{"product_id":"willie-nelson-workin-man-willie-sings-merle","title":"Willie Nelson - Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle","description":"\u003cp\u003eWillie Nelson pays tribute to his old friend Merle Haggard on Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle, eleven Haggard classics sung by a man who knows them inside out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReleased in 2025, it continues Nelson's habit of devoting whole albums to a single songwriter, and few writers mean more to him. The two country outlaws shared a long friendship and several duet records, from Pancho \u0026amp; Lefty to Django and Jimmie, before Haggard's death in 2016. Nelson produced the album with his longtime harmonica player Mickey Raphael at Pedernales Studios in Austin, and the sessions include some of the final recordings with his sister Bobbie on piano and drummer Paul English.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Workin' Man Blues\" opens the set with a tip of the hat to every hard-working listener, while \"Silver Wings\" lets Nelson's weathered, behind-the-beat phrasing linger over every line. \"Mama Tried\" sounds wiser and more rueful in his hands, decades after Haggard first sang it, and \"If We Make It Through December\" becomes a quietly moving study of hard times and hope.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a warm, unhurried record from two of country's greatest storytellers, one singing and one remembered, and the affection between them is audible in every song. Put it on late in the evening and let the stories land.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57165875511601,"sku":"198029605112","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/Willie_Nelson-Workin_Man_Willie_Sings_Merle.jpg?v=1793186472","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/willie-nelson-workin-man-willie-sings-merle","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}