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| Willie Nelson is a country singer-songwriter known for hit songs like "Crazy" and "On the Road Again." |
Synopsis
Willie
Nelson was born on April 30, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. Nelson rose to prominence
at the end of the 1960s and contributed to the "outlaw country"
subgenre, which challenged the conservatism of Nashville. Nelson has written
some of the most popular country songs of all time, including the hit song
"Crazy." He is also well-known for his financial troubles and
activism.
Singer,
songwriter, actor and philanthropist Willie Nelson was born on April 30, 1933,
in Abbott, Texas. During his extensive career, Nelson has written more than
2,500 songs and has released close to 300 albums. He has won multiple awards,
including countless Grammys, American Music Awards and Country Music Awards.
In
2012, the Country Music Association honored Nelson with an all-star tribute at
the CMAs in Nashville. He is recognized worldwide as an American troubadour and
icon, transcended musical genres and has remained relevant through five decades
for his music, acting and as the face of such social causes as Farm Aid,
development of bio-diesel and the legalization of marijuana.
The
son of Myrle and Ira D. Nelson, Willie Nelson and his older sister Bobbie were
raised by their paternal grandparents during the Great Depression. With their
grandmother, Willie and Bobbie attended their town's small Methodist church
where they were first exposed to music. "The first music we learned was
from the hymnbooks. Willie had such a beautiful voice," his sister Bobbie
told Texas Monthly in 2008. Both grandparents loved music and encouraged
Willie and his sister to play. Nelson's famous gospel song "Family
Bible" draws from his early exposure to religious music. He sold the song
for $50 to his guitar teacher.
Nelson
got his first guitar at the early age of six and soon started writing his own
songs. A few years later, he played his first professional gig with a local
polka band. Nelson later joined Bud Fletcher and the Texans. He started playing
the local club circuit with the band. His sister Bobbie, who played piano, was
also in the group. She later married Bud Fletcher.
After
graduating high school in 1950, Nelson went into the U.S. Air Force. He did not
last long in the military, however. Stationed in Lackland in San Antonio,
Texas, Nelson had to leave the service because of back problems. He tried
college, enrolling at Baylor University. To make ends meet, Nelson took on odd
jobs, including selling encyclopedias door to door.
Dropping
out of college, Nelson worked as a radio disc jockey for several years and
played gigs in his spare time. He continued writing songs, producing some of
his most famous works -- inclucing "Night Life," "Crazy"
and "Funny How Time Slips Away" -- in the late 1950s.
In
1960, Nelson moved to the country music capital: Nashville, Tennessee. He got a
job as a songwriter for Pamper Music, earning about $50 a week. The next year,
two of Nelson's songs become hits for other artists -- Faron Young's version of
"Hello Walls" and Patsy Cline's legendary rendition of
"Crazy." His first album was released the next year without
generating much notice.
Singer
Ray Price, with whom Nelson had played with previously, made Nelson's song
"Night Life" a big hit in 1963. At the time, it seemed that his songs
were only successful when they were sung by other people. With his gritty, road
house sound, Nelson did not fit into the traditional Nashville country music
scene. Producers tried to make him fit the more classic country mold, but they
just stripped away his unique style, such as his unusual manner of phrasing.
And his resistance to these efforts made him a bit of an outlaw, as did his
reputation as a hard-drinking, hard-living man.
Nelson
took the loss of home in Ridgetop, Tennessee, in 1970 as a sign to make a
change. After his house burnt down, Nelson moved away from Nashville, returning
to his native state of Texas. He became part of the country music scene in
Austin and started hosting his now legendary Fourth of July picnics. Inspired
by Woodstock, the gatherings became popular musical celebrations, and included
performances from other country music outlaws such as Kris Kristofferson and
Waylon Jennings.
Nelson
also kept recording albums, but he stuck to making his own kind of country
music. Soon the long haired, bandana-wearing guitarist started to develop a
following. Shotgun Willie (1973) is considered to be one of his greatest
albums of all time. The record showcases his abilities as a singer,
storyteller, and performer. The next year, Nelson released Phases and Stages
(1974), which became another popular album for the rising star.
With
his album, Red Headed Stranger (1975), Nelson had his first taste of
crossover success. It did well on both the country and rock charts. The album
featured the hit "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," which was written by
Fred Rose. Along with being his first song to reach number one on the country
charts, the song also brought Nelson his first Grammy Award for best country
vocal performance in 1975.
Around
this time, Nelson contributed to the compilation Wanted: The Outlaws,
which also featured Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. Nelson
and Jennings also collaborated on the popular song "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 some
American standards on his album Stardust (1978). 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 staying power as well, lingering on the
country charts for a decade.
Around
this time, Nelson also branched out into acting. He first appeared in The
Electric Horseman (1979) starring Robert Redford. Soon after, Nelson
starred in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), in which he played a veteran country
musician performer. His character was torn between his wife (played by Dyan
Cannon) and the young singer (Amy Irving) who joins him on the road. The film
also featured the song "On the Road Again," which earned Nelson an
Academy Award nomination for best original song. Now considered a trademark
Nelson tune, "On the Road Again" also won the Grammy Award for best
country song in 1980.
Nelson's
successful streak -- both commercially and critically -- continued into the
1980s. The ballad "Always on my Mind" won the Grammy Award for best
country vocal performance in 1982. Albums Without A Song (1984) and City
of New Orleans (1984) reached the top or near the top of the country
charts. Singing with singer Julio Iglesias, Nelson scored a big hit with the
ballad "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" in 1984.
The
following year, Nelson teamed up with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris
Kristofferson to form the Highwaymen. Their first release Highwayman
(1985) was a big hit, as was the title track. The group went on to produce a
live album and another studio effort, Highwayman 2 (1995).
Known
for his compassion, Nelson -- along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp --
organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 in an effort to help family
farmers. To date, the Farm Aid organization has raised more than $30 million
and continues to work to keep family farmers on their land. In 2007, Ben &
Jerry's released "Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler Ice Cream"
with a portion of Nelson's proceeds donated to Farm Aid.
In
1990, Nelson ran into his own financial problems. The Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) told him that he owed the government $16 million in taxes, and they
seized most of his property to cover the bill. Maintaining his sense of humor,
Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories to generate some
cash to pay off the government.
On
a much more personal level, Nelson was dealt another devastating blow when his
son Billy committed suicide on Christmas Day in 1991. Still, Nelson managed to
keep going and keep recording. Several of his albums, including Across the
Borderline (1993) and Healing Hands of Time (1994), reached the top
20 on the country album charts.
Known
for smoking marijuana, Nelson was arrested in 1994 after pot was found in his
car. The case was later thrown out. In 2006, Nelson was again arrest for
marijuana possession in Louisiana. This time he received six months of
probation.
That
same year, Nelson helped out his hometown of Abbott, Texas. He bought and
continues to support the town's church and grocery store, which were both in
danger of failing. Nelson has also worked on behalf of the environment,
promoting an alternative, cleaner burning fuel known as biodiesel. In 2007, he
even started marketing his own brand called BioWillie, which is a combination
of diesel and biodiesel made from soybeans. "It seems like that's good for
the whole world if we can start growing our own fuel instead of starting wars
over it." said Nelson in a 2005 interview.
Not
only is he generous with his money, but also his time. Over the years, Nelson
has shown a deep commitment to his fans. After a show, "He'll stay there
for hours, signing autographs and meeting people," friend Kris
Kristofferson told Texas Monthly.
And
Nelson shows no signs of slowing down. He still tours heavily, playing
approximately 150 to 200 dates a year. Always experimenting, Nelson continues
to try out new types of material. In 2005, he released Countryman, which
incorporated elements of reggae. Nelson released Moment of Forever in
2008, which garnered much critical praise. He also scored a Grammy that same
year for the single "Lost Highway," another of his collaborations
with Ray Price.
Also
in 2008, Nelson performed live in Amsterdam with rap icon Snoop Dogg. The duo
have since work together on several projects, including the video "My
Medicine." Willie Nelson continued to collaborate with other artists
over the years. He teamed up with music group Asleep at the Wheel to release
the country swing album entitled Willie and the Wheel in 2009. That
same year, he released his a solo effort, Naked Willie, which
included remixes of his early recordings. Nelson later released the critically
acclaimed Country Music (2010), a collaboration with producer T-Bone
Burnett.
Nelson
followed up that success with the album Heroes, which featured
appearances by Merle Haggard, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristoferrson and Sheryl Crow,
among others. In 2012 the Country Music Association honored Nelson with an
all-star tribute at the CMAs in Nashville. Shortly before his 81st birthday in
2014, Nelson showed that he was still in top form. He earned his fifth-degree
black belt in a martial arts known as GongKwon Yusul, according to USA Today.
His next album, Band of Brothers, was released that June. Still a fan of
the concert stage, Nelson went on an extensive tour to promote this
recording.
Nelson
has also appeared on the big screen in more films such as Surfer Dude
(2008), Shoot Out of Luck (2008), Beer for My Horses (2008) and The
Boom Boom Room (2008).
In
his personal life, Nelson has seen many ups and downs. He married Martha
Matthews in 1952, and they had three children together, Lana, Susie, and Billy,
before splitting up. In 1963, Nelson married singer Shirley Collie, but he
divorced her to be with Connie Koepke.
They
had two daughters, Paula and Amy. Willie and Connie divorced in 1988 after Willie
became involved with Ann Marie "Annie" D'Angelo. Nelson married
D'Angelo in 1991 and they have been together ever since. They have two sons,
Lucas and Jacob Micah.
http://www.biography.com
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