Nearly 60 years into his songwriting career, Willie Nelson has been named the next recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He joins an all-star list of composers and performers who’ve received the award in years past, including Carole King, Paul McCartney and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Nelson, who sang the Gershwin staple “Someone to Watch Over Me” on his 1978 covers album, Stardust, has left a similar mark on American music. With nearly 70 studios albums under his belt, he’s become a rare figure in country music: an outspoken, LGBTQ-friendly, perpetually stoned star who’s beloved by the mainstream, even as he proudly flies against it.
