Willie Nelson (born Willie Hugh Nelson, April 30, 1933) is an American entertainer and songwriter, born and raised in Abbott, Texas. He reached his greatest fame during the so-called "outlaw country" movement of the 1970s.

His grandparents William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth Smothers gave him mail-order music lessons starting at age six. Willie played the guitar, while Bobbie played the piano. He met Bud Fletcher, a fiddler, and both siblings joined his band, Bohemian Fiddlers, while Nelson was in high school.

After graduation, Nelson joined the Air Force, but left after about a year due to back problems.http://www.famoustexans.com/willienelson.htm He also attended Baylor University for one year. Eventually, he became a DJ at a country music radio station in Fort Worth, while singing locally in honky tonk bars. In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, to begin a musical career, recording "Lumberjack," which was written by Leon Payne. The single sold fairly well, but did not establish a career. Nelson continued to work as a radio announcer in Vancouver and sing in clubs. He sold a song called "Family Bible" for $50; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, has been covered widely and is often considered a gospel music classic.

Nelson moved to Tennessee, but was unable to land a record label contract. He did, however, receive a publishing contract at Pamper Music. After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life" (reputedly the most covered country song of all time), Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bass player. While 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 wife, Shirley Collie) and "Touch Me."

He was unable to keep his momentum going, however, and Nelson's career ground to a halt. Demo recordings from his years as a songwriter for Pamper Music were later discovered and released as Crazy: The Demo Sessions (2003). His personal life during this period was colorful. His alcoholism, failed day jobs and a penchant for carrying guns got him in trouble with the law, not to mention with his wife, numerous times.

In 1965, Nelson moved to RCA Victor Records and joined the Grand Ole Opry. He followed this with a series of minor hits. Frustrated with the music business, which tried to force him into a mould, Nelson retired and moved to Austin, Texas. While in Austin, with its burgeoning "hippie" music scene (see Armadillo World Headquarters), 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 lifelong passion for running and a new commitment to his own health also began during this period.

Nelson signed with Atlantic Records and released Shotgun Willie (1973), which won excellent reviews but did not sell well. Phases and Stages (1974), a concept album inspired by his divorce, included the hit single "Bloody Mary Morning." Nelson then moved to Columbia Records, where he was given complete creative control over his work. The result was the critically acclaimed, massively popular concept album, Red Headed Stranger (1975). Although Columbia was reluctant to release an album with primarily a guitar and piano for accompaniment, Nelson insisted (with the assistance of Waylon Jennings) and the album was a huge hit, partially because it included a popular cover of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (which was written by Fred Rose in 1945).

Along with Nelson, Waylon Jennings was also achieving success in country music in the early 1970s, and the pair were soon combined into a genre called outlaw country ("outlaw" because it did not conform to Nashville standards). Nelson's outlaw image was cemented with the release of the album Wanted: The Outlaws! (1976, with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser), country music's first platinum album. Nelson continued to top the charts with hit songs during the late 1970s, including "Good Hearted Woman" (a duet with Jennings), "Remember Me", "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time", "Uncloudy Day", "I Love You a Thousand Ways", and "Something to Brag About" (a duet with Mary Kay Place).

In 1978, Nelson released two more platinum albums, Waylon and Willie (a collaboration with Jennings that included "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," which was written and originally recorded as a hit single by Ed Bruce a couple of years earlier), and Stardust, an unusual, string-based album of popular standards. It was produced by Booker T. Jones. Though most observers predicted that Stardust would ruin his career, it ended up being one of his most successful recordings.

Nelson began acting, appearing in The Electric Horseman (1979), starring in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Thief (1981), Barbarosa (1982), Red-Headed Stranger. Also in 1982 he played "Red Loon," a gulag prisoner in Out of the Ice with John Savage, (1986, with Morgan Fairchild), Wag the Dog (1997), Gone Fishin (1997) as Billy 'Catch' Pooler, and the 1986 TV movie Stagecoach (with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, all of whom would form a band with Nelson called The Highwaymen). He has continued acting since his early successes, but usually in smaller roles and cameos, such as Half Baked as an elderly "Historian Smoker" who, while smoking marijuana, would reminisce about how things used to be in his younger years; Nelson also appeared as himself in the 2006 movie Beerfest, looking for teammates to join him in a mythical world-championship marijuana-smoking contest held in Amsterdam. Nelson has made guest appearances on Miami Vice, Delta, Nash Bridges, The Simpsons, Monk, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, King of the Hill, and The Colbert Report. He played Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard, the 2005 cinematic treatment of the television series, and was the only member of the big screen cast to reprise the role in the TV/DVD movie prequel The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) (V).

The Eighties saw a series of hit singles: "Always on My Mind" (originally made popular by Elvis Presley), "On the Road Again" from the movie Honeysuckle Rose and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" (a rather incongruous 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, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed a group called The Highwaymen. They achieved unexpectedly massive success, including platinum record sales and worldwide touring. Meanwhile, he became more and more involved in charity work, such as establishing the Farm Aid concerts in 1985.

In 1990, the IRS handed Nelson a bill for $16.7 million in back taxes and took away most of his assets to help pay the charges. 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. His debts were paid by 1993.

In 1996, Willie Nelson was featured on the Beach Boys' now out-of-print album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 singing a cover of their 1964 song "The Warmth of the Sun" with the Beach Boys themselves providing the harmonies and backing vocals. He also starred in Baywatch as an old man in boxer shorts.

He released Across the Borderline in 1993, with guests Bob Dylan, Sinéad O'Connor, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson and Paul Simon.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson has toured continuously and released albums that generally received mixed reviews, with the exception of 1998's critically acclaimed Teatro (which was produced by Daniel Lanois—more commonly known for his work with U2—and featured supporting vocals by Emmylou Harris). Later that year, he joined rock band Phish onstage for several songs as part of the annual Farm Aid festival. He also performed a duet concert with fellow Highwayman Johnny Cash, recorded for the VH1 Storytellers series.

Nelson received Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. A star-studded television special celebrating his 70th birthday aired in 2003. In 2004, he released Outlaws & Angels, featuring guests Toby Keith, Joe Walsh, Merle Haggard, Kid Rock, Al Green, Shelby Lynne, Carole King, Toots Hibbert, Ben Harper, Lee Ann Womack, The Holmes Brothers, Los Lonely Boys, Lucinda Williams, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis and Rickie Lee Jones.

In 2004, Nelson and his wife Annie became partners with Bob and Kelly King in the building of two Pacific Biodiesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon, and the other at Carl's Corner, Texas (the Texas plant was founded by Carl Cornelius, a longtime Nelson friend). In 2005, Nelson and several other business partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel ("BioWillie"), a company that is marketing biodiesel biofuel to truck stops. The fuel is made from vegetable oil (mainly soybean oil), and can be burned without modification in diesel engines.

Nelson is a cochair of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) advisory board. He has worked with NORML for years for marijuana decriminalization and has producing commercials for NORML that have appeared on Pot TV programs. In 2005, Nelson and his family hosted the first annual "Willie Nelson & NORML Benefit Golf Tournament," which appeared on the cover of High Times magazine. Nelson once claimed on Late Night with David Letterman that he smoked marijuana on the White House roof while visiting President Jimmy Carter.^{[A citation would be wonderful here.]}

On January 9, 2005, Nelson headlined an all-star concert at Austin Music Hall to benefit the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Tsunami Relief Austin to Asia raised an estimated $120,000 for UNICEF and two other organizations.

Nelson was a supporter of Kinky Friedman's campaign in the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election. In 2005, he recorded a radio advertisement asking for support to put Friedman on the ballot as an independent candidate. Friedman promised Willie a job in Austin as the head of a new Texas Energy Commission due to Nelson's support of biofuels. (Friedman was on the ballot but came in fourth with 12.43 percent, losing to Republican Rick Perry.

Nelson supported Dennis Kucinich's campaign in the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries. He raised money, appeared at events, composed a song ("Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?"), and contributing a quote for the front cover of Kucinich's book for the campaign.

Nelson is an honorary trustee of the Dayton International Peace Museum.

Nelson is an advocate for horses and their treatment. He has been campaigning for passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 1915) with the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. He is on the Board of Directors and has adopted a number of horses from Habitat for Horses.

In March 2007, Ben & Jerry's released a new flavor, Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler Ice Cream. Nelson's proceeds will be donated to Farm Aid. The flavor has been re-released and is now available, after Ben & Jerry's voluntary recall of 250,000 pints of the new flavor on March 19 2007, as wheat was incorrectly excluded from the list of ingredients.

Willie Nelson founded the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute in April 2007. The Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute believes in the Promise of Peace on Earth in Our Lifetime as the Birthright of Our Global Human Family. Willie Nelson and his daughter Amy Nelson wrote a song called "A Peaceful Solution" to give away to the world. Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute wants to give you Willie’s song to use however you wish. Willie Nelson says you may put them on a commercial CD and artists and musicians may perform “A Peaceful Solution” live. Feel free to make your own version of “A Peaceful Solution” and/or make a video. Willie Nelson will feature your song and/or video on the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute web site. Willie Nelson just wants to get the message of Peace out into the world. Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute.com website

Willie Nelson has been married five times and fathered nine children. #Martha Matthews from 1952-1962. Children are Lana, Susie, and Billy (who died in 1991). #Shirley Collie from 1963-1971. #Connie Koepke from 1971-1988. Children are Paula Carlene and Amy. #L.A. Hopkins from 1988-1990. Children are L.A. Jr. and Willa Jr. #Annie D'Angelo from 1991-present. Children are Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah.

Nelson can trace his genealogy back to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.

On September 18, 2006, Willie Nelson was issued misdemeanor citations for drug possession. Nelson was driving through Breaux Bridge, Louisiana after having performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival two nights before. A search of his tour bus produced 1.5 pounds of marijuana and 0.2 pounds of psychoactive mushrooms, according to state police. Hip-Hop band Kottonmouth Kings produced a song regarding this entitled "Free Willy", basically trying to convince people that this was not a crime, and he should not be imprisoned for it.

Willie Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. His distinctive music and other social and political activities sometimes take a backseat to his pop-culture public image (firmly grounded in the acknowledged reality of his life) - that of an elderly, lifelong marijuana-smoking old-school cowboy-hippie troubadour. His image is marked by his red hair, often divided into two long braids partially concealed under a bandana. He has been featured in recent advertisements for a variety of products and companies, including The Gap.

During the controversial middecade 2003 Texas redistricting attempt by Republicans in the Texas Legislature, Nelson supported the quorum-busting "Killer Ds," Democrats who left the state and briefly stayed at a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Oklahoma to prevent the Texas House of Representatives from considering the legislation. Nelson sent the legislators a case of red bandanas, T-shirts, and a case of whiskey with a note that read "Stand your ground."According to Time, "The Dems then broke into a campfire-style sing-along of Merle Haggard's 'Okie from Muskogee' from a second-floor balcony...At a press briefing that evening, legislator Jim McReynolds said, "We have not heard from Governor (Rick) Perry or Speaker (Tom) Craddick, but we have heard from the most powerful Texan of all, Willie Nelson."

In 2005, Democratic Texas Senator Gonzalo Barrientos introduced a bill to name 49 miles of the Travis County section of Texas State Highway 130, after Nelson. At one point, Barrientos had 23 of the 31 state Senators as co-sponsors. The legislation was dropped after two Republican senators, Florence Shapiro and Jeff Wentworth, pulled the bill from the Senate's "Local and Uncontested Calendar" and Barrientos decided not to put it on the regular calendar. Objections were based on Nelson's lack of connection to the highway and the Republicans' objections to Nelson's fundraisers for Democrats and his drinking.

Nelson also volunteered to narrate "The Austin Disaster, 1911", a little-known documentary about a flood in Potter County, Pennsylvania (see Floods in the United States). Before the tragedy, an unrelated William "Willie" Nelson repeatedly warned residents of possible dam failure.

In 2002 Willie released the album, "The Great Divide." A few songs on the album were written by Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 and Bernie Taupin. Rob Thomas contibuted background vocals and made an appearance in the video for, "Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me)." Lee Ann Womack appeared on the song, "Mendocino County Line" which was also released as a single. (Mendocino County is an actual county located in California. Mendocino county voters approved Measure G, which calls for the decriminalization of marijuana when used and cultivated for personal use.)

Other guests on, "The Great Divide" include: Kid Rock, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, and Alison Krauss. Willie also covered Cyndi Lauper's, "Time After Time."

Willie Nelson performed a duet on "Beer for my Horses" with Toby Keith on Keith's Unleashed album released in 2002. This song was released as a single in 2003 and Nelson shot a video with Keith in 2003. It won an award for "Best Video" at the Academy of Country Music Awards held on May 26, 2004.

In 2002, Nelson signed a deal to become the official spokesperson to the Texas Roadhouse, a fast-growing chain of steakhouses in the U.S. Since then, Nelson has heavily promoted the chain (including on a special on Food Network). Meanwhile the Texas Roadhouse itself installed "Willie's Corner" at several locations, which is a section dedicated to Nelson and decked out with memorabilia of Nelson.

No stranger to controversy, he released the Tex-Mex style "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other," a song about gay cowboys, as a digital single through the iTunes Music Store on Valentine's Day 2006, shortly after the release of the film Brokeback Mountain (which also featured Nelson on the soundtrack). He deadpans his way through the song, with such phrases as "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" and "Inside every cowboy there's a lady who'd love to slip out." The song was written and first recorded more than twenty years previously by musicologist/songwriter Ned Sublette and had also been covered, prior to Nelson's version, by queercore band Pansy Division.

In 2004, "Crazy" and "Mammas Don't let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys" appeared in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on fictional country music station K-ROSE.

In 2006, Julio Iglesias recorded Willie's hit "Always on My Mind" for Iglesias' upcoming Romantic Classics album, due out September 19, 2006. This song was recorded 20 years after Julio and Willie teamed up for "To All the Girls I've Loved Before."

In the April 2007 issue of Stuff Magazine Nelson was interviewed about his long locks. "I started braiding my hair when it started getting too long, and that was, I don't know, probably in the 70's."

In October of 2007, Willie Nelson will play at the "Big State Festival" at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX, which benefits The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Willie Nelson has just announced that he is almost finished with the recording of his new album and that he plans a world tour in early 2008.

The album, entitled I Traded My Stetson For An Ugly Plaid Hat, reportedly will be in a dual disc format and will contain twenty-two songs. While most of the tunes are originals, written by Nelson himself, the album will also feature a cover of Ricky Martin's hit single Livin' La Vida Loca. Nelson also covers the Beatles classic Taxman, which is particularly poignant, considering his own experiences with the Internal Revenue Service.

Nelson's touring and recording group is a collection of a number of longstanding members, including his sister Bobbie Nelson, longtime drummer Paul English, harmonicist Mickey Raphael, Bee Spears, Billy English (Paul's younger brother), and Jody Payne. Willie tours North America in his biodiesel (aka "BioWillie" - Willie Nelson Biodiesel) bus, the "Honeysuckle Rose IV."

Nelson's principal guitar is a Martin N-20 nylon-string acoustic, which he has named "Trigger", after Roy Rogers' horse. Constant strumming over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole. Its soundboard has been signed over the years by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. It is rumored that when the guitar finally wears out beyond playability, he will permanently retire from the music business.

* Best selling music artists * Academy of Country Music * List of country musicians * Country Music Association * List of best-selling music artists * Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame * Music of Austin * Evergreen, Colorado

*Allen, Bob. (1998). "Willie Nelson." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 374-6.

* Willie Nelson's "World Headquarters" (Official Site) * Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute (Official Site) * Willie Nelson's Live Music Downloads (Official Site) * Club Luck * at the Country Music Hall of Fame * Farm Aid's Official Site * BioWillie Fuel * Nelson's Biodiesel Company * Willie Nelson - MySpace * Official Willie Nelson Lost Highway Artist Page * Willie Nelson at Rolling Stone *

* Willie Nelson: A Pot-Smoking Outlaw-Hippie From Austin * Fresh Air Interview * Willie Nelson Bets on Biodiesel

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