'Whiskey River': The Story Behind Willie Nelson's Concert Staple
"Jerry told me, 'Johnny, what we've got to do now is, you've gotta write a hit.' And I said, 'Jerry, with all the songwriters in Nashville — Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson, Hank Cochran, Bill Anderson and people like that we can draw from — you want me to write the song?"
"On my way back to Texas from Nashville," continues Johnny, "I was on my tour bus and when I woke up in Texarkana, I had the idea about 'Whiskey River.' And by the time I got home, I had it written."
"The song was included on Bush's 1972 album of the same name and became one of the biggest accomplishments of his career, partially thanks to his friend Willie Nelson deciding to record his own version the following year. Nelson released his own "Whiskey River" on his 1973 album
Shotgun Willie and memorably sang it on the pilot episode of
Live From Austin City Limits, the long-running music TV series."
Now for the dancing in the video.....
Johnny Bush - Whiskey River 2019