Willie Nelson might have been entertaining audiences for the better part of sixty years, but he has absolutely no plans to slow down.The iconic singer-songwriter is set to turn 90 years old later this month, and yet he continues to work every bit as hard as he always has, producing great music and making sure his legions of fans have every opportunity to see him playing live.
In fact, Nelson, who signed his first major recording contract with Liberty Records back in 1962, will be celebrating his upcoming milestone birthday while on tour. The star discussed the prospect in a recent interview with AARP, stating that while work wasn’t necessary for him, it was good for him.
Working is really good for me, no matter what kind of show it is,” he said.
“The fact that I’ll be there for two days with a lot of my good friends coming out…saying hello and singing with me makes it a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
READ MORE
Neil Diamond admits the painful truth about his diagnosis
Jack Nicholson’s friends worried as the heartbreaking truth comes to light
Katie Holmes says she wants to “protect” daughter Suri, just one month after Tom Cruise rumors
Now, while the phenomenon of high-profile entertainers continuing to perform well past the age of retirement isn’t anything wildly new – the likes of Dick Van Dyke (97), Michael Caine (89) and David Attenborough (96) are proof of that – it must be said that there is a difference between appearing in film or TV roles, or lending your voice to a project, and performing live music on a multi-show tour.
Yet Nelson continues to book dates and deliver incredible shows. Not bad for a man who’s quickly closing in on his ninth decade on Earth!
As for the prospect of turning 90, the country music singer said:
“Norman Lear, a good friend of mine, turned 100 not long ago, and I told him, ‘I’ve been telling everybody it’s just a number,” the singer told AARP. “Am I right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, it’s just a number.’”