Riley Green Taps Willie Nelson for New Song on Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe)
Riley Green has expanded his Gold-certified third LP, Don’t Mind If I Do, with a deluxe edition that dropped Friday (Aug. 29) via Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment — and it comes with one very special guest: country music icon Willie Nelson.
Among the six brand-new tracks is “One to Willie,” a heartfelt ode that pairs Green’s Alabama grit with Nelson’s unmistakable touch. While Nelson doesn’t lend vocals, his legendary acoustic guitar, Trigger, takes center stage with a solo that Green says he’ll “treasure forever.”
How the Song Came to Life
The track had been on Green’s radar for years after songwriter Randy Montana first played it for him. Green nearly cut it for the original Don’t Mind If I Do, but at the time, Eric Church had the song on hold.
“I think I maybe have just gotten just famous enough that I can pull a song away if Eric Church isn’t going to cut sometime soon,” Green joked in an interview with Apple Music’s Today’s Country Radio.
Once the song was cleared, Green recorded his version and sent it to Nelson’s camp, hoping the 92-year-old legend might connect with it. Nelson didn’t just like it — he wanted to play on it.
“I said, ‘Whatever he wants to do. If he wants to sing, if he wants to speak, if he wants to play.’ Anyway, he played the guitar solo on it on his guitar,” Green revealed. “That’s such a cool thing for me. It doesn’t get much bigger than Willie Nelson in country music.”
Thinking Ahead
Seeing Nelson still touring and recording at 91 got Green reflecting on his own long-term future.
“I think I’m going to be 91. I’ll make it to 91,” he mused. “I always thought I’d do construction work until I couldn’t do it anymore, and I kind of feel the same way about playing music. I feel like I’ll always find a way to perform and go play shows to a certain extent.”
Green added that even if he isn’t on major stages decades from now, he hopes to emulate his late grandfather Buford, who wrote poems and painted: “I could see myself hopefully with some grandkids one day, sitting around trying to write goofy songs.”
The Deluxe Edition
Alongside “One to Willie,” Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) features collaborations with Randy Houser (“Cowboy As It Gets”), Hannah McFarland (“I Just Need You”), Luke Bryan (“Reel Problems”), and Ella Langley on the title track. Other highlights include the reflective “What Am I Supposed to Do Now,” the rollicking “Alchohall of Fame,” and the new barn-burner “Make It Rain.”
Tracklist Highlights:
“Reel Problems” (feat. Luke Bryan)
“Cowboy As It Gets” (feat. Randy Houser)
“I Just Need You” (feat. Hannah McFarland)
“Don’t Mind If I Do” (feat. Ella Langley)
“One to Willie” (feat. Willie Nelson on guitar)
On the Road
The ACM and CMA Award-winning singer-songwriter is currently on his Damn Country Music Tour, which kicked off in Canada earlier this year. The trek runs through November with stops in New York, Chicago, Boston, and across the UK, continuing to prove why Green is one of country’s most in-demand headliners.