He may be synonymous with area, but you’d have to be superior to say Willie Nelson does not know a situation or two about rock ‘n’ roll.

The Texas icon, older than the style alone, crafted a occupation off the back once more of his individual popular state songbook as completely as a knack for turning tracks of all genres into some factor fitting his specific vocal phrasing and guitar picking. With a physique of get the job completed as prolonged and prolific as his, it is no shock he’s taken on his share of classic rock favorites and even rubbed elbows with some of the most enduring artists in the genre. Here are 10 of our favorites.

The Beatles

Between his look at on the Beatles’ “Something” in 1986 and his version of “With a Very little Assistance from My Friends” in 2022, Nelson’s been a quite small Fab for yrs. He’s also covered the solo get the job completed of George Harrison (“All Items Should Pass”) and John Lennon (“Imagine”).

Bob Dylan

Both equally legendary songwriters, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan just about each dropped their debut albums in 1962 and teamed up 3 quite a few years later on on “Heartland,” a music they wrote for Nelson’s 1993 album Across the Borderline. Nelson’s due to the reality lined “Gotta Serve Somebody” in 2002 and “Don’t Feel Two times, It’s All Right” with Merle Haggard in 2015, and invited Dylan onstage for a 2004 concert specific.

The Beach front Boys

While the Beach Boys’ nation crossover Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 was not viewed as a job significant when it was unveiled in 1996, it is challenging to deny the novelty of Nelson backed by the group’s signature harmonies on their joint version of “The Warmth of the Sunlight.”

Paul Simon

A stirring model of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Around Troubled Water” appeared on Nelson’s 1982 conventional Usually on My Brain. Nelson and Paul Simon shared the stage at Farm Assist V in 1992, and Paul appeared on Nelson’s Throughout the Borderline a calendar year later, masking his have “American Tune” and co-generating Nelson’s version of “Graceland.”

Neil Young

Nelson and Neil Younger have been in each and every others’ orbit for quite a few years: with John Mellencamp, they helped organize Farm Support. Nelson protected “Heart of Gold” in 1986 and afterwards performed it with Younger at their profit concert collection.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

A extended time into his job, Nelson was reaching back to the classic rock canon to give joy to his followers. In 2013, on an album of all-lady duets, he recruited his daughter Paula for a spirited rendition of the Creedence Clearwater Revival favored “Have You Ever Observed the Rain?”

ZZ Top rated

These Texas legends purchased on like spare ribs and barbeque sauce! Nelson integrated ZZ Top’s “She Loves My Automobile” for a 2002 tribute album and later joined them onstage for a ripping reside rendition.

Peter Gabriel

Nelson’s Across the Borderline was a star-studded affair, but no maintain track of might possibly be significantly greater than his interpretation of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s “Don’t Give Up.” The late Sinead O’Connor stepped in to duet when Dolly Parton couldn’t, adding her haunting vocal the operating day after her controversial appearance at a Bob Dylan tribute concert.

U2

U2 in no way do almost something halfway, boldly making a song for Nelson’s voice all through the classes to Zooropa. He recorded it with the band quite a few years later, releasing it as a B-facet to the band’s 1997 solitary “If God Will Deliver His Angels.”

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam’s changeover from ‘90s grunge-adjacent act to mellow, modern vintage rockers place them on Nelson’s radar in the 21st century. He lined their 2009 beloved “Just Breathe” 3 decades later, a showcase for his singular, timeless voice.