Willie Nelson and Sister Bobbie Discuss Musical Memories of Childhood
In celebration of their album 'December Day,' Willie Nelson and Bobbie Nelson have released a video sharing memories of their childhood in Abbott, Texas.
"We grew up working on farms and making our school money picking cotton, baling hay, whatever. It was a great way to grow up," Willie Nelson says. "We learned a little about everything in Abbott. There was no laws up there, so we could pretty well do what we wanted to do, as long as we lived through it, and fortunately we did."
The pair share the screen with shots of fields and churches, as well as old photos from their upbringing.
"Some of my, really, earliest memories, besides walking through the field, would be us learning music, our grandparents showing us music," Bobbie Nelson shares. "Our grandfather was very much into gospel music -- our grandmother, too -- and I was trying to learn to play the pump organ. I remember Daddy Nelson showing Willie how to play the guitar, and he taught [him] how to sing so that when he'd go to school, he could sing for the kids."
The siblings have been playing together since they were kids, starting with performances at church revival meetings. The video is full of laughs and tender moments, which translate into good chemistry on stage as well.
"There's nothing like playing music with Willie. I get an energy from just sitting with me at the piano, but when I sit with Willie, it's just an all-new energy," Bobbie Nelson says of sharing the stage with her brother. "When we put that all together, you can really feel it."
Adds Willie Nelson, "We play together, I think, as well as anybody. When it's just her and I, it's a lot of fun to play. It's nice to know that sister Bobbie is over there because whenever I need someone to take the lead, all I have to do is nod to sister Bobbie, and she's already there. She knows what to do and gives me a chance to relax a little bit and figure out what I'm going to do next."