Willie Nelson Tips His Hat To Haggard On ‘Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle’

/by

Willie Nelson pays tribute to his longtime friend Merle Haggard on his latest album Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, set for release on Nov. 7 via Legacy Recordings. The first single from the album, Willie’s take on the classic “Workin’ Man Blues,” which was a No. 1 for Haggard in 1969, is out today (Sept. 4).

Available digitally, on CD and as a single LP black vinyl release, the album features Willie’s new interpretations of 11 classics penned by Merle Haggard. The tracks were handpicked for the album and include songs from various parts of Haggard’s career, from tracks off of his first No. 1 country album, 1966’s Swinging Doors (“Swinging Doors,” “Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down”) and late 60s career-defining hits (“Mama Tried,” “Okie From Muskogee”) to 70’s classics (“If We Make It Through December,” “Ramblin’ Fever”) and his No. 1 honky-tonk classic from 1980, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink.”

Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle is the latest in Nelson’s storied history of focusing entire albums on a single songwriter’s or artist’s work. In the last decade alone, he has released albums focusing on songwriters Harlan Howard, Ray Price, George Gershwin and Rodney Crowell, and released two volumes of songs associated with Frank Sinatra. Nelson and Haggard released three collaborative albums together: 1983’s Pancho and Lefty, 2007’s Last Of The Breed (alongside Ray Price) and 2015’s Django and Jimmie.

The album announcement comes on the heels of the premiere of Highway 99: A Double Album, the career-spanning documentary on the life and career of Merle Haggard directed by Ethan Hawke which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last weekend and featured Nelson as a prominent interview subject.

Nelson is preparing to launch the final leg of the “Outlaw Music Festival 10th Anniversary Tour” in the Northeast and Midwest starting tomorrow with a lineup that includes Willie, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Waxahatchee and Madeline Edwards.

Lorie Hollabaugh
Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)