The Story Behind Willie Nelson And Ray Charles Performing Their Timeless Duet Of 'Seven Spanish Angels'

Jun 15, 2020 by apost team

What do a country star and an R&B musician have in common? Ray Charles and Willie Nelson's duet "Seven Spanish Angels," which came out in November 1984 on Charles' album Friendship, provides an answer. Nelson and Charles performed this brilliant genre-bending piece together in this unforgettably nostalgic live recording, which Nelson posted to his YouTube channel back in 2009.

"Seven Spanish Angels" was written by Eddie Setser and Troy Seals, but it’s Brother Ray and The Red Headed Stranger who made it famous, reports the Texas Hill Country. This Willie Nelson and Ray Charles duet combines powerhouses from two different genres, and you won’t be able to turn it off. In fact, you’ll want to replay the song again and again.

Ray and Willie split the verses, with Ray singing the first verse and Willie the second. In this homage to Tejano music, a Mexican outlaw and his girlfriend try to outrun a posse, according to Texas Hill Country. They don’t want to get caught and have to go back to Texas. Eventually, however, the outlaw couple is cornered by the Texas lawmen.

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The song opens as the lawmen near on horseback and the couple prepares to confront their fate, according to Texas Hill Country. The Mexican outlaw looks down into the “brown eyes” of his lover and asks her to say a prayer for him. She throws her arms around him in an impassioned embrace, saying, “God will keep us free.” Her lover promises that he’ll never be taken back to Texas. “This is my last fight,” he vows.

And where do the seven Spanish angels come in? They’re in the chorus of the song. Those seven Spanish angels get together and pray “at the altar of the sun” for those “lovers in the Valley of the Gun.” And in the end, after the smoke from the battle clears, those angels take two more angles home.

For those who aren't familiar with Charles' career or the song's interesting history, "Seven Spanish Angels" came out on the R&B singer's Friendship album, which is uniquely full of country duets, according to Sing Out. The album was so successful at the time that it remained on the country music album charts for 70 weeks while "Seven Spanish Angels" became Charles' first and only number one country single. And it's no wonder why. Just take a listen to this live performance, and it'll become clear how Charles and Nelson captivated a generation with this evocative duet.

What do you think of this ballad? Let us know and stir your friends and family members' souls by letting them know about this touching story performed by two of America’s best musicians.