Workin' Man

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Willie Nelson's new studio album "Workin’ Man : Willie Sings Merle" in all configurations on Friday, November 7th, 2025. The album will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.

"Workin’ Man", his 155th album and 78th solo studio album, premieres Willie's new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard, the latest in Nelson’s storied history of focusing entire albums on a single songwriter’s or artist’s work. In just the last decade, Willie has released albums focusing on songwriters Harlan Howard, Ray Price, George Gershwin and Rodney Crowell and released 2 volumes of songs associated with Frank Sinatra. Nelson and Haggard were longtime friends and collaborators who released 3 collaborative albums together. 1983’s "Pancho & Lefty", 2007’s "Last Of The Breed", alongside Ray Price, and 2015’s "Django & Jimmie".

The 1st single from the album is Willie’s take on the classic “Workin’ Man Blues”, which was a #1 country hit for Haggard in 1969.

11 of Willie’s favorite Merle compositions were handpicked for the album. Nelson’s new performances include songs from various parts of his career, from tracks off of Merle’s 1st #1 country album, 1966’s "Swinging Doors", and late 60's career defining hits, “Mama Tried”, “Okie From Muskogee”, to 70's classics, the heart breaking holiday track “If We Make It Through December”, the southern rock tinged “Ramblin’ Fever”, and Merle’s #1 honky tonk classic from 1980, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink”.

Produced by the artist with longtime collaborator Mickey Raphael, the album was recorded at Nelson’s Pedernales Studios in Austin and features the final recordings he did alongside longtime Family band members, his sister Bobbie Nelson and Paul English. Constants in Nelson’s personal and professional world longer than anyone, Bobbie on piano and English on drums are joined by Raphael on harmonica, Kevin Smith on bass and Paul’s brother Billy English on drums and percussion.

The album announcement comes on the heels of the premiere of "Highway 99 : A Double Album", the career spanning documentary on the life and career of Merle Haggard directed by Ethan Hawke, which just premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and garnered rave reviews. Nelson was a prominent interview subject in the film.

The album announcement also comes as Willie gets ready to start the final leg of 'The Outlaw Music Festival 10th Anniversary Tour' in the northeast and midwest with an all star lineup that includes Willie, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Waxahatchee and Madeline Edwards. In addition to entertaining the audience from the stage, Willie brings along his new hemp derived THC infused social tonics Willie’s Remedy+. As the official Cannabis drink sponsor of this year’s 'Outlaw Music Festival Tour', his beverage company also continues Willie’s longtime support for farmers by proudly sourcing the finest natural ingredients grown in the USA by American farmers and giving back 1% of all sales directly to those farmers through Nelson’s own Farm Aid Foundation.

Later this month on September 20th, Nelson will headline the 40th annual Farm Aid concert event which will take place at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. He will be joined by Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, Billy Strings, Nathanial Rateliff and more.