Last night, Willie Nelson was honored with the Library Of Congress' Gershwin Prize at a gala in Washington, DC. He's the first country singer to receive the award since its inception in 2007. During the concert portion of the ceremony -- which also included performances from Neil Young, Paul Simon, and Leon Bridges -- Nelson performed a rendition of his 1986 song "Living In the Promised Land" for the first time since 2004. Before playing the track, he commented on the Syrian refugee debate that's currently ongoing: "I think this is one of the most appropriate songs that we could do for this period in America. Many years ago, I recorded this song and I felt like this might be a good time to kind of try to bring it back." Watch below.
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During the ceremony, Nelson also mentioned that he had recorded an entire cover album of George and Ira Gershwin songs, which will be released on 1/15 to coincide with the PBS airing of the Gershwin Prize ceremony.
In a Washington Post interview prior to receiving the award, Nelson disclosed that he had to have an experimental stem-cell operation to help his lungs.
