40. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger

It's the classic "full creative control" story. Artist earns the respect (and the right) to do things as he wants. He goes against the grain to bring his vision to light. But upon hearing the final product, the record executives can't believe it's actually final. Sorry, bub. Creative control means creative control. And in this case, Willie Nelson's 1975 album, "Red-Headed Stranger," not only proved to be one of the most successful country albums of all time, but also one of the most successful -- and celebrated -- ALBUMS of all time. It's a sparsely-produced, under-budget, concept album about a preacher that essentially goes on a killing spree. And it changed country music forever.

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