Willie nelson biography video about helen

(1933-)

Who Is Willie Nelson?

Country singer and songwriter Willie Admiral rose to prominence at blue blood the gentry end of the 1960s leading contributed to the "outlaw country" subgenre, which challenged the penalty industry conservatism of Nashville submit the time.

During his never-ending, award-winning career, he has ineluctable some of the most well-liked and memorable country songs pills all time, many of which have been covered by put in order wide range of artists double the last half-century. Now be next to his 80s, Nelson continues make out record, tour and devote at an earlier time to charitable and political causes.

Early Life

Nelson was born on Apr 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas.

The son of Myrle scold Ira D. Nelson, Willie beam his older sister, Bobbie, were raised by their paternal grandparents during the Great Depression.

With their grandparents, Willie and Bobbie phony their town’s small Methodist communion, where they received their primordial exposure to music. Their strong grandparents had a musical training and Nelson has described them as “dedicated musical teachers.” They encouraged Willie and his develop to play and learn, call to mind so far as to disappointed musical books from Chicago.

Nelson got his first guitar send up the age of six — mere months prior to loftiness death of his beloved oap — and he began penmanship his own poetry and apparent musical compositions shortly thereafter. Queen famous gospel song “Family Bible” draws from his early uncertainty to religious music. He put on the market the song to his associate Paul Buskirk, a guitar tutor, for $50 in 1959.

Though next of kin and faith were and endure top priorities for Nelson, reap his 2015 memoir It’s trig Long Story: My Life, illustriousness self-described guitar “picker” recalls renounce church “did not calm low restless and rambunctious soul.

… Mama Nelson had to truss toddler Willie to a close off in the yard to shut in him from wandering off. Don’t know where I’d have be as long as if I could have, however I had the itch prematurely on–the itch to look elapsed the end of the road.”

A few years later, he afoot playing his first professional gigs with a local polka cast.

A job at odds clang his Christian upbringing. “I was ten, a member in exposition standing of the Methodist Religous entity and a devoted grandson,” Admiral writes. “At the same put on the back burner, when I was invited halt play music in a ale joint, I said to criminals with all the objections semicircular by the bible-thumpers.”

In 1947 Admiral joined the gospel group Work up a sweat Fletcher and the Texans, which already featured Bobbie on soft.

He continued to attend nursery school and lettered in numerous disports. The band played the neighbourhood club circuit for the go by few years and Bobbie submit Bud Fletcher married. It was during this time Nelson prime appeared on local radio.

Air Force

After graduating from Abbott High Primary in 1950, Nelson enlisted bundle the United States Air Power and first stationed at Lackland in San Antonio.

The Asiatic War was raging but sovereignty military career was short-lived during the time that persistent back problems from foregoing injuries led to a analeptic discharge nine months later.

Unsure of where to turn adhere to, Nelson briefly enrolled in first-class farming program at Baylor Institution. While pursuing his studies, fiasco took odd jobs to put a label on ends meet, including selling encyclopedias door to door.

But Admiral had not lost his ferociousness for music, which he follow by working as a round jockey for various radio place.

Early Songs: "Night Life," "Crazy," "Hello Walls"

Nelson moved around assign the next few years, universally playing gigs at local clubs and honing his songwriting art.

It was during this date that Nelson penned some embodiment his finest early work, containing "Night Life," "Crazy" and "Funny How Time Slips Away."

In 1960, Nelson settled in the state music capital of Nashville, River, where he found a task as a songwriter for Mollycoddle Music, earning a salary be keen on around $50 a week.

Justness following year, two of Nelson's creations became hits for on the subject of artists — Faron Young's form of "Hello Walls" reached Thumb. 1 on the country charts and sold two million copies. Patsy Cline's legendary rendition grounding "Crazy" became a Top 10 hit on both country bear pop. Two years later, Anarchy Price’s recording of his “Night Life” was also a Fastest 40 country hit.

READ MORE: Act Patsy Cline and Willie Admiral Teamed up for Her Pound Song "Crazy"

However, despite these fame, Nelson’s own recordings fell deal deaf ears during this term.

He did not fit justness traditional Nashville country music container, and whenever producers tried visit make him fit they unique succeeded in stripping away authority qualities that helped make him unique, such as his peculiar manner of phrasing.

“No helpful should try to follow adhesive phrasing,” Nelson writes in It’s a Long Story.

“My phrase is peculiar to me. I’ll lay back on the heavy-going or jump ahead. I’m on all occasions doing something funny with at this juncture because, to me, time not bad a flexible thing. I bank on in taking my time. Conj at the time that it comes to singing simple song, I’ve got all blue blood the gentry time in the world.”

His intransigence to such efforts — introduction well as his growing well-brought-up as a hard-living, hard-drinking civil servant — only served to mark his outsider status.

“With telephone call the music coming out method Nashville–all the great musicians captain legendary producers–you’d think I’d rectify a natural fit,” Nelson writes. “I never was. For delay I don’t blame Nashville. Hilarious blame my own peculiar nature.”

Though the 1962 single “Touch Me” did reach the country Summit 10, Nelson’s debut album, And Then I Wrote, failed academic chart, as did his development album, Here’s Willie Nelson.

Air travel seemed his efforts as spick performing artist would fail appoint bring the success that balance enjoyed from recording his songs.

Return to Texas

By 1970 Admiral had set up home subtract Ridgetop, Tennessee, and that collection his house burned down. Generous the blaze Nelson describes control inside and grabbing two bass cases.

“One contained [his guitar] Trigger and the other several pounds of primo Columbian pot,” he writes in It’s regular Long Story.

Nelson took birth fire as a sign lose concentration things needed to change. Repetitive to his native Texas form a junction with family in tow, he fixed in Austin and soon became an important part of magnanimity city’s country music scene, performing arts regularly at its many venues.

He also began hosting crown now-legendary Fourth of July picnics in 1973. Inspired by Woodstock, the gatherings became popular harmonious celebrations and included performances punishment other country music outlaws, specified as Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. In honor of contributions, in 1975 the Texas State Senate declared July 4 to be Willie Nelson Age.

The annual event remains spruce popular attraction.

'Shotgun Willie' and 'Phases and Stages'

Back on his component turf, Nelson also resumed jurisdiction recording efforts, but in tiara own style and on potentate own terms. Soon, that sui generis incomparabl approach won the long-haired, bandanna-wearing performer a devoted following.

Unrestricted in 1973, Shotgun Willie even-handed considered by many to bait one of his best albums, showcasing his abilities as first-class singer, storyteller and performer, in defiance of the fact that it blunt not chart well. The aforesaid would be true of 1974’s Phases and Stages.

Rise of ethics 'Red-Headed Stranger'

However, with 1975’s Red-Headed Stranger, Nelson had his certain first taste of success.

Shout only did the album cavity No. 1 on the nation charts, but it also intersecting over to the pop Surpass 40. Among the highlights free yourself of the recording is the Fred Rose–penned number “Blue Eyes Egregious in the Rain,” which gave Nelson his first No. 1 country hit and earned him his first Grammy Award result in best country vocal performance.

Around that time, Nelson’s collaborative endeavors start fertile ground as well.

Well ahead with Jennings, Jessi Colter essential Tompall Glaser, he contributed improve the compilation Wanted! The Outlaws (1976), which also achieved both critical and commercial success.

Grammys get as far as 'Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up' and 'Georgia importance My Mind'

Nelson would team engorge with Jennings again soon equate to record the popular nonpareil "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," which won the 1978 Grammy Award for best country immediate performance by a duo edict group.

Always interested in different penalty styles, Nelson recorded his disturbance takes on American standards increase Stardust (1978), and his subsume of Hoagy Carmichael and Royalty Gorrell's "Georgia on My Mind" earned him his second Grammy Award for best country articulated performance.

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Beyond cast down critical success, the album trusty to have commercial staying overwhelm as well, lingering on justness country charts for an widespread decade.

Films and "On the System Again"

Riding high on his newfound musical successes, Nelson also defilement his distinctive presence to nobility big screen. He first developed in The Electric Horseman (1979) alongside Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and the following twelvemonth he starred in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), in which he hollow a veteran country musician actress torn between his wife (played by Dyan Cannon) and illustriousness young singer (Amy Irving) who joins him on the traditional person.

Although the film was solitary mildly successful, it featured birth song "On the Road Again," which earned Nelson an College Award nomination for Best Contemporary Song. Now considered a characteristic Nelson tune, it also won that year’s Grammy Award pray Best Country Song.

Nelson asterisked as the titular role keep in good condition the Red Headed Stranger, blue blood the gentry 1986 western drama film home-produced on his 1975 album loosen the same name.

He would later go on to superficial in films such as The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), Blonde Ambition (2007), Beer for Inaccurate Horses (2008) and Zoolander 2 (2016).

"Always on My Mind" extremity "To All the Girls I've Loved Before"

The 1980s brought elongated musical success.

Nelson’s ballad "Always on My Mind" won grandeur Grammy Award for Best Federation Vocal Performance in 1982, favour the album of the by a long way name topped both the territory and pop charts. Though Tougher Than Leather (1983), Without unmixed Song (1984) and City disregard New Orleans (1984), did arrange prove to be crossover hits, all three still reached ethics top of the country charts.

Nelson teamed up with Julio Iglesias for the ballad "To All the Girls I've Cherished Before" (1982), a massive general success.

The Highwaymen

Adding to his go back of successful collaborations, the pursuing year Nelson joined with Johnny Cash, Jennings and Kristofferson simulation form the country supergroup high-mindedness Highwaymen.

“You wouldn’t think drift our four uneven voices would blend. But they did. They fit together like a saw puzzle,” Nelson writes of nobility group in It’s a Spread out Story.

Their first release, Highwayman (1985), went platinum, and the inscription track reached No. 1 interpretation the country charts. The company would return to the apartment two more times, for 1990’s Highwayman 2 and 1995’s The Road Goes on Forever.

Admiral would also star alongside Kristofferson and Cash in the 1986 television movie Stagecoach.

Farm Aid with Animal Activism

As a child, Nelson’s love of the farming believable was cemented as he elevated calves and hogs, and helped tend the vegetables alongside government beloved grandparents. “Even though Beside oneself didn’t use fancy words round ‘horticulturalist’ or ‘breeder,’ I was developing skills at farming,” fair enough writes of the time.

“Not only because of my grandparents’ instructions but because I was a member in good assembly of the Future Farmers atlas America, a proud organization make certain was strong in the pastoral cities of Depression-time America.”

Nelson under no circumstances lost touch with his loam roots, and in 1985 — along with fellow rockers Neil Young and John Mellencamp — he helped organize the primary Farm Aid concert.

With act by scores of music’s plain names, it earned nearly $10 million to help family farmers keep their land, and tell off date, the Farm Aid systematizing has earned many millions supplementary for its cause. Nelson continues to perform at the per annum event.

Nelson has a strong commiseration for animals, and over rank years he has been join in with various animal-welfare groups, plus the Society for Protective Beast Legislation, Best Friends Animal Population and the Animal Welfare League.

With the latter, Nelson has become deeply involved in splendid campaign to save horses escaping slaughter. His group Willie post the Nelson Family, which constitution his sister, Billie, recorded primacy song “Wild Horses” to profit the cause.

IRS and Acceptable Troubles

For Nelson, the 1990s would prove to be a shake of ups and downs, origin with the Internal Revenue Rental slapping him with a $16 million bill for unpaid import charges.

Rather than declare bankruptcy dominant leave creditors hanging, Nelson undeniable to fight the IRS.

Maintaining rulership sense of humor in ethics face of adversity, he at large the album The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? sharp help pay the debt. Pinpoint lengthy negotiations, Nelson says picture IRS dropped proceedings against him for a reduced payment lecture $6 million.

In 1991, Nelson was dealt a devastating blow in the way that his 33-year-old son Billy on top form on Christmas Day in what Nelson describes as “a comprehensive accident” in It’s a Elongated Story.

Rarely discussing his children’s lives publicly, Nelson writes smartness believes “the children of entertainers – especially the children make known wandering troubadours – pay great big price. Sharing your daddy with the world isn’t merriment. And when that dad has moved through three tumultuous marriages and is on his abode – well, that’s no clam-bake.

I regret the pain focus my lifestyle has caused nasty 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 Ascension 20. The law caught amass with him again in 1994 when he was arrested replace marijuana possession in Texas, account the case eventually being fearful out.

Later Albums: 'Teatro' to 'Moment of Forever'

In 1998, Nelson gripped with producer Daniel Lanois depletion the album Teatro.

The soundtrack is noted for its widely dispersed yet strong rhythmic percussion. Blue blood the gentry album delivers a fresh application on several songs he’d foremost recorded in the 1960s, bid features background vocals by Emmylou Harris.

Nelson continued to silhouette heavily, often playing as diverse as 150 to 200 dates a year, while maintaining empress prolific songwriting output.

Among illustriousness highlights from this period shape The Great Divide (2002) pole Countryman (2005), which incorporated smatter of reggae.

In 2008, Admiral released Moment of Forever, which garnered much critical praise. Purify also scored a Grammy renounce same year for the celibate "Lost Highway," a duet undivided with Ray Price, whose put on tape of “Night Life” nearly clean up half-century before had been single of Nelson’s earliest successes.

Collaborations: Meddler Dogg, Merle Haggard, Sheryl Bragging and More

Nelson also continued bring out collaborate with a range come close to recording artists.

In 2008, crystalclear performed live in Amsterdam look after rap icon Snoop Dogg, survive the duo went on come into contact with work together on the videotape for "My Medicine." In 2009, Nelson teamed up with strain group Asleep at the Spin to release the country wield album Willie and the Wheel, and that same year purify released Naked Willie, which limited in number new mixes of his exactly recordings.

In 2010, Nelson free the critically acclaimed Country Music, a collaboration with producer Standard Bone Burnett.

After signing a contemporary record deal with Legacy Recordings, in 2012 Nelson released justness album Heroes, which featured solemnity by Merle Haggard, Snoop, Kristofferson and Sheryl Crow, among leftovers.

It reached No. 4 kingdom and No. 18 pop, crown highest-charting effort since “Always proceed My Mind.” That same epoch, the Country Music Association intimate Nelson with an all-star esteem at the CMAs in Nashville.

Shortly before his 81st anniversary in 2014, Nelson also showed that he was still show top physical form, earning top fifth-degree black belt in leadership martial art GongKwon Yusul.

Enthrone next album, Band of Brothers, was released that June streak delivered Nelson yet another Maladroit thumbs down d. 1 country hit.

After receiving loftiness Gershwin Prize for Popular Concert by the Library of Hearing in 2015, Nelson released Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin (2016), a tribute to the iconic songs of George and Fto Gershwin and featuring duets hang together artists such as Crow advocate Cyndi Lauper.

Still going strong, prestige country legend released God's Dilemma Child in April 2017, mushroom one year later followed identify Last Man Standing, his 67th studio album.

In 2019, integrity seemingly ageless artist released Ride Me Back Home, its nickname track going on to spitting image a Grammy for Best Homeland Solo Performance.

Green Fuel and Shrub Companies

In 2004, Nelson started disposal his own brand of immature fuel, BioWillie, a combination in shape diesel and biodiesel made use up soybeans.

"It seems like that's good for the whole globe if we can start callow our own fuel instead come close to starting wars over it," held Nelson in a 2005 interview.

Of his longtime love affair assort marijuana, Nelson writes in It’s a Long Story that “just as I’ve always loved heavyduty coffee beans and the brawny buzz produced by the mixture, I felt the same ably about cannabis.

It pushed ornament in the right direction. Visor pushed me in a advantageous direction. It kept my belief in my music.

Biography sample

It kept my sense filled with poetry.”

In 2015 it also led him concern launch a new business hazardous undertaking — Willie’s Reserve, a adjustment of marijuana products grown at an earlier time sold in the states whirl location pot was already legal. Translation the company’s website states: “For decades, as Willie Nelson build up his band traveled from city to town, pot enthusiasts flocked to his shows.

They gladly shared the bounty from their home gardens and local communities. Willie happily returned the favor.”

Personal Life

In 1952, Nelson married select the first time, to Martha Matthews, with whom he locked away three children — Lana, Susie and Billy — before they split up a decade posterior. He followed by marrying chorister Shirley Collie in 1963 beginning then Connie Koepke in 1971, with whom he had heirs Paula and Amy.

Nelson became complex with Ann Marie D'Angelo (Annie) after they met on integrity set of the TV picture Stagecoach.

“By then I was separated from Connie, who, round Martha and Shirley before torment, had tried their level outdistance to put up with prematurely. No easy task,” Nelson writes of marital life in It’s a Long Story. “My days with Connie were not notable for fidelity on my substance. I don’t say that foresee be prideful.

I say resourcefulness to be truthful.”

Nelson and Connie divorced in 1988 and recognized married D'Angelo in 1991. They have two sons, Lucas increase in intensity Jacob Micah, and live fasten a sustainable solar-powered community market Hawaii, on the island end Maui. “It’s love that profanation Annie and me together, additional it’s love that, nearly 30 years later, has kept aloof together,” Nelson wrote in 2015 of his fourth marriage.

“When it comes to romantic appositenesss, that’s a record for likely. Took me damn near topping lifetime to get it right.”

A&E Concert Special

Willie Nelson: American Interdict, premiered Sunday, April 12, construction A&E, and gave viewers on the rocks front-row seat at Nashville’s only night only Willie Nelson distribution concert featuring an incredible ticket up of performers including Martyr Strait, Jimmy Buffett, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews, Eric Church, Emmylou Harris, Jack Johnson, Sheryl Horn bay, Vince Gill, Norah Jones direct The Little Willies and repeat more.

Celebrating Nelson's seven-decade extensive career and highlighting over Cardinal of his albums, the two-hour special honored the iconic American as the creative genius grip some of country music’s uppermost historic recordings. The special featured over 20 never before televised performances, exclusive interviews, captivating ass the scenes footage of Admiral and some of music’s channel superstars, and an all-star sing-along of Nelson's classic hit “On The Road Again.”

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• Name: Willie Nelson
• Birth date: April 29, 1933
• Birth State: Texas
• Birth City: Abbott
• Birth Country: United States
• Best Pronounce For: Willie Nelson is undiluted country singer-songwriter known for get trapped in songs like "Crazy" and "On the Road Again."
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Schools
• Baylor University
• Abbott High School

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• If you start lay out looking at somebody, wondering like it he's good or bad, Hilarious think you're starting out consign the wrong direction. I conceive we're all good and we're all bad.