Background

Willie Hugh Nelson was born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. The son of Myrle and Ira D. Nelson, Willie and his older sister, Bobbie, were raised by their paternal grandparents during the Great Depression.

With their grandparents, Willie and Bobbie attended their town’s small Methodist church, where they received their earliest exposure to music. Their loving grandparents had a musical background and Nelson has described them as "dedicated musical teachers." They encouraged Willie and his sister to play and learn, going so far as to order musical books from Chicago.

Education

Nelson was a pupil of Abbott High School, where he was a member of the football team, a guard on the basketball team, and shortstop in baseball. By the time he reached middle school, he was playing music all over the state. His family picked cotton during summers, but Willie made money by playing music in parties, halls, and other small venues. He quit school in 1950 and joined U.S. Air Force.

From 1954 to 1956 Nelson studied farming at Baylor University, where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. While pursuing his studies, he took odd jobs to make ends meet, including selling encyclopedias door to door. He left the university without earning a degree.

Career

Nelson moved around over the next few years, regularly playing gigs at local clubs and honing his songwriting craft. It was during this period that Nelson penned some of his finest early work, including "Night Life," "Crazy" and "Funny How Time Slips Away."

In 1960, Nelson settled in the country music capital of Nashville, Tennessee, where he found a job as a songwriter for Pamper Music, earning a salary of around $50 a week. The following year, two of Nelson's creations became hits for other artists - Faron Young's version of "Hello Walls" reached No. 1 on the country charts and sold two million copies. Patsy Cline's legendary rendition of "Crazy" became a Top 10 hit on both country and pop. Two years later, Ray Price’s recording of his "Night Life" was also a Top 40 country hit.

However, despite these successes, Nelson’s own recordings fell on deaf ears during this period. He did not fit the traditional Nashville country music mold, and whenever producers tried to make him fit they only succeeded in stripping away the qualities that helped make him unique, such as his unusual manner of phrasing.

"No one should try to follow my phrasing," Nelson writes in It’s a Long Story. "My phrasing is peculiar to me. I’ll lay back on the beat or jump ahead. I’m always doing something funny with time because, to me, time is a flexible thing. I believe in taking my time. When it comes to singing a song, I’ve got all the time in the world."

Though the 1962 single "Touch Me" did reach the country Top 10, Nelson’s debut album, And Then I Wrote, failed to chart, as did his follow-up album, Here’s Willie Nelson. It seemed his efforts as a performing artist would fail to bring the success that others enjoyed from recording his songs.

By 1970 Nelson had set up home in Ridgetop, Tennessee, and that year his house burned down. During the blaze Nelson describes running inside and grabbing two guitar cases. "One contained [his guitar] Trigger and the other two pounds of primo Columbian pot," he writes in It’s a Long Story. Nelson took the fire as a sign that things needed to change. Returning to his native Texas with family in tow, he settled in Austin and soon became an important part of the city’s country music scene, performing regularly at its many venues.

He also began hosting his now-legendary Fourth of July picnics in 1973. Inspired by Woodstock, the gatherings became popular musical celebrations and included performances from other country music outlaws, such as Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. In honor of his contributions, in 1975 the Texas State Senate declared July 4 to be Willie Nelson Day. The annual event remains a popular attraction.

Back on his home turf, Nelson also resumed his recording efforts, but in his own style and on his own terms. Soon, that unique approach won the long-haired, bandanna-wearing performer a devoted following. Released in 1973, Shotgun Willie is considered by many to be one of his best albums, showcasing his abilities as a singer, storyteller, and performer, despite the fact that it did not chart well. The same would be true of 1974’s Phases and Stages.

However, with 1975’s Red-Headed Stranger, Nelson had his real first taste of success. Not only did the album reach No. 1 on the country charts, but it also crossed over to the pop Top 40. Among the highlights from the recording is the Fred Rose–penned number "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," which gave Nelson his first No. 1 country hit and earned him his first Grammy Award for best country vocal performance.

Around this time, Nelson’s collaborative endeavors found fertile ground as well. Along with Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, he contributed to the compilation Wanted! The Outlaws (1976), which also achieved both critical and commercial success.

Nelson would team up with Jennings again soon after to record the popular single "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," which won the 1978 Grammy Award for best country vocal performance by a duo or group.

Always interested in different music styles, Nelson recorded his own takes on American standards on Stardust (1978), and his cover of Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell's "Georgia on My Mind" earned him his second Grammy Award for best country vocal performance. Beyond its critical success, the album proved to have commercial staying power as well, lingering on the country charts for an entire decade.

Riding high on his newfound musical successes, Nelson also brought his distinctive presence to the big screen. He first appeared in The Electric Horseman (1979) alongside Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and the following year he starred in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), in which he played a veteran country musician performer torn between his wife (played by Dyan Cannon) and the young singer (Amy Irving) who joins him on the road. Although the film was only mildly successful, it featured the song "On the Road Again," which earned Nelson an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Now considered a trademark Nelson tune, it also won that year’s Grammy Award for Best Country Song.

Nelson starred as the titular role of the Red Headed Stranger, the 1986 western drama film based on his 1975 album of the same name. He would later go on to appear in films such as The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Blonde Ambition (2007), Beer for My Horses (2008) and Zoolander 2 (2016).

The 1980s brought continued musical success. Nelson’s ballad "Always on My Mind" won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1982, and the album of the same name topped both the country and pop charts. Though Tougher Than Leather (1983), Without a Song (1984) and City of New Orleans (1984), did not prove to be crossover hits, all three still reached the top of the country charts. Nelson teamed up with Julio Iglesias for the ballad "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (1982), a massive international success.

Adding to his resume of successful collaborations, the following year Nelson joined with Johnny Cash, Jennings and Kristofferson to form the country supergroup the Highwaymen. "You wouldn’t think that our four uneven voices would blend. But they did. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle," Nelson writes of the group in It’s a Long Story.

Their first release, Highwayman (1985), went platinum, and the title track reached No. 1 on the country charts. The group would return to the studio two more times, for 1990’s Highwayman 2 and 1995’s The Road Goes on Forever. Nelson would also star alongside Kristofferson and Cash in the 1986 television movie Stagecoach.

For Nelson, the 1990s would prove to be a mix of ups and downs, beginning with the Internal Revenue Service slapping him with a $16 million bill for unpaid taxes. Rather than declare bankruptcy and leave creditors hanging, Nelson decided to fight the IRS. Maintaining his sense of humor in the face of adversity, he released the album The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? to help pay the debt. After lengthy negotiations, Nelson says the IRS dropped proceedings against him for a reduced payment of $6 million.

In 1991, Nelson was dealt a devastating blow when his 33-year-old son Billy died on Christmas Day in what Nelson describes as "a terrible accident" in It’s a Long Story. Rarely discussing his children’s lives publicly, Nelson writes he believes “the children of entertainers – especially the children of wandering troubadours – pay a big price. Sharing your dad with the world isn’t fun. And when that dad has moved through three tumultuous marriages and is on his fourth – well, that’s no picnic. I regret the pain that my lifestyle has caused my kids."

Despite such difficulties, Nelson persevered, and several of his albums, including Across the Borderline (1993) and Healing Hands of Time (1994), reached the country Top 20. The law caught up with him again in 1994 when he was arrested for marijuana possession in Texas, with the case eventually being thrown out.

In 1998, Nelson worked with producer Daniel Lanois on the album Teatro. The album is noted for its sparse yet strong rhythmic percussion. The album delivers a fresh take on several songs he’d first recorded in the 1960s, and features background vocals by Emmylou Harris.

Nelson continued to tour heavily, often playing as many as 150 to 200 dates a year, while maintaining his prolific songwriting output. Among the highlights from this period are The Great Divide (2002) and Countryman (2005), which incorporated elements of reggae.

In 2008, Nelson released Moment of Forever, which garnered much critical praise. He also scored a Grammy that same year for the single "Lost Highway," a duet performed with Ray Price, whose recording of “Night Life” nearly a half-century before had been one of Nelson’s earliest successes.

Nelson also continued to collaborate with a range of recording artists. In 2008, he performed live in Amsterdam with rap icon Snoop Dogg, and the duo went on to work together on the video for "My Medicine." In 2009, Nelson teamed up with music group Asleep at the Wheel to release the country swing album Willie and the Wheel, and that same year he released Naked Willie, which included new mixes of his early recordings. In 2010, Nelson released the critically acclaimed Country Music, a collaboration with producer T Bone Burnett.

Achievements

• In total, Nelson was nominated for 52 Grammy Awards and several. He has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement and Legend Grammy Awards. He is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to being a successful country singer, he is also a songwriter and wrote hits for many other singers, including "Crazy" for Patsy Cline.
  
  The 1978 album Stardust, which features Nelson-ized renditions of pop standards like "Georgia on My Mind" and "Unchained Melody" spent two years on the Billboard 200, and a total of 540 weeks (a total of more than 10 years) on various country music charts.
  
  In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Willie Nelson's Letters to America

    (American music legend Willie Nelson follows his bestselli...)

    2021
  • It's a Long Story: My Life

    (The definitive autobiography of Willie Nelson. This is th...)

    2015

• movie

  • Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

    (First he fought for the Crown, now he's fighting for the ...)

    1999
  • The Country Bears

    (Based on "The Country Bear Jamboree" at Disneyland, Reid ...)

    2002
  • Wag The Dog

    (A tale of politics, power and Hollywood so outrageous it ...)

    1997
  • Gone Fishin'

    (A fishing vacation turns into a series of comical calamit...)

    1997

• music

  • And Then I Wrote 1962
  • Here's Willie Nelson 1963
  • Country Willie: His Own Songs 1965
  • Country Favorites, Willie Nelson Style 1966
  • Texas In My Soul 1968
  • My Own Peculiar Way 1969
  • Both Sides Now 1970
  • Laying My Burdens Down 1970
  • Yesterday's Wine 1971
  • Shotgun Willie 1973
  • Phases And Stages 1974
  • Red Headed Stranger 1975
  • The Sound in Your Mind 1976
  • The Troublemaker 1976
  • To Lefty From Willie 1977
  • Stardust 1978
  • Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson 1979
  • Pretty Paper 1979
  • Family Bible 1980
  • Tougher Than Leather 1983
  • Angel Eyes 1984
  • Me and Paul 1985
  • Island In The Sea 1987
  • What a Wonderful World 1988
  • Horse Called Music 1989
  • Born for Trouble 1990
  • Across The Borderline 1993
  • Moonlight Becomes You 1994
  • Spirit 1996
  • Teatro 1998
  • The Great Divide 2002
  • Nacogdoches 2004
  • It Always Will Be 2004
  • You Don't Know Me: The Songs Of Cindy Walker 2006
  • Songbird 2006
  • Moment Of Forever 2008
  • American Classic 2009
  • Remember Me, Vol. 1 2011
  • Let's Face The Music And Dance 2013
  • Band of Brothers 2014
  • Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin 2016
  • For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price 2016
  • Ride Me Back Home 2019
  • That's Life 2021

Religion

Rebellious Christian country singer Willie Nelson is a firm believer of God, and even though there are some people who might question his faith and think that his Christian values lean more towards the unconventional side, the singer maintains that his love for God has never wavered.

He has a brand-new autobiography called "It's a Long Story" where he firmly declares his love for Jesus Christ. "I was a believer as a kid," he wrote in the book, "just as I am a believer as a man. I've never doubted the genius of Christ's moral message or the truth of the miracles He performed. I see His presence on earth and resurrection as a perfect man as a moment that altered human history, guiding us in the direction of healing love."

Politics

In June 2018, Nelson spoke out against the Trump administration family separation policy. During his Fourth of July Picnic, he performed a song with Beto O'Rourke and supported him.

Views

As a child, Nelson’s love of the farming life was cemented as he raised calves and hogs, and helped tend the vegetables alongside his beloved grandparents. "Even though I didn’t use fancy words like ‘horticulturalist’ or ‘breeder,’ I was developing skills at farming," he writes of the time. "Not only because of my grandparents’ instructions but because I was a member in good standing of the Future Farmers of America, a proud organization that was strong in the rural cities of Depression-time America."

Nelson never lost touch with his farming roots, and in 1985 - along with fellow rockers Neil Young and John Mellencamp - he helped organize the first Farm Aid concert. With performances by scores of music’s biggest names, it earned nearly $10 million to help family farmers keep their land, and to date, the Farm Aid organization has earned many millions more for its cause. Nelson continues to perform at the annual event.

Nelson has a strong compassion for animals, and over the years he has been involved with various animal-welfare groups, including the Society for Protective Animal Legislation, Best Friends Animal Society and the Animal Welfare Institute. With the latter, Nelson has become deeply involved in a campaign to save horses from slaughter. His group Willie and the Nelson Family, which features his sister, Billie, recorded the song "Wild Horses" to benefit the cause.

Quotations: "When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."

"I have this kind of philosophy that I can't do anything about what happened yesterday, or what's going to happen tomorrow. But I feel in full control of what's going on now. I think worry will make you sick. I've never seen it accomplish anything. I've never seen worrying about anything change it. So I decided not to do it. If you can't do anything about it, why in the hell worry about it? Every negative thought you have releases poison into your system, and will kill you or give you cancer, or tumors or whatever else you can think of. So if you are thinking negative about anything, erase that."

"I think marijuana should be recognized for what it is, as a medicine, an herb that grows in the ground. If you need it, use it."

"Rather than trying to put an end to Eminem or some other rapper, politicians should think about why they're rapping. It's easier to try to censor some kid who's swearing about poverty than it is to stop the poverty."

"I'm just an ole redneck from Texas who ain't a Democrat or Republican, but I can look at a guy and tell whether I like him or not."

Membership

• 

  National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Personality

Nelson has been playing Trigger, his beloved guitar (which he named after Roy Rogers’ horse), since 1969. "I’ve got to take good care of Trigger," Nelson told Uncut Magazine in 2014. "He’s had a couple of problems. We’ve had to go in and do some work on the inside, build up the woodwork in there a little bit over the years. But Trigger’s holding up pretty good."

Nelson has hardly made a secret of regular marijuana use or his support for its legalization. As more and more states are legalizing the once-outlawed weed, Nelson has put his expertise on the topic to good use and launched his very own brand of pot: Willie’s Reserve.

Nelson is one of the three "outlaws" of country music, named because of their wild personalities, free spirits and liberal politics.

Physical Characteristics: Willie Nelson's trademarks are long red hair, cowboy hat, and Texas accent.

Interests

• Politicians

  Beto O'Rourke

• Writers

  Erskine Caldwell

• Athletes

  football, basketball, baseball, GongKwon Yusul

• Music & Bands

  Bob Wills, Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra

Connections

Willie was previously married to Martha Matthews (1952-1962), Shirley Collie (1963-1971), and Connie Koepke (1971-1988). Now he is the husband of Annie D'Angelo. He is the father of eight children.

Father:

Ira Nelson

Mother:

Myrle (Greenhaw) Harvey

ex-wife:

Martha Matthews

ex-wife:

Shirley Collie

ex-wife:

Connie Koepke

Wife:

Annie D'Angelo

Daughter:

Lana Nelson

Lana Nelson is the eldest child of Willie, who was born on 11th November 1953. She is frequently seen on Nelson’s Instagram account.

Daughter:

Susie Nelson

Susie Nelson was born on 23rd May 1956. In 1987, Susie released an autobiography titled Heart Worn Memories: A Daughter's Personal Biography of Willie Nelson, where she paid tribute to her father and shared what it was like being her daughter.

Son:

Willie "Billy" Hugh, Jr.

Billy was born on 12 May 1958. Billy was a talented musician who had planned to release an album of gospel tunes he had written before he died.

Daughter:

Paula Carlene Nelson

Paula Nelson was born on 27th October 1969 in Houston, Texas. She was born out of wedlock while his father was married to fellow country singer Shirley Collie.

Paula eventually pulled through and was a DJ at the Texas radio station KDRP-LP, or “Sun Radio” for four years.

Daughter:

Amy Lee Nelson

Amy Nelson was born on 6th July 1973. She has musical talent, and, on several occasions, has joined her father and her sister, Paula, on stage. Amy’s personal life is not known as the singer has kept most of her life private.

Son:

Lukas Autry Nelson

Lukas Nelson was born on 25th December 1988 in Austin, Texas. He spent most of his childhood life at his family’s home in Hawaii. Lukas is the most famous among Willie’s kids. Willie Nelson son started playing guitar at an early age, being inspired by his father. He joined his father’s band at the age of 13 and sharpened his music skills by being part of the touring band. Lukas has been a member of the American band named Promise of the Real or POTR since 2008.

Son:

Jacob Micah Nelson

Jacob Micah was born on 24th May 1990. He is also a great artist and musician like his father and has spent most of his childhood living on the road touring with his father. He has always been surrounded by music and has performed at many events such as FarmAid, Coachella, and Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit.

Daughter:

Renee Nelson

In 2012, Willie Nelson revealed that he had another child, and he did not know about it until 2012.

Friend:

Jimmy Carter

Former President Jimmy Carter has never made a secret of his admiration of Willie Nelson. And the two have shared a long friendship. On September 13, 1980, Nelson performed for Carter and guests at the White House - which included a duet of Ray Wylie Hubbard’s "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother" with then-First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

colleague:

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson once performed live together and collaborated on the video for "My Medicine."

colleague:

Johnny Cash

colleague:

Bob Dylan

Acquaintance:

Bill Gates

Performed at the 1994 wedding reception of Microsoft's Bill Gates and Melinda Gates in Lanai, Hawaii.

References

• Willie Nelson: American Icon Celebrate an American icon with the first full-color book that comprehensively explores the work and life of country superstar Willie Nelson.
  2017
• Willie Nelson: An Epic Life Willie Nelson is one of America's great iconoclasts and idols. Now Joe Nick Patoski draws on over 100 interviews with Willie and his family, band, and friends to tell Nelson's story, from humble Depression-era roots, to his musical education in Texas honky-tonks and his flirtations with whiskey, women, and weed; from his triumph with #1 hit "Always On My Mind" to his nearly career-ending battles with debt and the IRS; and his ultimate redemption and ascension to American hero.
  2008