Being Willie Nelson’s son sure has its perks. Lukas Nelson grew up hanging out with some of the most legendary singers of all time. His dad’s good friends were and are Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Toby Keith, Neil Young and many more.
I will never truly be able to express how amazing last night was at the @BrdgstoneArena. Every single person that came are the loves of my life, for the love they showed my father. I got to end the night with one of the greatest – #KrisKristofferson (1/3) pic.twitter.com/7yzOD1q8Fp
— Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real (@lukasnelson) January 13, 2019
Lukas and his brother, Jacob were raised by their mother Annie D’Angelo and dad Nelson, who have been married since 1991, in Maui, Hawaii and are avid surfers. Although now that he lives in Los Angeles, Lukas notes that the surfing styles in LA are completely different than in Maui.
#HappyFatherDay! pic.twitter.com/IT7vOnrFZg
— Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real (@lukasnelson) June 17, 2018
“None of that would fly in Hawaii, the way those guys act,” he told Rolling Stone in an interview. “It’s really hard to be upset in Maui.”
He also revealed what kind of upbringing he had being raised by a country music legend, and it’s actually pretty surprising.
“I didn’t have a life in high school,” he says, also revealing that he used to practice guitar eight hours a day. “I didn’t try and go to parties. I never even drank until college. I didn’t have a girlfriend until I was 17. I was really a late bloomer. I was isolated. My parents were protective of me.”
A protective childhood filled with music actually brought Lukas and Willie closer together. Now, Lukas sometimes tours with his father, when he’s not touring on his own with his band, The Promise of the Real or creating music for major motion pictures like A Star Is Born.
Watch Lukas and his dad perform “Just Breathe” at Farm Aid in 2013.