Lukas Nelson Performs “Help Me Make It Through The Night” During 2017 Radio Show
on Sep 13, 2017 • Updated Apr 09, 2020
Son to country music royalty Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson has been surrounded by classic country all his life. Naturally, growing up under his father’s roof came with a few perks, one including meeting Willie’s famous friends, including the legendary Kris Kristofferson.
Lukas shared with SiriusXM a story of when Kris Kristofferson and beloved boxer, Muhammad Ali, stopped by the Nelson residence. Lukas, who has made a career in music of his own as the frontman of his band Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, decided to sing Kristofferson’s iconic “Help Me Make It Through The Night” for the decorated athlete.
“Kris [Kristofferson] and my dad fell in with the harmony, so we got to sing “Help Me Make It Through The Night” for Muhammad Ali and you could see him tearing up a little bit. It was special,” recalled Lukas of the night.
Blown away by his story, the reporters for the radio station asked him to sing the 1970 hit, quickly rushing to get him a guitar to play on. Lukas performed a striking rendition of the song, proving he inherited every ounce of his father’s talent.
“Help Me Make It Through the Night” was written by Kristofferson after the country singer read an interview with Frank Sinatra where he was asked what he believed in, to which Sinatra responded “Booze, broads, or a bible…whatever helps me make it through the night.”
You can hear Lukas’ rendition of the iconic song below.
Ready to get a little emotional? Press play to hear @LukasNelson (yep, @WillieNelson's son) discuss & sing #kriskristofferson's classic 😭 💔 pic.twitter.com/B1apdAJYn3
— SiriusXM (@SIRIUSXM) September 13, 2017
And take a listen to Willie’s version below.
