Willie Nelson collaborated with fellow free spirit Lucinda Williams for a raw, raucous version of "Live Forever" that's the title track of a forthcoming Billy Joe Shaver tribute album.
"Live Forever" first appeared on 1993's Tramp on Your Street, an album by Shaver (the duo of Billy Joe and his son Eddie). It's since gotten larger platforms with assists from Big & Rich and the film Crazy Heart.
Variety premiered Nelson and Williams' version in conjunction with the announcement of Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver (out Nov. 11 via New West Records and Pedernales Records).
In a press release, Nelson described the elder Shaver, whose way with words elevated the outlaw image of Waylon Jennings and other peers, as a songwriter who "was just real; there wasn't one phony drop of blood in him."
A wide range of Shaver's songwriting students contribute covers to the Charlie Sexton and Freddy Fletcher-produced project, from outlaw contemporaries (Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle) to mainstream country stars (George Strait, Miranda Lambert) and Americana notables (Amanda Shires, Allison Russell).
Shaver died on Oct. 28, 2020.
READ MORE: 10 Equally-Electrifying Bluegrass Covers of Rock and Pop Songs
Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver Tracklist
1. "Live Forever," Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams2. "Ride Me Down Easy," Ryan Bingham and Nikki Lane3. "Old Five and Dimers Like Me," Rodney Crowell 4. "I'm Just An Old Chunk Of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be A Diamond Someday)," Miranda Lambert5. "I Couldn't Be Me Without You," Edie Brickell6. "You Asked Me To," Nathaniel Rateliff7. "Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me," George Strait8. "Honky Tonk Heroes," Amanda Shires9. "Ain't No God in Mexico," Steve Earle10. "Ragged Old Truck," Margo Price11. "Georgia On A Fast Train," Willie Nelson12. "Tramp On Your Street," Allison Russell
