Willie Nelson, at 92 years old, is still influencing country music and looking back on the songs that have influenced him the most. This year has marked another active chapter for the icon, who released Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Country Album, and hit the road again with the Outlaw Music Festival. His son Lukas Nelson is also nominated in the same category for a different project, creating a rare father-son moment in GRAMMY history.
Nelson has long supported his children’s musical pursuits by offering instruments, space, and encouragement rather than pressure. The music he continues to support and produce embodies his faith in freedom and imagination. He credits his own vitality to singing as a form of lung exercise, a mindset of gratitude, and the energizing rhythm of live performance.
Willie Nelson revealed that two of his compositions still stir emotion after performing for over 70 years. “‘Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground’ is one. ‘Always on My Mind’ is another. By other people, there’s a lot — ‘Stardust,’ ‘Moonlight in Vermont,’ anything Hank Williams did, Bob Wills. There’s a whole lot of good music out there. I still think music is what brings us all together. Politics separates everybody. Music brings us back together,” shared Nelson.
Both songs exemplify Nelson’s gift for storytelling that reaches the soul — an enduring reminder of why, after decades, his music remains a unifying force.
When asked if seeing the togetherness of the crowd helps keep him going, Nelson replied, “They clap their hands and sing along for a couple of hours and go home feeling better. They agree on music. Every time, I leave feeling better, too.”
