Blake Shelton and Ian Flanigan Channel Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings During Epic ‘The Voice’ Collab

Ian Flanigan and his coach Blake Shelton performed Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

December 15, 2020

10:27 pm

Ian Flanigan, Blake Shelton; Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC

Ian Flanigan and his coach Blake Shelton performed Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” during The Voice finale on Tuesday evening (Dec. 15).

Flanigan and Shelton traded verses throughout the song, bringing the iconic country duet to life on The Voice stage as a virtual audience and coaches Gwen Stefani, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson watched on.

https://youtu.be/IRODh8b7ZPk

“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” is a track written by Ed Bruce and his wife Patsy Bruce. The tune originally appeared on Bruce’s 1976 self-titled album but was made famous in 1978 by the legendary Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Jennings and Nelson released the track on their duets album, Waylon & Willie, which peaked at No. 1 in March 1978, spending four weeks atop the country music charts. The song later went on to win a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal.

The Voice finale also featured performances from Dan + Shay (“Take Me Home For Christmas”), Jason Derulo (“Take You Dancing” & “Savage Love”), Lauren Daigle (“You Say”) and Lewis Capaldi (“Before You Go”).

Additionally, the two-hour show included star-studded collaborations from Keith Urban feat. P!nk (“One Too Many”), Nelly feat. Florida Georgia Line (“Lil Bit”), 24KGoldn and Iann Dior (“Mood”).

Hosted by Carson Daly, the Season 19 finale of The Voice aired on Tuesday, December 15 (9-11 p.m. ET/PT) on NBC.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.