In 1984, Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias teamed up for a duet that bridged country music with Latin balladry: “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” recorded for Iglesias’ album 1100 Bel Air Place became a hit on the country, Spanish, and all-genre charts, and a milestone in Nelson’s long list of collaborations.
For the latest edition of his Quarantunes series, the Mavericks’ singer Raul Malo revisits “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” with Jamey Johnson, a frequent collaborator of Nelson’s, handling the Red Headed Stranger’s parts. The two vocalists, both known for their unmistakable tones, recorded the song in Johnson’s Nashville studio. A video released with the song chronicles the process.
“The hardest part of working with other artists is coordinating everyone’s schedules. As difficult a year as our industry has had, one thing that’s been afforded to artists is time. Jamey and I have been wanting to do something in the studio since we first hung out 10 years ago at the Key West songwriters festival,” Malo said in a statement. “This is the perfect song to add to our Quarantunes series.”
Malo’s Quarantunes finds the singer covering timeless songs by Simon & Garfunkel, America, and Sam Cooke. Last year, he and the Mavericks released their first Spanish-language album, En Español, and are gearing up for a new installment of their livestream series with Nugs.net on February 27th. Malo also has a string of socially-distanced solo shows on the books, beginning February 19th in New Jersey.
Johnson, meanwhile, recently announced a new acoustic tour with friend and collaborator Randy Houser. They’ll play Mobile, Alabama, on February 19th and 20th.
Last week, Malo posted a photo himself receiving his Covid-19 shot — something Nelson himself did back in January — and urged others to do likewise.