Campbell was a beloved American voice – and still inspires viewers with its exuberant performances. Watching the last live, full-concert performance that Campbell recorded, now four years since he passed in 2017, fans are reminded of the rare talent for exceptional guitar playing, phrasing and vocals this legend brought to whatever song he interpreted. The show is also available as a full-length album on Surfdog Records/Big Machine Records.

Following Campbell, new, exclusive performances this season include several of Nashville’s biggest stars performing from Analog at Hutton Hotel, with episodes filmed both pre-pandemic and under COVID safety protocols: Grand Ole Opry member Dustin Lynch; Country Music Association Triple Play Award winner Brantley Gilbert; ACM and CMA reigning Vocal Group of the Year Old Dominion; five-time GRAMMY® Award winners Lady A; CMA Award-winning Country duo Maddie & Tae; and nine-time GRAMMY nominee John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and special guest Tommy Emmanuel. Rounding out season 10 is New Age vocalist Sangeeta Kaur in a performance from Los Angeles.

Platinum-selling Country artist Dustin Lynch’s February 2020 concert is a celebration of the release of his acclaimed album Tullahoma one month prior. Lynch’s heavily autobiographical set list includes the title track inspired by his childhood hometown 75 miles from his current Nashville stardom, his multi-week No. 1 smash “Small Town Boy” and 2012 breakout debut “Cowboys and Angels,” about his grandparents’ 65-year love story which he plays in this concert as an acoustic solo. Fixing his jacket so his mom “doesn’t get mad,” Lynch energizes the crowd in person and at home, a pre-COVID recorded reminder of how exciting packed live music performances were and will be again.

Southern Rocker Brantley Gilbert brings his band along for a stripped-down set of his No. 1 hits that lyrically span both the party and the pew. The very personal set list includes hits inspired by his courtship with his wife (“You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” “If You Want a Bad Boy”), his nine years of sobriety (“Bottoms Up”) and more. Gilbert also invites his co-writers for three of his number one hits – Brian Davis (“One Hell of an Amen”), Mike Dekle (“Country Must Be Country Wide” and “One Hell of an Amen”), Justin Weaver and Brett James (both on “Bottoms Up”) – on stage to perform with him and chat about the songwriting process, how performance can change a song, why everyone in music dresses in all black and Gilbert’s history of stage acrobatics.

Country-pop five-piece band Old Dominion gets warmed up for their first headlining tour in a performance recorded on the 5th anniversary of their first album. Between songs in a set that includes their biggest hits – “Never Be Sorry,” “One Man Band,” “Make it Sweet” and more – as well as a first-time-in-concert cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” front man Matthew Ramsey shares stories of a lyrical mishap that brought them closer to their fans in Chicago, a soundcheck that resulted in a last minute addition to their album Meat and Candy and more.

Lady A joins the season as one of the 21st century’s premier vocal groups with the highest certified song by a Country group (the 9x Platinum “Need You Now”). The multi-GRAMMY winning trio of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, who recently earned their 11th career No.1 with “Champagne Night,” perform fan-favorite songs both old and new from their decade of award-winning hits.

Maddie & Tae, longtime friends and music collaborators who first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant counter to “Bro-Country” – “Girl in A Country Song” – and are now the first and only Country twosome with multiple No. 1s, showcase their tight harmonies in a concert that includes that first Platinum-selling smash plus their Double Platinum-certified hit “Die from a Broken Heart” as well as their latest, “Woman You Got.”

John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and special guest Tommy Emmanuel bring their distinctive musicianship to their performance of songs from Hiatt and Douglas’ 2021 release Leftover Feelings with universal themes – family, loss, tough redemption and long-term love. Douglas’ innovative work on the Dobro, paired with Certified Guitar Player Emmanuel’s fingerstyle technique along with Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Famer Hiatt’s storytelling make for a one-night-only experience.

While traveling the world as an operatic vocalist, Sangeeta Kaur was introduced to the power of spiritual mantra as well as the discipline of yogic practices that have influenced her musical expression. Her performance for “Front And Center” showcases her innovation and creativity, merging classical and contemporary music approaches for a performance enhanced by gorgeous visuals, graphics and costuming. Recorded in Los Angeles, the concert features a guest appearance by Jon Anderson of YES on the world premiere of his song “Sun and Rain” as well as world-class ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro and world class backing musicians who have worked with Wings, Jimmy Buffett and more icons of the industry. The set includes Sangeeta’s original composition “In All of Time” and a stunning rendition of “Les Feuilles Mortes” set in a virtual magical forest.

“Front And Center” is a production of Front and Center, LLC and is distributed nationally by American Public Television. Episodes will also be available to watch on the “Front And Center” YouTube page. For more information and to watch prior seasons featuring artists including Santana, Jack Johnson, Shawn Mendes, Sheryl Crow, Seal, Hozier, Miranda Lambert and more, visit frontandcenter.com. Follow “Front And Center” on social media on Facebook at FrontAndCenterTV, on Twitter @frontandcenter and on Instagram @frontandcenterTV.

“Front And Center” Season 10
August 1 – Glen Campbell
August 8 – Dustin Lynch
August 15 – Brantley Gilbert
August 22 – Old Dominion
August 29 – Lady A
September 5 – Maddie & Tae
September 12 – John Hiatt with Jerry Douglas and special guest Tommy Emmanuel
September 19 – Sangeeta Kaur with special guests Jon Anderson and Jake Shimabukuro

About American Public Television
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. “Doc Martin,” “Midsomer Murders,” “America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated,” “AfroPoP,” “Rick Steves’ Europe,” “Pacific Heartbeat,” “Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television,” “Legacy List with Matt Paxton,” “Lidia’s Kitchen,” “Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen,” “Simply Ming,” “The Best of the Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross, “Live From the Artists Den,” James Patterson’s “Kid Stew” and “NHK Newsline” are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

About Analog at Hutton Hotel
Analog at Hutton Hotel is an intimate music venue showcasing the industry’s most inspired musicians that gives you an up close and personal experience in a comfortable living-room style setting. It immerses audiences in Nashville’s unrivaled live music scene, where storytelling is prized above all else. Located just steps from the famed Music Row, Analog was designed to provide some of the best venue acoustics in all of Nashville while providing an intimate, interactive and engaging experience for audiences and talent. From the artists; to the design of the lounge seating; to the advanced, innovative technology; to the mixologist providing crafted cocktails — the artistic spirit inspires a unique experience nightly.

A New Record Label From Gibson

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

For the past 127 years, Gibson – the iconic American instrument brand – has been synonymous with creating and shaping sound across genres of music and generations of players. Gibson today announced the launch of Gibson Records, headquartered in Music City, Nashville, TN alongside a strategic label partnership with BMG.

Over the past two and a half years, Gibson has launched successful music initiatives built around their iconic brands, premium guitars, and amazing artists. Not to mention initiatives that have re-energized the Gibson fanbase and the music community at large including Gibson Artist Collections, Gibson TV, the Gibson App, the Gibson Generation Group (G3), Gibson Gives, and the newly opened Gibson Garage in Nashville. Gibson Records is the next major step contributing to the evolution of collaborative artist partnerships.

Iconic music that inspired generational movements has been recorded with Gibson guitars since the inception of recorded music. Gibson Records will work with Gibson artists to produce, record, and promote their music to fans around the world, spreading the power of their music, creating, building, and delivering guitar centric music, across genres to fans across the globe.

“Launching a record label that is in service to our artists is the natural evolution of our 127 years of history. Gibson Records will work with Gibson artists to capture, record and promote their music under an artist friendly partnership,” says Cesar Gueikian, Brand President, Gibson Brands. “Gibson Records will keep all of us at Gibson focused on our artist-first culture that is engaged and connected to music. We are excited to launch Gibson Records, to announce that Slash is our first signed artist and that we have entered into a label partnership with BMG.”

Gibson Records has also announced that it has entered into a strategic label partnership for the release with BMG, the world’s fourth-biggest music company.

“It’s an honor to be the first release on the new Gibson Records,” says SLASH. “It’s a zenith in our partnership for sure and having worked so closely with Gibson for so long, I know they will be a label that genuinely supports their artists creatively. Not just me, but all the artists they choose to work with. It’s perfect.”

“Partnering with Gibson Records and BMG presents an exciting and unique opportunity to explore new ideas for marketing and promoting a record,” adds Jeff Varner, Co-Founder of Revelation Management Group (Slash’s longtime manager). “It shows a real commitment on the part of Gibson towards the artist community, and it will serve as a model for future artist releases.  Working with Cesar and the Gibson team has provided a fresh approach to how we can support an album release.”

“BMG congratulates Gibson on the launch of their new label and is proud to collaborate with Gibson Records on its inaugural album release,” says Thomas Scherer, President, BMG Repertoire and Marketing, New York, and Los Angeles. “This is the perfect match between two global brands with an unrivaled reverence for iconic artists and respect to service their creative talents. We are excited to be the worldwide partner for Slash’s new album with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators and look forward to delivering their new music to fans everywhere around the world.”

About Gibson:

Gibson, the leading iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 127 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the leading guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, which has been on every stage since 1873, Kramer, the original MADE TO ROCK HARD guitar brand, MESA/Boogie, the home of tone, and KRK, behind great music for over 30 years. Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation, and sound excellence so that music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. Learn more at Gibson.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Gibson TV, and Instagram.

About Slash:

Slash – the iconic, GRAMMY-winning, American rock guitarist, songwriter and film producer-has amassed album sales of over 100 million copies, garnered a GRAMMY Award and seven GRAMMY nominations and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Slash landed on the top of the charts with his first solo album, Slash (2010) which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie, Myles Kennedy and more. Shortly after, he formed his current band Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators-which features Myles Kennedy (lead vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass/vocals) and Frank Sidoris (rhythm guitar)-who’ve been touring worldwide and making music for a decade. The group released the critically acclaimed Apocalyptic Love (2012) which stormed the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart debuting at #4 as the top rock album and spawned Slash’s first-ever #1 solo radio hits “You’re A Lie” and “Standing In The Sun.” Slash released Nothing Left To Fear (2013) the soundtrack to the first theatrical film co-produced with SLASHfiction, his film/TV production company specializing in the horror genre. The band’s second album, World On Fire debuted to global praise and the album’s title track, “World On Fire” ascended to #1 at U.S. Rock Radio. In 2016, Guns N’ Roses re-united and Slash joined Axl Rose and Duff McKagan for the historic and ongoing “Not In This Lifetime Tour” which Billboard now ranks as the third highest grossing tour of all time. Slash and his band’s most recent release is their critically-acclaimed third album Living The Dream (2018) which Rolling Stone declared “a biting blues filigree at the end of a riff, weeping solos full of long notes and boogie-woogie riffs” and the Los Angeles Times added is full of “unexpected funk, boogie, blues and garage rock influences.” Fueled by the  Top 5 song “Driving Rain,” and the single “Mind Your Manners” as well as,  the best critical praise of their career, Living The Dream debuted with 10, Top 10 chart placements worldwide and by the end of their world tour in 2019, the group had achieved seven consecutive, Top 10 Hit singles at radio. www.slashonline.com

About BMG:

BMG – est. 2008 – is the world’s fourth-biggest music company, the first new global player in the music business of the streaming age, and a record label and music publisher in one. Named in 2020 one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, BMG’s pitch is unique – a relentless focus on fairness and transparency and service to its artist and songwriter clients. BMG’s 20 offices across 12 core music markets now represent over three million songs and recordings, including many of the most renowned and successful catalogs in popular music history. BMG’s fresh approach includes production music, films, books, artist management, merchandise, neighboring rights, and live as well as music publishing and recordings off the same service platform. BMG is owned by international media, services and education company Bertelsmann, whose other content businesses include the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House and the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr. With its multi-platform perspective, integrated technology platform and commitment to help artists maximize their income, BMG aims to be the best company in music to do business with. www.bmg.com