By S. Pulse
When New Zealand resident Tami Neilson took the stage at this year’s Luck Reunion, it marked her third time playing the event. The fans at Luck were familiar with her powerhouse, pitch-perfect vocals. Many in the audience were also aware of her backstory involving the Nelson family. Perhaps that explains why the crowd at Neilson’s performance was one of the biggest ever for an opening set.
After starting with a cover of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” Neilson announced that her set would feature exclusively Willie Nelson covers, or as Neilson described it, “Neilson sings Nelson.” It could’ve been considered a bold move by an artist, to sing the beloved event founder’s songs in front of his diehard fans. But Neilson is considered a member of the extended “Nelson tribe,” Willie Nelson-approved, and vocally capable of doing justice to his catalog of music.
So, how does a singer-songwriter from New Zealand arrive at such a position? Well, let’s start with that backstory, a heartwarming tale of how a music icon used his position to elevate the career of an up-and-coming artist.
Back in 2020, Neilson felt fortunate to have secured a spot on the roster of Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion. The pandemic derailed those plans. The festival was canceled and moved online. However, that exposure did bring Neilson a host of new connections including a new “twitter bestie” named Annie. In a real-life ‘Coming to America’ twist of fate, Neilson would eventually learn that her new friend was royalty, of the country music sort. The “Annie” that Neilson had befriended was Willie Nelson’s wife. So, when Neilson shared with Annie a track of her new song “Beyond the Stars,” Annie shared it with her husband, who laid down his vocals, and turned the song into a duet. The Nelsons sent the added track back to Neilson in New Zealand, where upon receipt, she was so touched that she “cried for days.”
Fast-forward to 2022. Neilson is finally able to play Luck and shocks fans when Willie Nelson makes an unexpected appearance on stage during her early set (in daylight!). Together, they perform a duet of her beautiful ballad about grief “Beyond the Stars.” The moment is made even more poignant as it comes just days after Willie’s loss of his dear sister and long-time piano player Bobbie Nelson. It’s an emotional experience, but Neilson perseveres, singing strongly through tears delivering a performance that will forever hold a place as one of the special moments in Luck Reunion history.
We recently spoke with Neilson at Luck about that monumental performance. She also shed light on the creation of a set of Willie Nelson cover songs that she recorded and described to us the impact that Willie Nelson’s had on her career.
Austin101: I was here that day in ‘22, standing right in front, when the unexpected duet with Willie happened and just thinking about that performance gives me goosebumps. A lot of the audience members shared your emotional reaction that day.
Neilson: That one was hard to get through. I kept it together. I said (to myself), “Let’s be professional. This is Willie Nelson. I’ve got to hold it together. I’ve got to be a pro.” I got through the first verse, and I sang the chorus with him and then, as soon as I stopped singing and just listened to him singing his verse, that’s when it hit me. It was kind of like I was in a whirlwind. . . I wasn’t performing, I was just standing, watching Willie Nelson sing the words that I wrote and that’s when I kind of lost it. The tears started to roll and every time he looked at me, I would try to smile to pretend that I was keeping it together.
Austin101: Well, your voice did not betray your emotions and you sounded amazing.
Neilson: Oh, thank you. Well, when you are in the business, you learn to do that because you’ll have those overwhelming moments on stage. That was one of those once in a lifetime moments (that) you will remember your whole life. It was a career highlight and a life highlight for me.
Austin101: I love the whole sentiment captured in your song “Beyond the Stars”. You wake up and you are recalling a dream with someone who has passed, and you think, “Did that really just happen?”
Neilson: That is very much what the song is about. I was talking with my friend and co-writer (of “Beyond the Stars”) Delaney Davidson. We had both just lost our fathers and we were talking about those moments when you get to have a dream. . . It feels like you got to have a visit for a few minutes and (you are) fighting that ‘not wanting to leave’ feeling, but still being in that ‘halfway meeting place’ between sleeping and dreaming. We wanted to capture that feeling in the song, where you’re getting to say things to them, they’re getting to say things to you. . . And you’re spinning together like in an old Disney cartoon where they are dancing and twirling in a ballroom. That song feels like that to me. Like my dad and I are just dancing beneath the stars.
Austin101: The Luck duet with Willie came not long after the loss of his sister Bobbie Nelson. I recently heard that Bobbie was able to hear the song before her passing.
Neilson: He (Willie) was listening to the song and rehearsing by her bedside. Bobbie was really unwell. Annie told me that he was playing it for her. He was playing for a lot of people. He just loved the song, which, I cannot even describe how special and moving it was to be a part of that. He has given so much to us with his music. He’s been with us through grief. He’s been with us through joy and life events. He gets played at weddings. He gets played at funerals — because his music helps us process the big emotions in life. So, to hear that that song helped him process grief in his life, was the hugest honor. It is an honor to give him even a tiny fleck of what he has given to me as a fan of his.
Austin101: Your set today consisted entirely of Willie Nelson covers. Earlier in the week you dropped a cover of “Always on My Mind.” How did that come about, and will that lead to an album?
Neilson: Last year at this time, we did Luck, and for the few days afterwards, we asked Annie, Willie’s wife, if we could use the Pedernales Studio, which normally isn’t opened to the public anymore. It is kind of only Willie that records there, and she said, “Yeah, go ahead.” So, we went in and used Chadie (Steve Chadie), who is Willie’s amazing engineer, and hung out with him for like three days. It was just me and my brothers.
Austin101: So, your brothers were there as well. You were supported on stage today by them, Jay and Todd. I noticed they had their Neilson family guitar straps. You mentioned that this was the first time in 20 years that you have performed live together.
Neilson: That’s how we grew up. We toured for the better part of a decade as a family band, so it was so special to be able to come together again and go into the studio. If you had told us 20 years ago that the next time we would be playing together would be in Willie Nelson’s studio and be on his ranch singing his songs, we would have laughed at you. So, it was really, really special to go in and record a lot of our favorite Willie songs in his studio. We filmed it all and documented it and then I gave it to him as his 90th birthday present. So, we made this little collection and I thought we should start sharing it with our fans.
Austin101: So, what does it mean to be a part of Willie’s tribe?
Neilson: I think there is a lot of cross-pollination between people who love our music and who love Willie’s music. After doing the duet together, it brought a lot of his fans to our music. When an artist of that profile takes the time to give their seal of approval, its career changing.
Before he performed the duet with me, I was texting Annie, and I said, “Can you ask if he remembers the first time someone gave him a chance?” Willie was in his forties before he really broke out as an artist. Before that he was (mostly) a songwriter.
I told Annie, “I don’t know if he can remember back to when someone gave him his first chance, but that is what he’s done for me, and I so appreciate it.” Annie got back to me, and she said, “He does remember because you never forget that. He is really happy and glad he can do that for you.”
There always has to be someone that believes in you, that says, “Yeah, I’ll step up and endorse you and I’ll put my name with yours to kind of give you a nudge.” And I think he’s done that for so many artists. He’s so generous.
Austin101: He really is. One final question, and this is a tough one. If we forced you to pick one Willie Nelson song as your favorite, what would it be?
Neilson: I have so many, all for different reasons. Maybe I’ll just say what my ‘most recent favorite song’ is because it’s a lot to ask me to pick from that vast catalog. One song that I listen to really often is a new one called, “Energy Follows Thought.” I will listen to it whenever I’m feeling discouraged or down or just need to feel grounded again. It’s like listening to the advice of a family member or a wise elder in your family that is passing down some wisdom and knowledge that is comforting.
Austin101: Thank you, Ms. Neilson, for sharing your insights and we look forward to the release of more Willie Nelson covers.
A Note to Our Readers: As of this posting, Tami Neilson has released two singles of the Willie Nelson covers that she recorded at the legendary Pedernales Studios. Give a listen to her intoxicatingly swampy version of “Sister’s Comin Home” featuring Texas musician Nicky Diamonds. Also, give a play to her heartbreaking cover of “Always on my Mind.”
