Willie Nelson is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of his generation, and a Who's Who of musical luminaries pay tribute to his decades of influence in an upcoming A&E special titled Willie Nelson: American Outlaw.

The special focuses on performances from an all-star concert that took place in Nashville in January of 2019. Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw, A Willie Nelson All-Star Concert Celebration featured live musical tributes from a host of musicians from across the musical spectrum, and Willie Nelson: American Outlaw will feature more than 20 never-before-televised performances from that night, interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews.

In the preview clip above, which is premiering exclusively with Taste of Country, George Strait, Norah Jones, Sturgill Simpson, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett and more share their recollections of the first time they heard Nelson's music and his impact on them, including a hilariously self-deprecating anecdote from Strait.

"I was playing a fair somewhere, and I'm thinking I'm doing really good, 'cause the crowd's going wild, man, they're going nuts," Strait recalls. "And I look over, and here's, Willie's bus is pulling up. So they're clapping for Willie," he concludes with a hearty laugh.

Willie Nelson: American Outlaw celebrates Nelson's seven-decade career and highlights more than 200 of his albums, spotlighting the musical contributions he has made across multiple genres of American music.. The two-hour special television event is slated to premiere on A&E on Sunday (April 12) at 10PM ET/PT.

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