‘CMT Crossroads’ Featuring Willie Nelson To Air June 23

CMT celebrated Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday in Nashville recently with an all-star cast of friends for a special episode of CMT Crossroads: Willie Nelson & Friends From Third Man Records, set to premiere Sunday, June 23 at 9-10 p.m. ET/PT. The unforgettable episode will honor the superstar’s milestone birthday as he swaps lyrics on some of his most-loved songs with Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, Norah Jones, Ashley Monroe, Leon Russell and Neil Young. A long-time admirer of Nelson, Jack White kicked off the special from his Nashville studio, Third Man Records. Nelson turned 80 on April 29, and released his latest Legacy Recordings album Let’s Face The Music And Dance on April 16.

The one-hour special includes some of Nelson’s biggest hits including “Crazy,” “Angels Flying Too Close to the Ground” and “Shotgun Willie;” and the entire cast joined the stage for Nelson’s widely-recognized honky-tonk hit, “Whiskey River.” During an interview session guided by Jack White, Nelson and White joined voices for an impromptu sing-a-long of “Red Headed Stranger,” which Nelson often sang to his children as a nighttime lullaby. The paired touched on subjects ranging from perhaps the most well-known guitar in country music, Trigger; to Texas dancehalls, Elvis and more.