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Glen Hansard | "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (Willie Nelson cover) | KUTX

1,176 views · Published 28 December 2015 · 2:25 · Indexed 20 October 2026

Channel: KUTX Austin · 2015 · Music

In memory of Glen Hansard, we’re revisiting his intimate 2015 solo acoustic session in KUTX Studio 1A. Here, the Dublin singer-songwriter pays tribute to an Austin icon with a beautifully understated performance of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” the Fred Rose standard made famous by Texas treasure Willie Nelson.

Willie’s sparse 1975 recording became one of his signature songs and helped establish *Red Headed Stranger* as a landmark of outlaw country. Hansard brings his own weathered voice and emotional directness to the song, performing it alone with an acoustic guitar in the heart of Willie Nelson’s hometown.

Hansard began performing on the streets of Dublin as a teenager and went on to become the frontman of The Frames, one half of The Swell Season and an acclaimed solo artist. He also appeared in *The Commitments* and starred alongside Markéta Irglová in *Once*. Their song “Falling Slowly” received the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Glen Hansard died July 29, 2026, at age 56. We’re grateful to preserve this performance as part of the KUTX archive.

Recorded live at KUTX Studio 1A in Austin, Texas, on August 22, 2015.

▶ Watch the full set from Glen Hansard live in KUTX Studio 1A: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMw190GvdlmY

KUTX is a music-discovery station based in Austin, Texas, sharing live sessions, interviews and performances from essential artists in Austin and beyond. Studio 1A serves as both a platform for discovery and a living archive of Austin music culture, placing homegrown artists alongside touring musicians heard far beyond Central Texas.

KUTX 98.9 FM is the Austin Music Experience.

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Glen Hansard | "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (Willie Nelson cover) | KUTX

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