AUSTIN (KXAN) — Willie Nelson is celebrating his 89th birthday today — and also tomorrow.
Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, just north of Waco on April 29, 1933. But as he’s explained in the past, he observes his birthday on the 30th, too.
During one of his SiriusXM radio shows in 2018, Nelson told listeners that he was indeed born on April 29, albeit very late at night.
“But it didn’t get registered in the county courthouse until the next day, the 30th,” he said. “So, it went out officially as the 30th. So I just do both days.”
To coincide with his actual April 29 birthdate, Nelson released his 17th album, “A Beautiful Time.” It features five songs with longtime collaborator and friend Buddy Cannon, as well as covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song” and The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends.”
It’s Nelson’s third album release in just over a year. Nelson released two albums in 2021 (in February and November), and one of them — “That’s Life,” his tribute to Frank Sinatra — was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award. “That’s Life” also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s jazz charts.
Nelson will celebrate with thousands in Austin. He’s joining fellow Texan George Strait for the grand-opening celebration of Moody Center. The event marks only the second time Strait and Nelson have shared a stage in their careers.
“I’m so glad I’ll get to ‘sing one with Willie,’ and I can’t think of a better place to do it than Austin, Texas,” Strait said in a release at the time of the announcement.
Nelson will close out his birthday weekend by throwing his own party — not on April 29 or 30, but May 1 — at his ranch located just outside of Austin.