Sometimes when things or people are just always around it is easy to take them for granted. Country music legend Willie Nelson has always been around -- or at least for most of us who have grown up loving the genre.
Willie Nelson doesn't just make an occasional appearance, he still plays dozens of shows a year and even releases new albums each year. In 2022 his album A Beautiful Time won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
In 2024 his latest album Bluegrass was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Bluegrass Album category. He was edged out by Molly Tuttle A.D. '14 and her band Golden Highway but Nelson was a true contender.
At 90 years old, Nelson goes on stage and will perform while sitting on a chair. He will take a little longer to warm up and he might run out of breath on occasion. At his age, he can do anything he wants. He is setting records, making records, and enjoying his incredible life.
No other artist has ever performed at his age. John Mayall is the closest but he is seven months younger than the spry Nelson. Saving Country Music recently put together a list of the 10 oldest touring, recording and kicking artists. Here they are:
- Willie Nelson – Age 90 – April 29th, 1933
- John Mayall – Age 90 – November 29th, 1933
- Frankie Valli – Age 89 – May 3rd, 1934
- Herb Alpert – Age 88 – March 31st, 1935
- Buddy Guy – Age 87 – July 30th, 1936
- Smokey Robinson – Age 83 – February 19th, 1940
- Tom Jones – Age 83 – June 7th, 1940
- Ringo Starr – Age 83 – July 7th, 1940
- Cliff Richard – Age 83 – October 14th, 1940
- Dionne Warwick – Age 83 – December 12th, 1940
If you narrow the field to just country music not only are there no other artists as old as Nelson touring, but there are very few that even match his age in general.
Nelson's website has a long list of tour dates for the country star in 2024 starting in Florida for eight shows in February and then moving on to Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California in April.
At the young age of 90, Nelson has amassed 11 CMAs, 12 GRAMMYs and 6 ACMs. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, received the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, and won the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize in 2015.
While Willie is On The Road Again, his accomplishments should be marveled and we all should appreciate the dedication he has to singing and performing.
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