Watch Willie Nelson and Trigger Bring the House Down on ‘Austin City Limits’ With “On the Road Again”

Willie Nelson has a long history with Austin City Limits. He appeared in the show’s pilot episode in October 1974. “Whiskey River” was the first song featured on the long-running television show. The Red-Headed Stranger has performed on the show a total of 16 times over the years and became a member of the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2014.

Recently, Nelson took to social media to share a throwback video from his 1990 appearance on the show. “Trigger warning,” he wrote in the post’s caption. The caption is fitting because the video begins with the “Always on My Mind” singer playing the guitar solo from “On the Road Again” on his trusty Martin guitar named Trigger. Watch the pair of country icons tearing up the iconic Austin City Limits stage below.

Trigger warning

🎥: Austin City Limits, 1990 pic.twitter.com/DIsJE7DOVN

— Willie Nelson (@WillieNelson) August 28, 2024

Willie Nelson Wrote “On the Road Again” on a Barf Bag

Willie Nelson is more than a singer/songwriter and guitar picker. He’s also an actor. He landed his first starring role in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose. Nelson also provided music for the film’s soundtrack. It included songs that he had previously released as well as new ones. “On the Road Again” was among the new songs on the soundtrack.

[RELATED: Watch Willie Nelson Perform “Whiskey River” on the Pilot Episode of ‘Austin City Limits’ in 1974]

Honeysuckle Rose wasn’t a box office it. However, “On the Road Again” was released as the lead single from the film’s soundtrack and became one of the biggest hits of Nelson’s career. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Additionally, it went to No. 7 on the publication’s Adult Contemporary chart and No. 20 on the all-genre survey. It was only his sixth chart-topper as a solo artist.

According to Songfacts, Nelson wrote the song on an air sickness back while on a plane with Jerry Schatzberg, director of Honeysuckle Rose, and Sydney Pollack, the film’s executive producer. “They were looking for songs for the movie and they asked if I had any ideas. I said, ‘What do you want the song to say?’ and Sydney said, ‘Can it be something about being on the road?’” Nelson recalled.

“It just started to click. I said, ‘You mean like, on the road again, I can’t wait to get on the road again?’ They said, ‘That’s great. What’s the melody?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know yet,” Nelson added.

Featured Image by John Alex Maguire/Shutterstock

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