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(b. 1933) |
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Willie
Nelson (b.
April 30, 1933) Willie Nelson was born in Abbot,
Texas in 1933. His father worked as a
mechanic, and also owned a pool hall.
Young Willie took to music at an early
age, writing his first song at the age
of seven. In high school, he had a band
called the Bohemian Fiddlers. Also,
while still in high school, Nelson
worked as a disc jockey for local radio
stations. Willie Nelson also had short
DJ stints with KHBR in Hillsboro,
Texas, and later with KBOP in
Pleasanton, Texas, while singing in
local honky tonk bars. After a short stint in the Air Force
after high school, Willie Nelson
studied agriculture at Baylor
University for one year. Then, in 1956,
Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington,
to begin a musical career, recording
"Lumberjack," a song written by
Leon Payne. The single sold relatively
well, but not well enough for Willie
Nelson to work as a full-time recording
artist. Nelson continued working as a
radio announcer in Vancouver and
singing in local clubs. He sold a song
he wrote called "Family Bible"
for $50; the song was a hit for Claude
Gray in 1960. In 1960, Nelson moved to Nashville,
the heart of the American Country music
industry, but was unable to land a
record label contract. nelson did
manage to receive a publishing contract
at Pamper Music. After popular singer
Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night
Life", Nelson joined Price's
touring band as the bass player. During
this time playing with Ray Price and
the Cherokee Cowboys, many of Nelson's
songs became hits for some of country
and pop music's biggest stars of the
time. These songs include "Funny How
Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker),
"Hello Walls" (Faron Young),
"Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison) and
most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy
Cline). Nelson signed with Liberty
Records in 1961 and released several
singles, including "Willingly"
(sung with his future second wife,
Shirley Collie) and "Touch
Me." In 1965, Willie Nelson moved to RCA
Victor Records and joined the Grand Ole
Opry. He then recorded a string of
country albums, mostly produced by Chet
Atkins. He had a number of mid-level
chart hits throughout the remainder of
the 1960s and into the early 1970s,
before retiring and moving to Austin,
Texas. While in Austin, with its
growing "hippie" music scene, Nelson
decided to return to music. His
popularity in Austin soared, as he
played his own brand of country music
marked by rock and roll, jazz, western
swing, and folk influences. A passion
for running and a new commitment to his
own health also began during this
period. After this renaissance of his
career, Nelson became known as one of
the major players in the so-called
"Outlaw Country" movement, which also
featured his frequent recording
partners, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter
and Tompall Glaser, and Kris
Kristoferson. The 1980s saw a series of hit
singles for Willie Nelson, including:
"Midnight Rider" (1980), a cover
of the Allman Brothers song, which
Nelson recorded for The Electric
Horseman soundtrack; "On the
Road Again" (1982) from the movie
Honeysuckle Rose; and "To All
the Girls I've Loved Before" (a
duet with Julio Iglesias). There were
also more popular albums, including
Pancho & Lefty (1982, with
Merle Haggard), WWII (1982, with
Waylon Jennings) and Take it to the
Limit (1983, with Waylon
Jennings). In the mid-1980s, Nelson, and his
"outlaw" friends, Waylon Jennings, Kris
Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed a
group called The Highwaymen.
They unexpectedly achieved success,
including platinum record sales and
worldwide touring. Meanwhile, Nelson
became more and more involved in
charity work, as singing on the We are
the World single in 1984 and
establishing the Farm Aid concertsin
1985 to aid struggling family farms in
America. In 1990, the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) seized most of Willie
Nelson's assets, claiming he owed $32
million in back taxes including
penalties and interest. It was later
discovered that his accountants had not
been paying Nelson's taxes for many
years. He released The IRS Tapes:
Who'll Buy My Memories? as a double
album, with all profits going straight
to the IRS. Many of his assets were
auctioned and purchased by friends, who
gave his possessions back to him or
rented them at a nominal fee. He sued
accounting firm Price Waterhouse,
contending that they put him into tax
shelters that were later disallowed.
The lawsuit was settled for an
undisclosed amount. His debts were paid
by 1993. In 1991, Willie Nelson's son
Billy committed suicide Even into his 70s, Willie Nelson
continues to tour perform in concerts
and fundraisers with other major
musicians, including Bob
Dylan, Neil Young, and Dave
Matthews. He also continues to record
albums prolifically in new genres that
embrace reggae, blues, jazz, folk, and
popular music. Willie Nelson was arrested November
26, 2010 on charges of marijuana
possession by the U.S. Border Patrol in
Sierra Blanca, Texas. Border Patrol
agents entered Nelson's tour bus and
detected the odor of marijuana. Willie
Nelson, who makes no secret of his
marijuana use, admitted possessing pot
to the law-enforcement officers. Discography: Studio
Albums: Year Album Name 1962 And Then I Wrote 1963 Here's Willie Nelson 1965 Country Willie - His Own
Songs 1966 Country Favorites-Willie
Nelson Style 1967 Make Way for Willie
Nelson "The Party's Over" and Other Great Willie Nelson
Songs 1968 Texas in My Soul 1969 Good Times My Own Peculiar Way 1970 Both Sides Now Laying My Burdens Down 1971 Willie Nelson and
Family Yesterday's Wine 1972 The Words Don't Fit the
Picture The Willie Way 1973 Shotgun Willie 1974 Phases and Stages 1975 Red Headed Stranger 1976 The Sound in Your Mind Troublemaker 1977 To Lefty From Willie 1978 There'll Be No Teardrops
Tonight Stardust 1979 Sings Kristofferson Pretty Paper The Electric Horseman 1980 Honeysuckle Rose Family Bible 1981 Somewhere Over the
Rainbow 1982 Always on My Mind 1983 Tougher Than Leather Without a Song 1984 City of New Orleans Angel Eyes 1985 Me and Paul 1986 Partners The Promiseland 1987 Island in the Sea 1988 What a Wonderful World 1989 A Horse Called Music 1990 Born for Trouble 1992 The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy
My Memories? Any Old Arms Won't Do 1993 Across the Borderline 1994 Moonlight Becomes You Healing Hands of Time 1995 Six Hours at Pedernales "The
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Marketing You Can Trust Family,
Career, and Personal
Highlights Ira
Doyle
Nelson--Father Myrle
Marie Greenhaw Nelson
--Mother Marla
Mathews-
1st
Wife (Married
1952-1962)--Children of this
marriage: Lana, Susie,
Billy Shirley
Colle--2nd
Wife (Married
1963-1971) Connie
Koepke--3rd
Wife (Married
1971-1988)--Children of this
marriage: Paula Carlene and Amy
Lee Annie
D'Angelo--4th
Wife (Married
1991-Present)--Children of this
marriage: Lukas Autry and Jacob
Micah Education: 1954:
Attended Baylor University,
studying Agriculture (left
college after one
year) Career/Occupation: Military
Service: Site
Map--revision
in progress Willie
Nelson Links and Sources: Willie
Nelson Official Website |
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