Ask most people today, even those who claim to be savvy music fans, about country music’s first real supergroup The Highwaymen, and most people will look at you with a dumbfounded look, not knowing that this may be one of the strongest combinations of musical and vocal talent that country music can provide. Fusing together the combined skills of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson, four of the biggest outlaws who changed and shaped the tenor of country music as we know it. On their own, each is a force to be reckoned with, but when you put them all together like they did in 1985, you get what is commonly known as pure magic.
Today The Highwaymen have announced, via Consequence of Sound, that they will be releasing a deluxe concert box set to the public on May 20th. The Highwaymen Live – American Outlaws, from Columbia/Legacy, includes three audio discs that carry with them tracks recorded live at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY, as well as at several Farm Aid festivals, plus a DVD/Blu-ray feature of the unreleased full length concert film, recorded live on March 14th,1990, at Nassau Coliseum.
To help show support, and to preview the upcoming release, The Highwaymen have shared a video featuring footage from that exact concert. Showcasing frontman Willie Nelson emotionally performing Fred Rose’s”Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” which also appeared on Nelson’s 1975 classic album Red Headed Strangers.
With this new album being released, fans are hoping for upcoming news of The Highwaymen possibly going on some sort of tour with new members to replace those lost, but with age limitations on remaining members, it seems skeptical that it would be anything of significant size. However, a fan can always hope.
The Highwaymen Live – American Outlaws Official Tracklist:
Audio Disc 1 (recorded live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 14, 1990):
01. Mystery Train
02. Highwayman
03. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
04. Good Hearted Woman
05. Trouble Man
06. Amanda
07. There Ain’t No Good Chain Gang
08. Ring Of Fire
09. Folsom Prison Blues
10. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
11. Sunday Morning Coming Down
12. Help Me Make It Through The Night
13. The Best Of All Possible Worlds
14. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)
15. City Of New Orleans
16. Always On My Mind
17. Me And Bobby McGee
Audio Disc 2 (recorded live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 14, 1990):
01. Silver Stallion
02. The Last Cowboy Song
03. Two Stories Wide
04. Living Legend
05. The Pilgrim: Chapter 33
06. They Killed Him
07. I Still Miss Someone
08. Ragged Old Flag
09. (Ghost) Riders In The Sky
10. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
11. Night Life
12. The King Is Gone (So Are You)
13. Desperados Waiting For A Train
14. Big River
15. A Boy Named Sue
16. Why Me
17. Luckenbach, Texas
18. On The Road Again
Audio Disc 3:
01. Mystery Train
02. Highwayman
03. The King Is Gone (So Are You)
04. I’ve Always Been Crazy
05. The Best Of All Possible Worlds
06. City Of New Orleans
07. Folsom Prison Blues
08. Intro/Highwayman
09. Shipwrecked In The Eighties
10. Desperados Waiting For A Train
11. One Too Many Mornings (Previously Unreleased)
Concert Film Disc 4:
(Recorded live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 14, 1990; Running time: approx. 2 hours 39 minutes)