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by Jerry Osborne
Dear Jerry:
Willie Nelson sure has recorded many duets with famous singers. Could you list them?
— Morgan Desmond, Cudahy, Wisconsin
Dear Morgan:
Yikes! It might be easier to list those folks who have not yet sung with Willie!
— Jerry Osborne
In early 1962, Willie Nelson & Shirley Collie dueted their way into the Top 10 with “Willingly”. About a year later, Willie and Shirley exchanged wedding vows, willingly of course.
In order of release, here are most of those on Willie’s infinite duet roster, with one of their titles:
1962: Shirley Collie (“Willingly”)
1974: Tracy Nelson (no relation) (“After the Fire Is Gone”)
1975: Waylon Jennings (“Good Hearted Woman”)
1977: Darrell McCall (“Lily Dale”)
1977: Mary Kay Place (“Something to Brag About”)
1978: Hank Cochran (“Ain’t Life Hell”)
1979: Leon Russell (“Heartbreak Hotel”)
1979: George Jones (“I Gotta Get Drunk”)
1980: Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass (“Night Life”)
1980: Ray Price (“Faded Love”)
1980: Dyan Cannon (“Loving You Was Easier”)
1981: Jody Payne (“There’s a Crazy Man”)
1982: Roger Miller (“Old Friends”)
1982: Webb Pierce (“In the Jailhouse Now”)
1982: Dolly Parton (“Everything’s Beautiful [In Its Own Way]”)
1983: Merle Haggard (“Reason to Quit”)
1983: Brenda Lee (“You’re Gonna Love Yourself [In the Morning]”)
1984: Julio Iglesias (“To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”)
1984: Hank Wilson (actually Leon Russell) (“Wabash Cannonball”)
1984: Kris Kristofferson (“How Do You Feel About Foolin’ Around”)
1984: Ray Charles (“Seven Spanish Angels”)
1985: Lacy J. Dalton (“Slow Movin’ Outlaw”)
1986: David Allen Coe (“I’ve Already Cheated on You”)
1992: Chieftains (“Goodnight Irene”)
1997: Mel Tillis (“Texas on a Saturday Night”)
1998: Johnny Cash (“[Ghost] Riders in the Sky”)
2000: Francine Reed (“Milk Cow Blues”)
2000: Keb’ Mo (“Outskirts of Town”)
2000: Dr. John (“Black Night”)
2000: Johnny Lang (“Rainy Day Blues”)
2000: Susan Tedeschi (“Crazy”)
2000: B.B. King (“The Thrill Is Gone”)
2000: Kenny Wayne Shepherd (“Texas Flood”)
2002: Vince Gill (“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”)
2002: Rob Thomas (“Maria [Shut Up and Kiss Me]”)
2002: Ryan Adams (“The Harder They Come”)
2002: Matchbox 20 (“Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”)
2002: Patty Griffin (“Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”)
2002: Aaron Neville (“Stardust”)
2002: Brian McKnight (“Don’t Fade Away”)
2002: Lee Ann Womack (“Mendocino County Line”)
2002: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms”)
2002: Trick Pony (“Whiskey River”)
2003: Kimmie Rhodes (“Picture in a Frame”)
2003: Lil’ Black (“Back on the Road”)
2003: Shania Twain (“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”)
2003: Toby Keith (“Beer for My Horses”)
2004: Paul English (“Forgiving You Was Easy”)
2004: Toots and the Maytals (“Still Is Still Moving to Me”)
2005: Bellamy Brothers (“Guardian Angel”)
2006: Larry Butler (“Heavy Hank”)
2007: Don Cherry (“It’s Magic”)
2007: Emmylou Harris (“One Paper Kid”)
2007: Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (“One More Cowboy”)
2007: Marty Dread (“Laws of Nature”)
2007: Sheryl Crow (“If I Were a Carpenter”)
2008: Wynton Marsalis (“Bright Lights, Big City”)
2008: Kenny Chesney (“That Lucky Old Sun”)
2008: Sandy Kelly (“Against the Wind”)
2009: Shawn King (“I Give”)
2009: Asleep at the Wheel (“Corrine Corrina”)
2009: Norah Jones (“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”)
2009: Charlie Louvin (“This Darn Pen”)
2009: Ziggy Marley (“This Train”)
2010: Bill Anderson (“The Lord Knows I’m Drinkin'”)