Willie Nelson Casts His Musical Vote For Peace

NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Lost Highway Records) - American music icon Willie Nelson proves you can oppose war and also support the troops with his recently released single, "Whatever Happened To Peace On Earth?" available as an online download, the track features such Nelson friends as Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers and even Willie's sons Lukas and Micah Nelson, and proceeds benefit the National Veterans Foundation.

Nelson's commentary on current politics and world affairs was born on Christmas day in 2003. "I have a son who was born on Christmas," Nelson explains. But the dual celebration that day was shadowed by the war in Iraq as well as other military and political conflicts around the globe. "I was watching TV and the war was going on and the bombs were going off. I said to my wife, 'There's babies dying and mothers crying.' She said, 'Write that down.'"

The resulting song asks pointed questions about the Iraq war ("How much oil is one life worth?") and the political maneuvering that led to the U.S. invasion and occupation ("How much is a liar's word worth?"), ultimately wondering: "Is this what God wants us to do?" The single is yet another effort by Nelson within his ongoing personal commitment to causes that make the world a better place: His longtime support of American farmers via Farm Aid, his use and promotion of Bio-Diesel to help protect the environment, his participation in a number of benefit shows for the victims of Hurricane Katrina (including one he helped organize in Austin) and his recent adoption via Habitat for Horses of 22 horses that would otherwise have been slaughtered, among other activities.