Tag Archives: Wille Nelson

Austin City Limits (ACL) celebrates 40 years on television with a grand finale featuring musical highlights and inductions from the first-ever Austin City Limits Hall of Fame presentation. Hosted by Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, this special showcases highlights performances and collaborations from the ACL Hall of Fame ceremony held April 26, 2014. , featuring Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Robert Randolph and more.

The program honors the inaugural class of Hall of Fame inductees, featuring two legendary music acts, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, and a pair of individuals who played an invaluable role in the genesis of the series, show creator Bill Arhos and Texas Longhorns football head coach and ACL supporter Darrell Royal. The hourlong season finale premieres February 14th at 8pm CT/9pm ET.

For this extraordinary occasion ACL returns to its original Studio 6A, where the series taped its first episode in 1974—featuring Willie Nelson—to honor the artists and individuals who have inspired the iconic television series throughout its four decade run. The intimate performances include inductee Willie Nelson, joined by Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris for stunning readings of Nelson-penned classics including “Funny How Time Slips Away”, “Crazy” and “On the Road Again”. Matthew McConaughey inducts his friend and fellow Texan, saying “There would be no Austin City Limits without Willie Nelson”.

Austin blues-rock giants Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble are honored with a stirring tribute and their signature songs are performed by special guests backed by Double Trouble’s Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon and Reese Wynans. Guitar ace Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Grammy-winning singer Mike Farris perform a scorching rendition of “The House Is Rockin’”. Blues titan and ACL veteran Buddy Guy says, “I wasn’t here when Willie started, but I came soon after,” then demonstrates his incredible guitar prowess with an electrifying take on “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. Steel guitar dynamo Robert Randolph performs a fiery version of “Give Me Back My Wig” joined by Doyle Bramhall II. The special comes to an epic close with an all-star reading of a Lone Star classic as a stellar lineup of guitar slingers blaze through “Texas Flood,” a song Stevie Ray Vaughan made iconic when he performed it on a now-classic 1983 ACL appearance.

“The return to Studio 6A was a night filled with many emotions,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “A lot of history was made on that weathered wood stage, so it was only fitting that we come home for this special night to launch the ACL Hall of Fame. It almost felt like a time warp seeing Willie back up there, and we could feel the spirit of Stevie Ray in the room. There was magic in the air, and it shows!”

ACL recently announced the inductees for its second annual ACL Hall of Fame and the first round of tapings for the series’ upcoming Season 41, which include the Grammy nominated country rebel Sturgill Simpson, acclaimed rock outfit The War on Drugs, and new ACL Hall of Fame members Asleep at the Wheel, joined by special guests including The Avett Brothers and Amos Lee, in a special tribute to the late Bob Wills, King of Western swing.

Austin City Limits 2014 Hall of Fame Setlist:
Willie Nelson | “Whiskey River”
Willie Nelson & Lyle Lovett | “Funny How Time Slips Away”
Willie Nelson & Emmylou Harris | “Crazy”
Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris & Lyle Lovett | “Pancho & Lefty”
Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris & Lyle Lovett | “On the Road Again”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Mike Farris | “The House Is Rockin’”
Doyle Bramhall II | “Change It”
Robert Randolph & Doyle Bramhall II | “Give Me Back My Wig”
Buddy Guy | “Let Me Love You Baby”
Buddy Guy | “Mary Had A Little Lamb”
All-Star Finale | “Texas Flood”