One of the most iconic supergroups in all of music is The Highwaymen. Comprised of the country music legends Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, The Highwayman made country music history seemingly every time they stepped on the stage together. Other than their apparent musical talent, another facet that made the collaboration so illustrious was the fact that they were all friends.
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Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Cash showed off this friendship on a plethora of different occasions. Though most notably, they did so in a satellite interview conducted in 1991 for the New Zealand talk show Holmes. In this historic interview, The Highwaymen shared a couple of laughs and threw a couple of outrageous comments toward the New Zealand talk show host, Paul Holmes. Matter of fact, Waylon Jennings jokingly threatened to burn Holmes’ house down after a rude question.
In all, the interview is hilarious and shows just how much chemistry the all-star band had. In addition to this being an exposé of friendship, all four of The Highwaymen also revealed what they believed to be the best country song of all time.
The Highwaymen’s Four Picks for the Greatest Country Song of All Time
In the interview, Paul Holmes asked The Highwaymen what they thought the greatest country song of all time was. Subsequently, The Highwaymen answered the question in a round robin format, and the first to do so was Kris Kristofferson.
Kristofferson answered, “Maybe ‘Big River’, I’ve often thought that might be the best song, the best country or otherwise.”
Flattered, it was now Johnny Cash’s turn to answer the epic question.
“Well, I’m overwhelmed because I wrote that song,” said Cash. “The best song that I think was ever written, I don’t know, I think probably, a country song… ‘I Love You Because’.”
Up next was Waylon Jennings, who humorously replied: “One of the best songs I ever heard, several people have recorded it, I’ve recorded it, but I had nothing to do with it, it just says something that I think is really great and that’s called ‘Dreaming My Dreams’. And it says no matter how bad things have been, in a relationship of any kind, you should come out of it with no bitterness.”
Lastly, Willie Nelson divulged his answer.
“I think the best song I’ve ever heard, especially a country song, is ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’,” said Nelson. “Hank Williams song, one verse in particular that is the greatest line I’ve ever heard is ‘The silence of a falling star lights up a purple sky / And as I wonder where you are, I’m so lonesome I could cry.’”
So there you have it, folks! There’s the answer to the question everybody was seemingly dying to know. Do their answers surprise you, or are they fairly predictable?
Photo by Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images
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