Willie Nelson‘s son, Lukas Nelson, has been as active as ever in the country music scene, especially in the midst of his father’s Outlaw Music Festival. But it’s actually a video from the past that has listeners enchanted with Lukas and his music all over again, showing him perform an Eric Clapton cover with his own unique spin while respecting all who inspired his style.
Nelson and his current wife, Annie D’Angelo, share Lukas along with Jacob. Lukas, born on December 25, 1988, according to IMDb, performs with Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (POTR), a country rock band established in 2008. Revisit his tribute to Clapton, which is making the rounds all over again.
Lukas Nelson performs a creative Eric Clapton cover with inspiration from his favorites
Over on TikTok, user @joycetaylor09 shared even “More Lukas Nelson, Because I can.” Which is all the reason anyone needs to share more of his work. The video shows footage from years ago when Lukas sang “Before You Accuse Me,” which is a tribute to Clapton and his other—very first—musical inspiration.
In the video, Lukas names his father Willie as his first and greatest source of inspiration, in part from his own style of performing and in part because Willie got him into Clapton, a two-for-one deal.
“I got to meet him [Clapton] one time,” shared Lukas, “And I was so inspired and scared, I didn’t know what to say. I just ran and I gave him a hug, I must have been 10 years old and I think he had a cold, but he hugged me back. And right around that time he came out with his record, it’s an ‘Unplugged’ record he did. So thought that this would be a good one.”
Over the centuries of developing different genres and styles, music has long been a collaborative effort, even for solo artists. Lukas went the acoustic route for “Before You Accuse Me,” which itself had been originally written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1957. It’s been covered by Clapton, as well as Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others.
Clapton covered “Before You Accuse Me” several times throughout his career, including an acoustic version of his own released in ’92, and an electric one back in ’78. This version number nine on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.
The performance Lukas put out accomplishes a lot, from capturing the spirit of the original song that captivated so many other artists, to paying homage to Clapton, the man whose response to an excited young fan made all the difference in the world.
