Willie Nelson and Elvis
Posted: October 2nd, 2025, 8:16 pm
https://parade.com/news/willie-nelson-c ... -interview
“Elvis came out when I was a disc jockey, and I was playing country music,” Nelson recalled during the interview, which was taken from an appearance he made on Later with Bob Costas in 1991.
“He came out and he was doing rock and roll, or blues, or whatever they called it back then,” Nelson continued, noting that he played Presley’s tracks on his station “all the time.”
“I got a little criticism for it, from some of the old dye in the wool puritan country fans, but I thought he was great,” the “On the Road Again” crooner stated.
During the same interview, Nelson also recalled seeing Presley perform in Vegas toward the end of his career, though he was never able to meet the “Suspicious Minds” singer in person.
“I never met him,” Nelson revealed, though he did point out that Presley had previously recorded one of his songs, “Funny How Time Slips Away.”
“Elvis came out when I was a disc jockey, and I was playing country music,” Nelson recalled during the interview, which was taken from an appearance he made on Later with Bob Costas in 1991.
“He came out and he was doing rock and roll, or blues, or whatever they called it back then,” Nelson continued, noting that he played Presley’s tracks on his station “all the time.”
“I got a little criticism for it, from some of the old dye in the wool puritan country fans, but I thought he was great,” the “On the Road Again” crooner stated.
During the same interview, Nelson also recalled seeing Presley perform in Vegas toward the end of his career, though he was never able to meet the “Suspicious Minds” singer in person.
“I never met him,” Nelson revealed, though he did point out that Presley had previously recorded one of his songs, “Funny How Time Slips Away.”