Willie Nelson Fights Back The Tears During Jamey Johnson & Alison Krauss’ Moving “Seven Spanish Angels” Tribute

Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson… two of the best voices country music has ever seen.

During the 2015 Gershwin Prize Tribute Concert in Washington, D.C. (where the great Willie Nelson received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song), Alison Krauss and Jamey Johnson took the stage to perform a duet of the 1984 classic “Seven Spanish Angels.”

Back in 1984, the legendary Ray Charles, a soul man with a Gospel heart, stepped into a Nashville recording studio with Willie Nelson, the outlaw poet of Texas. The result was “Seven Spanish Angels,” a sweeping, mournful ballad that blended the sounds of the West with the soul of the South. Written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, “Seven Spanish Angels” was released on Charles’ album Friendship, and then later included on Willie’s 1985 duets compilation album, Half Nelson.

The song tells the story of an outlaw and his lover on the run, cornered by lawmen in a lonely desert valley. With nowhere to go, they choose death over surrender. The man fires an empty gun—knowing it will cost him his life—and the woman follows him into the beyond, trusting that love is stronger than the grave. Above them, seven Spanish angels weep and thunder rolls from the throne of God.

Of course, Ray Charles had dipped his toes in the country music waters before with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music back in 1962, but “Seven Spanish Angels” would be his first, and only, #1 song on the country charts. Willie, at the peak of his outlaw era, brought a certain grit to the track. Combined with Ray’s soulful voice they created a hymn for the lost and the longing. While the song quickly soared up the charts, its real legacy was the emotional power it carried. Over the years, it became a staple of tribute shows and heartfelt covers.

In 2015, Willie was of course sitting in the audience, and he had all he could do to fight back the tears during the moving performance. I mean, Willie, Jamey, Alison, a Gospel choir in the background… take me to church.

Check it out:

Willie Nelson’s ‘Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90’

A tracklist for the ages.

Willie Nelson released his Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl concert film as a 2CD+Blu-Ray deluxe edition, a complete digital edition and a 2xLP highlights.

The 90th birthday concerts took place on April 29th & 30th of 2023 at the legendary Hollywood Bowl and featured incredible performances of the red headed stranger’s vast catalog by Willie himself, in addition to Billy Strings, Buddy Cannon, Charley Crockett, Chris Stapleton, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Gary Clark Jr., George Strait, Jamey Johnson, Keith Richards, Kris Kristofferson, his sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson (Particle Kid), Lyle Lovett, Margo Price, Miranda Lambert, Snoop Dogg, The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, Tom Jones, Tyler Childers and many, many more.

Every single performance was superb, the star-power was undeniable, and of course, they played some of the best music ever created with the man himself, so if you’re as big of a Willie Nelson fan as I am, this is definitely worth adding to the collection. The full tracklist features 52 songs, including Willie’s son Lukas’ gorgeous version of “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground,” which was one of my favorites from the entire weekend. There will also be 13 digital-only bonus tracks exclusive to this release.

Here’s to the one and only Willie Nelson… you can check out the full tracklist below.

Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 Live At The Hollywood Bowl 

Billy Strings – Whiskey River
Billy Strings – I Gotta Get Drunk
Charley Crockett – Yesterday’s Wine
Orville Peck – Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other
Edie Brickell w/ Charlie Sexton – Remember Me (When The Candle Lights Are Gleaming)
Lyle Lovett – Hello Walls
Lyle Lovett – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Allison Russell & Norah Jones  – Seven Spanish Angels
Particle Kid & Daniel Lanois – The Ghost
Particle Kid & Daniel Lanois – Die When I’m High (Halfway To Heaven)
Dwight Yoakam – Me And Paul
Margo Price & Nathanial Rateliff – I Can Get Off On You
Margo Price & Waylon Payne – Georgia On A Fast Train
Beck – Hands On The Wheel
Beck – Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Norah Jones – Down Yonder
Norah Jones & Kris Kristofferson – Help Me Make It Through The Night
Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Payne – It Ain’t Over Yet
Warren Haynes – Midnight Rider
Lukas Nelson – Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground
Leon Bridges & Gary Clark Jr. – Night Life
Gary Clark Jr. – Texas Flood
Rosanne Cash w/ Kris Kristofferson – Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)
Jack Johnson – Willie Got Me Stoned
Tyler Childers and The Food Stamps – Time Of The Preacher
Lukas Nelson & Shooter Jennings – Good Hearted Woman
Ziggy Marley – Still Is Still Moving To Me
Tom Jones – Opportunity To Cry
The Avett Brothers – Pick Up The Tempo
The Avett Brothers – Heaven And Hell
Bobby Weir – Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain
The Chicks – Bloody Mary Morning
The Lumineers – Pretty Paper
Nathaniel Rateliff – City Of New Orleans
Nathanial Rateliff – A Song For You
Sheryl Crow – Crazy
Dave Matthews – Funny How Time Slips Away
Miranda Lambert – Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Chris Stapleton – Always On My Mind
Jamey Johnson, Warren Haynes & Booker T Jones – Georgia On My Mind
Willie Nelson & Booker T Jones – Stardust
Willie Nelson & Lily Meola – Will You Remember Mine
Willie Nelson & Buddy Cannon – Something You Get Through
Willie Nelson & Billy Strings – California Sober
Willie Nelson & Sheryl Crow – Far Away Places
Willie Nelson & George Strait – Sing One With Willie
Willie Nelson & George Strait – Pancho & Lefty
Willie Nelson & Snoop Dogg – Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die
Willie Nelson, Stephen Stills & Neil Young – Are There Any More Cowboys?
Willie Nelson & Keith Richards – We Had It All
Willie Nelson & Keith Richards – Live Forever
All Sing – On The Road Again & Happy BirthdayThe post Willie Nelson Fights Back The Tears During Jamey Johnson & Alison Krauss’ Moving “Seven Spanish Angels” Tribute first appeared on Whiskey Riff.