Merle Haggard wrote the song referenced in the title of Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, but the “Workin’ Man” label certainly fits Willie Nelson. Now 92, he is not only still performing concerts but also issuing new recordings at a faster pace than most artists half his age. This latest LP—his 155th (not a typo!) and at least his 10th since 2020—pays tribute to Haggard, his friend and collaborator of many years, who died in 2016.
Nelson’s distinctive, world-weary voice is a good fit for the songs on Workin’ Man, which benefits from his masterfully played guitar and backup by co-producer Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Billy English (drums) and Kevin Smith (electric and upright bass). Also featured in their final recordings with Nelson are two of his longtime accompanists: his sister, Bobbie, and drummer Paul English, who died in 2022 and 2020, respectively.
Related: A new book analyzes Nelson’s massive album catalog
The program features 11 numbers written (or in two cases, co-written) by Haggard, and embraces some of his best-known songs, including “Silver Wings,” “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down,” “If We Make It Through December,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Today I Started Loving You Again” and “Mama Tried.” Granted, Haggard’s original versions of these tunes are definitive, but you can’t go wrong with a talent as big as Nelson’s and songs as great as these.
The title, via Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, arrived November 7, 2025, and is available in the U.S./worldwide here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.
Burger wrote one of the first interview-based profiles of Bruce Springsteen to be published in a national magazine. He has interviewed many other music-world luminaries as well, including Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tom Waits, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Billy Joel, Steve Forbert, Tommy James, the Righteous Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Deep Purple’s Tommy Bolin, and members of Steely Dan and the Marshall Tucker Band. He has also interviewed many other public figures, such as Suze Orman, Daymond John, James Carville, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson, F. Lee Bailey, and Cliff Robertson.
His books include Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, and Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters, all of which are published in the U.S. and Canada by Chicago Review Press. The books have been republished in numerous other countries.
Burger has been the editor of several periodicals, including Business Jet Traveler, from which he retired in 2024. During his 20 years at that
publication, it received more than 120 major editorial awards, including multiple wins for the world’s Best Consumer Travel Magazine in the annual Folio:Eddie competition.
Burger lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His wife, Madeleine Beresford, is a puppeteer and former preschool director and teacher. The couple have two grown children.
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