Willie Nelson earned his place among the members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was inducted on Friday, Nov. 3. The singer performed with Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow during the ceremony, and he was officially inducted by Matthews. In his speech, he recounted his life and career and thanked those who have supported him along the way.
He also gave a nod to a few old friends, namely, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. The three artists and Nelson made up country supergroup The Highwaymen, which released three albums from 1985 to 1995. Nelson is the second member of the band to be inducted into the Rock Hall, following Cash, and Nelson noted as such. According to the Austin-American Statesmen, he also made it clear that it's high time for Jennings, "who played with Buddy Holly," and Kristofferson, "who sang so many hits," to be inducted as well.
Nelson and Kristofferson are the only surviving members of the outlaw country group. The four artists are all members of the Country Music Hall of Fame — Cash was inducted in 1980, Nelson in 1993, Jennings in 2001 and Kristofferson in 2004. Cash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
It's been a year of accolades for Nelson, who celebrated his 90th birthday in April with a star-studded tribute dubbed Long Story Short in Los Angeles. Fans who couldn't make it to the Hollywood Bowl in California for the live show can catch the TV special, Willie Nelson's 90th Birthday Celebration, on CBS.
The show features performances from Crow, Snoop Dogg, Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Keith Richards, George Strait, Chris Stapleton and more. It will air on CBS on December 17 at 8:30 ET.
