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Watch Willie Nelson Jam With Jack White on ‘Red Headed Stranger’ for His 80th Birthday

WIllie Nelson Jack White Third Man CMT Birthday

Willie Nelson celebrated his birthday earlier this year by filming his very own CMT Crossroads episode at none other than Jack White’s Third Man Studios. The Americana legend turned 80 on April 29, but the special aired on Sunday night (June 23) on Viacom’s country station. In the 40-minute video above, the former White Stripe chats with Nelson in Nashville between performances featuring an impressive array of guests, from Leon Russell and Sheryl Crow to Norah Jones and Neil Young. Willie and Jack jam a little as well, dueting on an intimate acoustic version of Nelson’s outlaw country classic “Red Headed Stranger.” Between the stunning songs and the warm interviews, it’s a wonderful, sensitively assembled episode that both celebrates the man’s legacy and reminds us that he’s as good at what he does as he ever was. Fittingly, the undeniable highlight of the show is Nelson and Young performing “Long May You Run.”