Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson Loving You LP (White Vinyl)

Bobbie Nelson's musical career dates back to the 1940s. Naturally gifted on the piano, she played in churches, revival tents, concert halls and honky-tonks, eventually joining her brother Willie Nelson's Family Band in the early '70s.

Loving You "is a reflection on the life and music of Bobbie Nelson," says Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Shires. Shires' mission in making Loving You is to pay respect to the only woman she saw working in a band and pursuing a career as a sideman.

"I first saw Bobbie playing when I was 16 or so at some festival somewhere in Texas where I grew up," she explains. "I saw her perform many times over the years and always admired the way she played so effortlessly and with so much strength and confidence. She radiated music. Much of my path seemed possible because I saw a woman working and making a career of music at a young age, and that woman was Bobbie Nelson."

Amanda and Bobbie first met in 2013, thanks to their mutual musician friend, Mickey Raphael. They formed a kinship, and Shires jammed with the Family Band whenever possible. In April of 2021, when Shires was working on her wildly acclaimed album Take It Like a Man, she considered including "Always on My Mind" on the album and booked studio time with Nelson, "because the only piano that fits that song is Bobbie's," she says. Once together in the studio, their deep musical connection was undeniable. Amanda and Bobbie decided the two should start their own band, and saved the track for what would eventually become Loving You.

Featuring songs Nelson and Shires played and treasured their entire lives, Loving You includes a few of Nelson's favorites along with her own elegant solo piano title cut. Produced by Shires and Lawrence Rothman, the album traces Nelson's musical story – and personal journey.