This unearthed footage captures Willie Nelson’s band at their peak, performing live in 1974 at the Texas Opry House. Each member gets their chance to shine during the show.
Conspicuously absent is Bobbie Nelson, Willie’s wife at the time. Perhaps only Willie himself knows why she wasn’t there that night.
Halfway through the set, Sammi Smith joins the band for a sizzling duet of “Georgia on a Fast Train.” The palpable tension between them adds another layer to the performance. Willie playfully warns her not to steal the show, hinting at her upcoming solo number, the classic “Help Me Make it Through the Night.”
Tragically, that part of the show is lost. Here’s the surprising reason: Back then, shows were sometimes filmed on two tapes – a 65-minute one and a 30-minute one. The trick was to seamlessly combine them later. Bill Young, who oversaw the programming, explains how he and his team searched high and low for the second tape while preparing a compilation for KERA’s 50th anniversary, but it vanished without a trace.
Lost forever, along with Smith’s solo and a special guest appearance by Jerry Jeff Walker performing “Up Against the Wall Red Neck Mother,” are those precious moments. Thankfully, the first hour of this historic performance remains for us to enjoy.