Vincent Neil Emerson is a torchbearer of the Texas songwriter tradition. He channels the straightforward truth-telling and resonance of his songwriting heroes in Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Steve Earle into something fresh and distinctly his own. His songs are cathartic and bluntly honest, never mincing words or dancing around uncomfortable truths.
Raised in Van Zandt County in East Texas by a single mother of Choctaw-Apache descent, Emerson’s world changed when he first heard Townes Van Zandt’s music. He’s spent the better part of the past decade honing his songwriting and performance chops playing bars, honky-tonks, and BBQ joints across the Fort Worth area. His first album Fried Chicken and Evil Women, which he wrote in his mid-twenties and came out on La Honda Records—the label he co-founded that now includes a roster of Colter Wall, Local Honeys, and Riddy Arman—is a snapshot of his growth as a songwriter and stage-tested charm with songs like “Willie Nelson’s Wall” and “25 and Wastin’ Time” expertly combining humor and tragedy.
In 2021, Emerson released the self-titled follow-up to his debut album, and since then his star has only continued to rise as he has been playing to larger and larger crowds. Now, with 2022 coming to a close and the new year just around the corner, Emerson is releasing his spirited rendition of Willie Nelson’s classic drinking tune “Bloody Mary Morning.” Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the tune. Coming just in time for New Year’s Eve celebrations and the hangovers that many of us will be nursing over a bloody mary the next day, Emerson gives keeps his his version of the tune similar but adds a little more Texas twang to it with lively pedal steel. There is also a smoking barroom energy to the tune that may come from the fact that it was recorded live at Luck, TX on May 1, 2022 with an all-star lineup in honor of Willie Nelson’s 89th Birthday. The song is a single from One Night in Texas: The Next Waltz’s Tribute to The Red Headed Stranger (The Next Waltz, April 28, 2023), a compilation from the all-star lineup of Texas talent known as The Next Waltz that was produced by Bruce Robison.
Vincent Neil Emerson describes the inspiration behind this cover:
“Bloody Mary Morning” is easily one of my favorite Willie tunes, and just one of the many songs he’s penned that prove him to be one of the greatest songwriters Texas has ever raised. To step on stage at his birthday show and sing this song was an honor and a privilege I’ll never forget. Long live Willie Nelson.
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