Experiencing Willie Nelson live is a bucket list item for any true country fan. The legendary hitmaker and songwriter will release a new album in 2013, and will once again hit the road with his family band to bring real country music to fans across America. This June, Willie Nelson and Family will headline the Taste of Country Music Festival at Hunter Mountain in New York.

Nelson will turn 80 years old in April, but his shows are still as captivating as any Nashville artist -- more so than most. Recently, the 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain' singer's new music has blended political activism with stories of life in rural America, but the Country Music Hall of Famer has always been a voice of the people. 'On the Road Again,' 'Always on My Mind,' 'City of New Orleans' … these hits became hits because the average country fan could call each story his own.

Sons Micah and Lukas Nelson make up the "Family" part of the singer's entourage. They'll cross the country in Honeysuckle III (the name of his tour bus) this summer, singing their dad's hits and other songs they created together for Nelson's 2012 'Heroes' album. Both of the younger Nelsons are accomplished singers in their own right, and neither feels intimidated by their father's legacy.

"It doesn’t exist anywhere in our family," Lukas told the New York Times in May 2012 of high expectations. "People want to write about it because it might be a story that it’s a challenge for me to live up to my dad. But I’m not really trying to. I’m just trying to hang out with him."

Other performers booked for our Taste of Country Music Festival include Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Trace Adkins, Montgomery Gentry and Billy Currington. The three-day music and camping festival takes place at Hunter Mountain, which sits in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, just two hours from New York City.

Next 2012 ToC Fest Performer: Lady Antebellum >>

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