Executive Summary: Mustang International produced a high-end, high-definition music program television show pilot that far surpasses the typical quality of such projects.

In the spring of 2009, Eddie Kilroy, country music producer and the creator of XM Radio’s Willie’s Place, contacted Mustang International. Kilroy, and his friend Willie Nelson, had discussed producing a television show out of Texas using Willie’s truck stop/theatre just south of Dallas/Ft.Worth as the venue. After months of planning and assembling a 35+ person team, two one-hour shows were produced as pilot episodes featuring a number of acts including country music legends Charley Pride and Mickey Gilley. The project required multiple top-quality high-definition cameras. The audio was superbly mixed, album quality, using the 31 channels of audio recorded live during the taping. The result was astounding quality.

Unfortunately, Willie’s Place as a venue did not survive, but this pilot continues to impress those who know what they’re looking for and listening for in video. Mickey Gilley did state that it’s likely one of the very best recordings of a performance of himself that he had ever seen. A week after the taping, Mickey Gilley took a serious tumble, leaving him severely paralyzed. He has recovered some mobility, but unfortunately, he’s unlikely to ever play the piano again as well as in this pilot recording.

This project is still actively leading to new production opportunities in the works even now.