As Willie Nelson gears up to release his 78th studio album, Workin‘ Man: Willie Sings Merle, a tribute to his late friend, Merle Haggard, we’re looking back at their iconic friendship and the touching song that Nelson recorded after Haggard passed away.

From poker nights to cayenne pepper juice cleanses, Nelson and Haggard were somewhat of a dynamic duo in country music. They curated three stellar albums together, ‘Pancho and Lefty’, ‘Last of the Breed’ and ‘Django and Jimmie’, and frequently treated fans to joint on-stage performances.

Nelson and Haggard last sang live together on their ‘Django and Jimmie’ tour in the fall of 2015, before Haggard sadly passed away in April 2016. Nelson famously honoured him in a social media post saying, “He was my brother, my friend. I will miss him”. He later released the song, ‘He Won’t Ever Be Gone’ as a touching tribute to their friendship. Written by Gary Nicholson, the track rounds off Nelson’s 2017 album, God’s Problem Child.

The song merges some of Haggard’s most famous songs into memorable lyrics such as, “a fugitive and a branded man, mama tried to understand” and “rambling fever and the way I am, blue collar blues for the working man” but the overall sentiment is simple – country music owes a lot to Merle Haggard and, although missed dearly, his legacy will live on.

The duo paid tribute to one another throughout their careers, with Merle honouring his pal in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, “I love Willie and I think Willie loves me. We’d play a couple of long shows a day, then spend all night long jamming. There’s seldom a straight moment between us. He likes to pop a good funny, and so do I”.

While we often see legends of country music collaborating or paying homage to one another, it’s rare to witness such a genuine, heartfelt friendship of this kind evolve before our very eyes. Their bond lives on, with this latest body of work set to serve as a tip of the cap to the lasting impact the ‘Mama Tried’ trailblazer has had, both on the genre we love, and – perhaps more crucially – on Willie himself.

Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle will be released on 7th November and is a hand-picked selection of Haggard’s famous tracks performed with a Nelson twist. The already released, ‘Workin’ Man Blues’ and ‘Somewhere Between’ demonstrate Nelson’s raw vocal talent – even in his 90s! – and keep the classic country sound alive. The tracks feature stunning harmonicas, delicate keys and his signature guitar picking.

Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle full tracklist:

1 – Workin’ Man Blues

2 – Silver Wings

3 – Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down

4 – Today I Started Loving You Again

5 – Swinging Doors

6 – Okie From Muskogee

7 – Mama Tried

8 – I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink

9 – Somewhere Between

10 – If We Make It Through December

11 – Ramblin’ Fever