Amanda Shires joins Bobbie Nelson and her brother Willie on Gershwin’s classic ‘Summertime’. The video was shot as Nelson and Shires recorded the song at Arlyn Studios in Austin Texas before Bobbie’s passing in 2022. A long-standing member of Willie’s band , Bobbie’s distinctive piano has been a large part of his gypsy jazz meets country sound for decades. After a guest spot on Shires’ album ‘Take it Like a Man’, the duo decided to record an entire collection of songs together.
Reflecting on her relationship with Nelson, Shires says, “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.”
Shires performs with her supergroup The Highwomen on 11 June at the storied venue The Gorge on the west coast of the U.S. and then embarks on a solo tour of the U.K. and Europe for the remainder of the month.
