Fifty years ago this month, Willie Nelson set up in a studio that was new to him - Autumn Sound in Garland, TX - to make his 18th album and his first for Columbia Records. Also for the first time in Nelson’s career, his contract gave him total control over his work, and what he had in mind was a sound so spare and lyric-focused that the label thought the end product - Red Headed Stranger - sounded like a bunch of demo recordings. The songs, following a story arc of a preacher who takes revenge on his wife and her lover, are accompanied by Willie’s guitar, some piano from Willie’s sister Bobbie, and light drums from Billy English. And on harmonica, the newest member of Willie’s band, 23-year old Mickey Raphael.
“We went into the studio with a stack of napkins that he had,” remembers Raphael in Episode 309 of The String (which was captured on video, below). “And we're set up in a semi-circle, and he just starts playing the songs. And we're listening, because there's no rehearsal. And the reason that thing is so sparse is because we're hearing it for the first time. So maybe we might have done two or three takes on a song, but it's all stream-of-consciousness with him.”
This was just one landmark early in a journey that would take Mickey Raphael around the world and make him the highest profile harmonica player in the music business. He’d go on to record 70 albums with Willie and tour with the Highwaymen, Willie’s supergroup with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Through that and relentless touring with Willie and The Family, he became widely known and ultimately, the first-call harp player in popular music. Over the decades, Mickey’s mellow instrument and sensitive phrasing has contributed to performances by a staggering array of artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, Don Williams, Emmylou Harris, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis, and even U2 and Motley Crue. And yes, we talk about that last one.
Raphael grew up in Dallas in the 50s and 60s and chased his passion for music to a realization. He wasn’t great at the guitar, but he identified with some of the dynamic harmonica players of his time, such as Al Wilson of Canned Heat and Paul Butterfield. Dallas musician Donnie Brooks showed Mickey basic techniques, and Mickey took it from there, getting good enough to get hired for local recording sessions, paving his way to move to Austin before long.
Why, I ask him, was he drawn in this direction? “I don't know. The instrument’s really based on feeling,” he says. “And I was kind of a loner and a deep thinker at the time, and I thought that instrument’s a good way to express myself. Now, the technique somebody has to show you. And you have to develop your ear, because you can't see the notes on the harmonica. So to know if you're in the right place, you have to listen.”
Upon moving to Austin, some good luck and quick thinking got him in the rooms where Willie was holding court just after moving back to Texas from Nashville. And after a few twists and turns, in a story you’ll hear, Mickey had a job with one of America’s most beloved country artists. Now, more than 50 years later with a lifetime of perspective, Raphael admires Nelson and his work ethic as much as ever, even as he watches the 91-year-old Hall of Famer in his final act.
“He just doesn't know when to quit,’ Mickey says as we wrap up. “I think Willie is just such an honest performer. He's driven just by the love of music and not any kind of commercial incentive. And like I said earlier, it doesn't matter if there's five people in the audience or thousands, he still puts on the same show. We were out all summer with Bob Dylan. And we're shut down now till February. And you know, we've been home for three weeks, and Willie's ready to go. We're the ones that need a break.”
Raphael did pick up another steady gig in the past decade with Chris Stapleton’s band the Honchos. And as we talked, he was about to take on a new frontier, which was playing his first headlining show, featuring the Honchos as the band with a raft of impressive guest singers like Jason Isbell and Shelby Lynne. I wrote a preview of that here. We start our interview talking about that show and move on to the whole Willie story including Mickey’s masterpiece solo on “Georgia On My Mind”, plus recording sessions with Elton John, Emmylou Harris, and an exclusive recent instrumental experiment with Calexico.
This interview was recorded on Nov. 20 at WMOT's East Nashville studio, including on video, which you can watch here.
