Shotgun Willie Live is a Willie Nelson tribute from Northwest Arkansas led by Terry Johnson, whose vocal likeness led to an opportunity to perform as Willie at Legends in Concert in Branson. Built around familiar Willie songs and a lifelong connection to the material.

Shotgun Willie Live is a Willie Nelson tribute built around the voice and long-time song connection of Terry Johnson, based in Northwest Arkansas.

Terry grew up between Texas and Arkansas and became a Willie Nelson fan after a chance encounter in the summer of 1973. While working outside Austin before his sophomore year of college, Willie Nelson stopped by Terry’s trailer after work and played songs for nearly two hours on an old National guitar. Terry kept that guitar and kept singing those songs for decades.

After earning an MBA from Texas A&M and building a career in the technology industry, Terry continued singing Willie’s music for friends, family, and later in karaoke bars around Northwest Arkansas, working on Willie’s signature baritone and the songs he had known since that summer.

In 2022, while singing Always on My Mind at a spot outside Branson, Missouri, Terry was approached by a Legends in Concert associate, who encouraged him to audition after hearing how closely he sounded to Willie Nelson. That led to an opportunity to perform at Legends in Concert in Branson as Willie.

For buyers, Shotgun Willie Live is easy to place: a clear Willie Nelson tribute centered on familiar songs, a distinct vocal likeness, and a performer with a direct personal connection to the material. The show is rooted in Terry’s long history with Willie’s music and his goal of singing those songs for a live audience.