Chris Stapleton Celebrates Willie Nelson By Singing “Always On My Mind”

Willie Nelson celebrated his 90th birthday with a star-studded two night event at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29th and 30th.

The one-of-a-kind birthday party for Willie Nelson featured performances from artists across several genres who simply wanted to honor the legend. The Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Kris Kristofferson, Miranda Lambert, George Strait and more took the stage.

One of the most memorable performances of the night came from Chris Stapleton who delivered a soulful two-song set of that included Willie’s iconic hit, “Always On My Mind.”

 

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While Willie Nelson had the most success with “Always On My Mind,” the red-headed stranger wasn’t the first to record the song. Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley were among those who recorded the song before Willie, but Willie was the first to take it to the top of the charts.

RELATED: GEORGE STRAIT & WILLIE NELSON SING TWO DUETS AT WILLIE’S 90th BIRTHDAY CONCERT

In addition, Nelson’s version of the song earned three Grammy Awards in 1983: Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. “Always On My Mind” also won CMA Song of the Year twice (1982 and 1983) and Single of the Year (1982). In 2008, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

It’s clearly no surprise that the crowd went wild when they heard the familiar instrumental introduction and Chris Stapleton sang the opening notes to “Always On My Mind” at Willie Nelson‘s birthday party.

Hear Chris Stapleton’s beautiful cover of “Always On My Mind” below.