Ninety-three years ago today (April 29), Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas. Nearly a century later, he is mercifully still around for generations of country music listeners to treasure. Songs like “Always On My Mind” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” changed the entire trajectory of the genre, and Nelson is planning to release yet another album, Dream Chaser, on May 29. As the whole world celebrates the Red-Headed Stranger and his gifts to the world, Willie’s son, Lukas Nelson, puts his own personal spin on the 1975 classic “Hands on the Wheel”.
Taking to Instagram, Lukas, 37, wrote simply, “Thought I’d do part of this song as a happy birthday to dad! Happy Birthday dad! Love you.”
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The video starts out with Willie’s voice singing: At a time when the world seems to be / Spinning hopelessly out of control. Then Lukas, sounding nearly identical, takes up the mantle: There’s deceivers and believers / And old in-betweeners / That seem to have no place to go.
The comments quickly filled up with heartwarming well wishes from those who have been touched by the “On the Road Again” singer’s music throughout his seven-decade career.
“You sound so much like him!” wrote one Instagram user. “HBD to your dad, a legend!”
Wait—Why Does Willie Nelson Have Two Birthdays?
If you’re confused as to why Lukas Nelson is celebrating his father 24 hours early, you’re not alone. A small-town clerical error has led to two days of honoring the great Willie Nelson.
“I was born before midnight on the 29th, but it didn’t get registered in the county courthouse until the next day, the 30th,” Nelson explained on his SiriusXM radio show in 2018. “So it went out officially as the 30th. I just do both days.”
Apparently, the 12-time Grammy Award winner wasn’t aware of the mix-up until he joined the Air Force at age 18 and obtained a copy of his birth certificate.
To be fair, one day really isn’t sufficient to celebrate the countless accomplishments of an American icon.
Happy birthday, Willie. Here’s to many more.
