“Hope I die before I get old”: Which currently active artist has the longest career? A couple of years ago, I saw Mavis Staples, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson on the same bill at a July 4th festival in Camden, NJ. Actually, one of the most fascinating things about music from any age is that confluence of the past and the future. Acts from an older age, beloved by an older generation, being nudged out of the way to make room for somebody new, and for all tomorrow’s trends. Artists like Willie Nelson, who continues to tour North America tirelessly each year at the age of 93.