Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. The critical success of his album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Nelson wrote his first song at the age of seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. He worked as a disc jockey at radio stations in his native Texas, and at several radio stations in the Pacific Northwest, all the while working as a singer and songwriter throughout the late 1950s. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy".

In 1960, Nelson moved to Nashville, Tennessee, then signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music that allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, …And Then I Wrote. Its success enabled Nelson to sign with RCA Victor in 1964 and join the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nelson grew weary of the corporate Nashville music scene. In 1972, he moved to Austin, Texas, returned to performing, and appeared frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums such as Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs such as "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. In 1985, he helped organize the first Farm Aid concert to benefit American farmers; he has appeared at the annual concerts ever since.

In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million in unpaid taxes. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.