Still extending his own records.
A little over a week ago, Willie Nelson released his 75th solo studio album The Border (to go along with his 26 collaborative studio albums), and it marked his 152nd career album in total.
At 91 years old and already an icon in the music world and beyond, it’s hard to say anything new about the icon that is Willie Nelson at this point, but there’s a reason he’s been doing it for so long and staying at the top of his game… he’s the best of the best and that has simply never changed.
And yesterday, Billboard revealed the first week of numbers, which once again finds the red headed stranger debuting on the Top Country Albums chart, as The Border opens at #50. It’s the 114th time (yes, you read that right) he has debuted on the Top Country Albums chart, and extends his record for the most in the charts history.
Out of those 114 times, 53 of the albums made it into the Top 10, and 18 made it to the coveted #1 spot:
.@WillieNelson‘s ‘The Border’ debuts at No. 50 on this week’s #TopCountryAlbums chart.
It’s his 114th career album to debut on the chart, extending his record for the most in the chart’s history.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) June 11, 2024
According to Forbes, though, the debut was somewhat underwhelming in terms of actual sales, with a little more than 4,600 copies moved in its first full tracking week of availability (using Luminate data).
Honestly, there wasn’t a massive marketing campaign behind the project and little social media messaging in terms of single releases and things of that nature, so the fact that he still debuted within the Top 50 just goes to show the staying power and legendary legacy he continues to build on.
Well past his prime, Willie continues to tour and make new, quality music, and cement his living legend status at every single turn.
Willie Nelson Releases New Album, ‘The Border’
He does it again.
A couple weeks ago, the legendary, inimitable Willie Nelson released his 75th solo studio album The Border (to go along with his 26 collaborative studio albums), and it marks his 152nd career album in total.
The Border was produced by Willie’s longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, and includes four new original songs written by the two of them. In 2023, Nelson released two studio albums, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love and Bluegrass.
In 2022, he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album for his A Beautiful Time record.
On The Border, which features two previously-released tracks in “Made In Texas,” as well as the title track that served as the lead single, Willie once again tackles life, love and everything in between on standouts like “I Wrote This Song For You,” “Kiss Me When You’re Through” and many others.
Per the usual, he has delivered solid tunes that still blow all the youngsters out of the water. Hey, you don’t get to be a country icon without being the best with every single release, no matter your age.
His masterful songwriting is once again on display, which is a theme throughout his career and has been his superpower from the start, At his core, Willie is a storyteller and a songwriter above all else, and it’s truly a gift that he continues to share that once-in-a-lifetime talent with the world.
As he’s proven time again (and is extremely evident on this record), age really is just a number, but it comes with a lot of wisdom and unique life lessons that put Willie a cut above everybody else… and always will. Long live the red headed stranger.
The Border Tracklist:
01 “The Border”
02 “Once Upon A Yesterday”
03 “What If I’m Out Of My Mind”
04 “I Wrote This Song For You”
05 “Kiss Me When You’re Through”
06 “Many A Long And Lonesome Highway”
07 “Hank’s Guitar”
08 “Made In Texas”
09 “Nobody Knows Me Like You”
10 “How Much Does It Cost”
Check out some of my favorites below:
“I Wrote This Song For You”
“Kiss Me When You’re Through”
“What If I’m Out Of My Mind”
