Robert Redford’s Legacy Lives On in Nashville’s Outlaw Country Story

Robert Redford, the legendary actor, director, and activist, has died at the age of 89. Known worldwide for unforgettable films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Ordinary People, and A River Runs Through It, Redford also left a surprising mark far from Hollywood — in Nashville, alongside some of the biggest names in country music.

Redford and the Outlaws of Country Music

At the height of his fame in the late 1970s, Redford built unexpected but powerful ties with outlaw country stars like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, Ray Stevens, Mel Tillis — and most famously, Willie Nelson.

In 1976, just months after premiering All the President’s Men as a benefit for the Citizens Action Fund, Redford hosted a Nashville gathering at the Belle Meade home of producer Billy Sherrill. It wasn’t just a Hollywood meeting — it was a cross-cultural summit where Redford stood shoulder to shoulder with country music’s most rebellious voices. At the same time, Jennings, Nelson, and others were changing the sound of country forever with Wanted! The Outlaws, the first country album to go platinum.

Willie Nelson and The Electric Horseman

Perhaps Redford’s most enduring connection to country music came through Willie Nelson. In 1978, while preparing to star in The Electric Horseman alongside Jane Fonda, Redford encouraged Nelson to consider stepping into film.

“Ever thought about doing a movie, Willie?” Redford asked. “You’re a natural.”

That nudge led Nelson to call director Sydney Pollack and win the role of Redford’s manager, Wendell Hixon. Nelson also contributed multiple songs to the soundtrack, including “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.”

As Nelson later recalled, “The reading was easy. The part was easy. I played myself. In fact, in every movie to follow, I played myself.”

The collaboration not only added authenticity to the film but also opened the door to Nelson’s later starring role in Honeysuckle Rose (1980).

A Bridge Between Hollywood and Country

Redford’s time in Nashville wasn’t a side note — it showed how his artistry and activism aligned with the spirit of outlaw country. He stood with musicians who were breaking rules, reshaping an industry, and giving voice to independence.

Though Robert Redford is now gone, his influence stretched beyond Hollywood. From Belle Meade meetings with Jennings and Haggard to giving Willie Nelson his Hollywood break, Redford’s story will forever be intertwined with the rise of outlaw country.