Willie Nelson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, writer, poet, activist, and actor.
With the huge success of his albums Shotgun Willie and Red Headed Stranger, Willie has become one of the most influential names in the history of American country music.
Born in Texas, Willy started making music at age 7, and by 10 he was already part of a band.
In his youth, he toured the state of Texas with his band Bohemian Polka, but making a living from music was never his main goal.
Willy joined the US Air Force as soon as he graduated from high school.
In the mid-1950s, his song "Lumberjack" began to gain significant attention. This forced Willy to drop everything else and focus only on music.
After he joined Atlantic Records in 1973, Willie gained immense fame. In particular, his two albums "Red Headed Stranger" and "Honeysuckle Rose" turned him into a national icon.
As an actor, Willie has appeared in over 30 films and is the co-author of several books. He turned out to be a liberal activist and never shied away from expressing his thoughts on the legalization of marijuana.
Childhood and youth
Willie Nelson was born April 29, 1933 in Abbott, Texas during the Great Depression.
His father, Ira Doyle Nelson, worked as a mechanic, and his mother, Myrl Marie, was a housewife.
Willy didn't have a real happy childhood. Shortly after his birth, his mother left the family, and some time later, his father also abandoned his son and sister after marrying another woman.
Willie and his sister, Bobbie, were raised by their grandparents, who lived in Arkansas and were music teachers. It was thanks to them that Willy and Bobby began to lean towards music.
Willy got his first guitar at the age of 6. It was a gift from my grandfather. His grandfather took him and his sister to the nearest church, where Willy played the guitar and his sister sang the gospel.
By the age of 7, Nelson began to write his own songs, and a few years later he joined his first musical group. By the time he started high school, he was playing music all over the state.
His family picked cotton in the summer, and Willy earned money by playing music at parties, halls, and other small establishments.
He was part of a local small country music group, Bohemian Polka, and learned a lot from the experience.
Willie attended Abbott High School. At school, he became interested in sports and was part of the school's football and basketball teams. There, the musician also sang and played guitar for a band called The Texans.
He graduated from high school in 1950. Willie later joined the American Air Force after graduating from high school, but was fired a year later due to back pain.
In the mid-1950s he entered Baylor University where he studied farming, but halfway through the program he decided to drop out and pursue music in earnest.
In the next few months, in complete confusion and ruin, Willy moved to different places in search of work. He decided to go to Portland, where his mother lived.
Career Willie Nelson
By 1956, Willy began looking for a full-time job. He headed to Vancouver, Washington. There he met Leon Payne, who was a respected country singer-songwriter, and the song "Lumberjack" was created as a result of their collaboration.
The song sold three thousand copies, which was respectable for an indie artist.
However, this did not bring Willy fame and money, although he very much deserved them. He worked as a disc jockey for the next few years before moving to Nashville.
Nothing works!
Willy made some demos and sent them to major record labels, but his jazzy and laid-back music did not appeal to them.
However, his songwriting abilities were noticed by Hank Cochran, who recommended Willie to Pamper Music, a popular music label. It belonged to Ray Price.
Ray was impressed with Willy's music and invited him to join the Cherokee Cowboys, after which Willy became part of the band as bassist.
By the early 1960s, touring with the Cherokee Cowboys proved to be very beneficial for Willy, as his talent was noticed by the other members of the group.
He also started making music and writing songs for several other artists. During this early stage of his career, he collaborated with country musicians Faron Young, Billy Walker and Patsy Cline.
And then several of his singles hit the Top 40 countries chart.
He later recorded a duet with his then-wife Shirley Colley called "Willingly". Although they didn't expect it, the track became a hit. He changed labels a couple of years later and joined RCA Victor (now RCA Records) in 1965, but again became disillusioned.
This continued until the early 1970s, when he decided to quit music due to his failures and returned to Austin, Texas, where he focused on raising pigs.
Analysis over mistakes and successful breakthrough
He then thought carefully about the reasons for his failure in music and decided to give music one last chance. He began experimenting with rock music influenced by famous rock musicians.
The transformation worked and he signed with Atlantic Records. This was the true beginning of his musical career!
Willie released his debut album for Atlantic called Shotgun Willie in 1973. The album presented a fresh sound, but did not immediately receive good reviews. But still, over the years, this album gained momentum and achieved cult success.
"Bloody Mary Morning" and a cover version of "After the Isone Gone" were two of his hits in the mid-1970s. However, Willy thought he did not have full creative control over his final result.
In 1975, Willy released the album "Red Headed Stranger", which also became a hit.
In 1978, Willy released two albums: Waylon and Willie and Stardust. And both albums were big hits and turned Willy into the biggest country star of the day.
Already in the 1980s, Willy reached the peak of his career, releasing several hits. His cover art for Elvis Presley's album "Always on My Mind" from the album of the same name topped many charts.
The album, released in 1982, was certified quadruple platinum. He also collaborated with Latin pop star Julio Iglesias for the single "To All The Girls I Loved Before", another milestone in Willie's career.
The Highwaymen, created by Willy, were a legendary supergroup from a number of country music's top stars such as Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Their success was already clear with the first release of the self-titled album.
The late 1980s saw the emergence of many more young country musicians who followed Willie's style.
But as always, not everything can be eternal, and Willy's success soon began to gradually fade away.
The success of his 1993 solo album Across The Border was followed by another hit and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the same year.
In the next few years, Willy achieved success with a number of albums such as Spirit, Teatro, Night and Day and Milk.
Even after he turned 80, Willy did not stop making music and in 2014, on his 81st birthday, Nelson released another album, Band of Brothers.
This album included a hit that was number one on the country charts more than once.
Willie has also appeared regularly in films and TV series. Some of his most popular films are “The Electric Horseman,” “Starlight,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “Blonde with Ambition,” and “Zolander 2.”
The musician also wrote more than half a dozen books; some of his most popular books are “Life Facts and Other Dirty Jokes,” “Pretty Paper,” and “It's a Long Story: My Life.”
Personal life Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson was married four times in his life. The musician is the father of seven children. He was married to Martha Matthews, Shirley Collie, Connie Koepke and Annie D'Angelo.
He currently lives with his current wife, Marie, and their two sons in Hawaii.
Willie has been a heavy smoker for a very long time and also a heavy marijuana smoker.
He has shown his support for marijuana legalization on multiple platforms.
