"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a country song written by Fred Rose, who composed both the music and the lyrics. Elton Britt recorded it in early 1947, and Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys made it popular later that year with a Columbia single, backed by "The Devil's Train". Hank Williams recorded it in 1951. Other early versions came from Donn Reynolds, Ferlin Husky, Slim Whitman, Gene Vincent, John D. Loudermilk and Conway Twitty, whose version appeared in 1970. Many later artists covered it, among them Johnny Russell, Charley Pride and Elvis Presley, who recorded it at Graceland in February 1976.
Willie Nelson's recording, made for the 1975 concept album Red Headed Stranger, was released as a single in July 1975. It became his first number one on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in October 1975 and won the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. Bill Malone described the arrangement as a spare, clean country style.
