Willie Nelson Details ‘Criticism’ He Once Received for Playing Elvis Presley Music

Willie Nelson has always been an Elvis Presley fan, but the same can’t be said for some of his die-hard country music listeners.

Nelson, 92, opened up about the controversy surrounding Presley’s music in a resurfaced video from 1991 that was uploaded to his Instagram account this week.

During the clip, the country legend, who was working as a disc jockey when Presley arrived on the music scene, admitted that he would sometimes receive criticism for playing the King of Rock and Roll’s tracks on country radio.

Willie Nelson recalls receiving ‘criticism’ for playing Elvis Presley music on country radio.

“Elvis came out when I was a disc jockey, and I was playing country music,” Nelson recalled during the interview, which was taken from an appearance he made on Later with Bob Costasin 1991.

“He came out and he was doing rock and roll, or blues, or whatever they called it back then,” Nelson continued, noting that he played Presley’s tracks on his station “all the time.”

“I got a little criticism for it, from some of the old dye in the wool puritan country fans, but I thought he was great,” the “On the Road Again” crooner stated.

During the same interview, Nelson also recalled seeing Presley perform in Vegas toward the end of his career, though he was never able to meet the “Suspicious Minds” singer in person.

“I never met him,” Nelson revealed, though he did point out that Presley had previously recorded one of his songs, “Funny How Time Slips Away.”

And, Presley even used to send Nelson a Christmas card every year.

“But I never met him,” he insisted of the late music icon, who died at the age of 42 in August 1977.

Willie Nelson Made an Elvis Presley Hit a Country No. 1

Related: Donny Osmond Reflects on One of His ‘Favorite’ Memories of Elvis Presley Before His Death

This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.