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American Masters – The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End
Premieres nationwide Friday, May 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings)
Film Interviewees (in alphabetical order)
Ray Benson – Singer, songwriter, producer and founder of Asleep At The Wheel, the Western Swing group that was encouraged by Willie Nelson to join the Austin music scene and frequently opened Nelson’s shows (New)
John Carter Cash – Producer and son of Johnny Cash, he witnessed The Highwaymen tours (New)
Johnny Cash – Member of The Highwaymen, who as a singer and a songwriter sold more than 90 million records and was known worldwide as “The Man in Black;” also known for his integrity (Archival)
Jessi Colter – Waylon Jennings’ wife and a singer/songwriter who was featured on the first country Platinum album Wanted! The Outlaws , along with Waylon, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser; she toured with The Highwaymen. (New)
Waylon Jennings – Member of The Highwaymen, singer and songwriter, who is credited with starting the Outlaw music genre; he was Johnny Cash’s best friend and frequently collaborated with Willie Nelson. (Archival)
Toby Keith – Country singer/songwriter who has sold 40 million records; influenced by Waylon Jennings and The Highwaymen; he performed with Willie Nelson (New)
Kris Kristofferson – Member of The Highwaymen, singer, songwriter and activist, who went from being a Rhodes Scholar to becoming a leading songwriter and actor who was catapulted to fame by Johnny Cash’s version of his song “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (New and archival)
Lisa Kristofferson – Kris Kristofferson’s wife, road partner and lawyer, she toured with The Highwaymen (New)
John Mellencamp – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer and songwriter responsible for selling 40 million records, he helped found Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and is known for his independence and integrity (New)
Annie Nelson – Willie Nelson’s wife, she met him during The Highwaymen’s remake of the movie Stagecoach , on which she served as the make-up artist; she toured with The Highwaymen (New)
Willie Nelson – Member of The Highwaymen, who as a singer and a songwriter sold more than 40 million records and challenged the powers that be in Nashville to gain creative control of his career and become a leading force of Outlaw music (New and archival)
Mickey Raphael – Willie Nelson’s and The Highwaymen’s harmonica player, he has played with Willie Nelson since he was a teenager (New)
Lou Robin – Johnny Cash’s manager and the Road Manager of The Highwaymen, he discusses the challenges of The Highwaymen tours and how Johnny Cash played through his physical pain (Archival)
Mark Rothbaum – The Highwaymen’s manager and Willie Nelson’s manager for 40 years, he helped envision the group and orchestrated their tours and recordings (New)
Marty Stuart – Traditional and rockabilly country singer, songwriter and instrumentalist who was close to Johnny Cash and recorded with The Highwaymen; he was with the group when they first performed in Montreux, Switzerland (New)
Robby Turner – Pedal steel guitarist in The Highwaymen’s band (New)
Don Was – Legendary producer who discusses the real life personas of each of the members of The Highwaymen when he was producing their final album (Archival)
Reggie Young – Guitarist in The Highwaymen’s band who was part of the legendary group of side musicians The Memphis Boys, who were responsible for recording over 120 hits (New)