Willie Nelson and His Sister Bobbie Nelson Breathe New Life to 18 Hymns

By Timothy Yap Jul 26, 2022 06:50 PM EDT

Country music legend Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie Nelson have recorded a new album Just As I Am: 18 Hymns and Gospel Favorites. The album, which features gospel classics including "How Great Thou Art," "Farther Along" and more, will be released via Gaither Music on August 12.

Featuring their renditions of some of the first songs they learned to perform as children, Just As I Am: 18 Hymns and Gospel Favorites takes timeless gems such as "I'd Rather Have Jesus," "I'll Fly Away," "How Great Thou Art," "Farther Along" and more from their hometown church stage to the hearts and lives of countless fans around the world.

Bobbie passed away this year at the age of 91. Her traditional yet graceful piano playing was a key component of Willie Nelson's live show. When Bobbie was just in her teens, Bobbie married the aspiring musician Bud Fletcher, who formed a band with his young wife and her brother. Following Fletcher's death in a car accident, Bobbie abandoned music for a secretarial job, but the keys that she learned to play as a child were always within reach: Her office job was with the Hammond Organ Company.

Eventually, she returned to performing and in 1973 reunited with her brother, who had just signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. Bobbie appeared on many of Willie's studio albums, from 1973's Shotgun Willie and the 1975 masterpiece Red Headed Stranger to 2021's The Willie Nelson Family, but it was her role onstage behind the piano where she left an indelible mark.

Tracklist:
Just A Little Talk With Jesus
I'd Rather Have Jesus
Where The Soul Never Dies
The Lily Of The Valley
I'll Fly Away
Are You Washed In The Blood
Where He Leads Me
The Old Time Religion
Revive Us Again
In The Sweet By And By
When We All Get To Heaven
Kneel At The Feet Of Jesus
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Just As I Am
Farther Along
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
How Great Thou Art