Willie Nelson might just be the most well-known pioneer of outlaw country music out there. He’s also an accomplished songwriter in addition to being a legendary performer. He wrote many of his own hits as well, including “On The Road Again”. But some of his most well-known songs, including the tunes that catapulted his career to the top, are actually cover songs. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?
“Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” from ‘Red Headed Stranger’ (1975)
This is the classic that got Willie Nelson’s career back on track in the mid-1970s. One of the most well-known songs from Nelson’s famed concept album Red Headed Stranger, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” is as synonymous with Nelson as songs like “On The Road Again” and “Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die”. However, this song wasn’t actually written by Nelson.
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In fact, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” was written decades prior in 1947 by Fred Rose. The song was first recorded by Elton Britt and covered by quite a few musicians, including Hank Williams and Charley Pride.
“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” from ‘The Electric Horseman’ (1980)
You probably heard the Willie Nelson classic “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” in the Robert Redford and Jane Fonda film The Electric Horseman from 1979. It’s a fine contribution to the soundtrack from Nelson.
However, Nelson didn’t write this one. In fact, he wasn’t the first to record it, either. His good friend Waylon Jennings recorded the song in 1976. And he didn’t even write it. “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” was written by one Mary Sharon Vaughn, the famed songwriter behind hits from Reba McEntire, George Jones, Randy Travis, and more.
“Whiskey River” from ‘Shotgun Willie’ (1974)
This is definitely one of my favorite Willie Nelson tunes. This hit from 1978 is one of the most outlaw-leaning tunes Nelson ever released, and it was quite a hit for him, too. “Whiskey River” peaked at No. 12 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1978. And while it sounds like something Nelson would have written, it was actually written and recorded by Johnny Bush just a few years prior in 1972.
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