Willie Nelson is like the entire state of Texas' favorite great-uncle. Even at 83 years old, he's putting out new albums, embarking on counter-cultural business ventures and being generally cooler than every other adult we know.
He is living proof that age is just a number. So is Lyndel Rhodes.
A touching video of the 92 year-old songwriter swept the internet this weekend. It captures the Tennessean first hearing a recording of Nelson singing "House on a Hill," a song she wrote, which he reportedly plans to include on an upcoming album. Take a break from your busy day to give it a listen. It's hard not to feel elated for her.
Rhodes is the mother of country musician Buddy Cannon, best known for producing albums for superstars like George Jones, Reba McEntire and Merle Haggard, just to name a few. His work with Kenny Chesney garnered for Cannon the Academy of Country Music Producer of the Year award in 2006, and that same year, he and co-writers won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year for the George Strait hit "Give It Away."
Cannon is a big deal in Nashville, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
In his spare time, Cannon posts videos of duets with his mother on YouTube. To their surprise, a recording of "Blessed Assurance" went viral in 2014 when a Brazilian website shared it on Facebook, The Tennessean reported. That post has topped 11 million views, Cannon estimated last year, but it's hard to know exactly how many it has reached through social media shares. One thing we do know: Willie Nelson was among them. He posted it to his website in 2014.
Seeing that their early morning picking sessions had struck a chord, the two were inspired to record an album, Gospel Harmonica, which reportedly features songs recorded on a cassette tape in Rhodes' living room over the years. On Sunday, Cannon uploaded a short Facebook video where she says a bit more about having Nelson record "House on a Hill."
h/t: Metafilter and many, many others