When it comes to the all time greats in country music, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Willie Nelson will forever be near the top of that list. A certified “Mount Rushmore of country music” candidate, it’s hard to name 4 artists who have had a great country music legacy… and Willie’s is still being written.
Shotgun Willie has amassed 25 number ones over his extensive career, and at 90 years old, the man is still performing to this day. So, it’s only fitting that Nelson has a mural painted right in the area where his 68 year career began… right in the Texas Hill Country.
According to KWTX, a number of artists got together to create a special mural of Nelson in Hillsboro, Texas, and the finished produce is quite fantastic. Juan Velazquez and Travis Avila said they are spray painting the mural from 40 feet in the air, and will be located on the Abby’s Fashion building in Hillsboro.
Avila says the purpose of the mural is to pay tribute to the all time great, and exposing the work of local artists:
“Their minds are blown, and then when we come out here and paint something realistic, they’re like, ‘Oh, these people are artists.'”
Velazquez added:
“A lot of people, maybe, have not seen the type of art that we’re painting here, and it’s just good to be able to bring that to them.”
The two said they were asked to paint the mural because of Nelson’s generosity to the community over the years, like in the early ’90s when the Hill County Courthouse needed work done after a massive fire, and Nelson threw a benefit concert for it.
Avila continued:
“The community likes new art, I like to call it, ‘Art based economics.’ We bring some art, we bring some people, bring money to businesses. The whole town gets happy.”
Velazquez also discussed the buzz the mural has brought to the community:
“They were very excited. We had a lot of people – even if they don’t stop and talk to us – they do wave or they do honk.”
Velazquez also noted that he would like to see this become a normal thing within the community:
“It would be nice, if, even some of the cities, they commissioned even one or three murals per year. Like, one or three murals for local artists could make a big difference.”
I have to admit, this is something I’d love to witness myself.
