One of Willie Nelson‘s most beloved songs actually wasn’t written by him.
The country crooner released the iconic duet “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” on his and Waylon Jennings‘ collaborative album Waylon + Willie in 1978 — but the song had already been recorded a few years earlier.
Country singer Ed Brucewrote the song with his then-wife Patsy, and released it as a single in 1975. His version reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, but it wasn’t until Nelson and Jennings put their spin on the song that it soared to No. 1.
The duo released their version as a single in January 1978, and less than two months later, it reached the summit of the Hot Country Songs chart, staying there for an impressive 4-week run.
“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” even ended up winning Nelson and Jennings a Grammy in 1979 for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.
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The Waylon + Willie album, which also featured duets like “The Year 2003 Minus 25” and “Pick Up the Tempo,” was a smashing success for the two artists, earning an 11-week stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
To this day, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” is still regarded as one of the best songs of Nelson’s career. Rolling Stone ranked it as the No. 2 best song in Nelson’s catalog, and No. 69 on the 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.
Willie Nelson’s 21 No. 1 Hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart
- “Beer For My Horses” (duet with Toby Keith)
- “Seven Spanish Angels (duet with Ray Charles)
- “City of New Orleans”
- “Forgiving You Was Easy”
- “Nothing I Can Do About It Now”
- “Always On My Mind”
- “Poncho and Lefty” (duet with Merle Haggard)
- “Living in the Promiseland”
- “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (duet with Julio Iglesias)
- “Highwayman” (The Highwaymen)
- “Just to Satisfy You” (Waylon & Willy)
- “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”
- “Good Hearted Woman (Waylon & Willie)
- “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” (Waylon & Willie)
- “Georgia on My Mind”
- “On the Road Again”
- “If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time”
- “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
- “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
- “Heartbreak Hotel” (duet with Leon Russell)
- “Blue Skies”
Related: 2006 Willie Nelson Cover Became a Cult-Classic LGBTQ+ Country Anthem
