Frogtoon Music

Willie Nelson 16 Biggest Hits (Album) by Willie Nelson

Artist Biography For Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson Born April 29 1933 Is An American Musician Actor And Activist. The Critical Success Of The 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. He Was One Of The Main Figures Of Outlaw Country A Subgenre Of Country Music That Developed In The Late 1960s As A Reaction To The Conservative Restrictions Of The Nashville Sound. 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. Born During The Great Depression And Raised By His Grandparents Nelson Wrote His First Song At Age 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. During This Time He Worked As A Disc Jockey In Texas Radio Stations And A Singer In Honky-Tonks. Nelson Moved To Vancouver Washington Where He Wrote "Family Bible" And Recorded The Song "Lumberjack" In 1956. He Also Worked As A Disc Jockey At Various Radio Stations In Vancouver And Nearby Portland Oregon. In 1958 He Moved To Houston Texas After Signing A Contract With D Records. He Sang At The Esquire Ballroom Weekly And He Worked As A Disk Jockey. 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 He Moved To Nashville Tennessee And Later Signed A Publishing Contract With Pamper Music Which Allowed Him To Join Ray Price's Band As A Bassist. In 1962 He Recorded His First Album ...And Then I Wrote. Due To This Success Nelson Signed In 1964 With RCA Victor And Joined The Grand Ole Opry The Following Year. After Mid-Chart Hits In The Late 1960s And The Early 1970s Nelson Retired In 1972 And Moved To Austin Texas. The Ongoing Music Scene Of Austin Motivated Nelson To Return From Retirement Performing 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 Along With Waylon Jennings Jessi Colter And Tompall Glaser. During The Mid-1980s While Creating Hit Albums Like Honeysuckle Rose And Recording Hit Songs Like "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 Johnny Cash Waylon Jennings And Kris Kristofferson. In 1990 Nelson's Assets Were Seized By The Internal Revenue Service Which Claimed That He Owed $32 Million. 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. Nelson Made His First Movie Appearance In The 1979 Film The Electric Horseman Followed By Other Appearances In Movies And On Television. Nelson Is A Major Liberal Activist And The Co-Chair Of The Advisory Board Of The National Organization For The Reform Of Marijuana Laws NORML Which Is In Favor Of Marijuana Legalization. On The Environmental Front Nelson Owns The Bio-Diesel Brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel Which Is Made From Vegetable Oil. Nelson Is Also The Honorary Chairman Of The Advisory Board Of The Texas Music Project The Official Music Charity Of The State Of Texas. Nelson Uses A Variety Of Music Styles To Create His Own Distinctive Blend Of Country Music A Hybrid Of Jazz Pop Blues Rock And Folk. His "unique Sound" Which Uses A "relaxed Behind-The-Beat Singing Style And Gut-String Guitar" And His "nasal Voice And Jazzy Off-Center Phrasing" Has Been Responsible For His Wide Appeal And Has Made Him A "vital Icon In Country Music" Influencing The "new Country New Traditionalist And Alternative Country Movements Of The 1980s And 1990s". In 1969 The Baldwin Company Gave Nelson An Amplifier And Guitar With Their "Prismatone" Pickup. During A Show In Helotes Texas Nelson Left The Guitar On The Floor Of The Stage And It Was Later Stepped On By A Drunk Man. He Sent It To Be Repaired In Nashville By Shot Jackson Who Told Nelson That The Damage Was Too Great. Jackson Offered Him A Martin N-20 Classical Guitar And At Nelson's Request Moved The Pickup To The Martin. Nelson Purchased The Guitar Unseen For $750 And Named It After Roy Rogers' Horse "Trigger". The Next Year Nelson Rescued The Guitar From His Burning Ranch. Constant Strumming With A Guitar Pick Over The Decades Has Worn A Large Sweeping Hole Into The Guitar's Body Near The Sound Hole—the N-20 Has No Pick-Guard Since Classical Guitars Are Meant To Be Played Fingerstyle Instead Of With Picks. Its Soundboard Has Been Signed By Over A Hundred Of Nelson's Friends And Associates Ranging From Fellow Musicians To Lawyers And Football Coaches. The First Signature On The Guitar Was Leon Russell's Who Asked Nelson Initially To Sign His Guitar. When Nelson Was About To Sign It With A Marker Russell Requested Him To Scratch It Instead Explaining That The Guitar Would Be More Valuable In The Future. Interested In The Concept Nelson Requested Russell To Also Sign His Guitar. In 1991 During His Process With The IRS Nelson Was Worried That Trigger Could Be Auctioned Off Stating "When Trigger Goes I'll Quit". He Asked His Daughter Lana To Take The Guitar From The Studio Before Any IRS Agent Arrived There And Then Deliver It To Him In Maui. Nelson Then Concealed The Guitar In His Manager's House Until His Debt Was Paid Off In 1993. Nelson Is Widely Recognized As An American Icon. He Was Inducted Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame In 1993 And He Received The Kennedy Center Honors In 1998. In 2011 Nelson Was Inducted To The National Agricultural Hall Of Fame For His Labor In Farm Aid And Other Fund Raisers To Benefit Farmers. In 2015 Nelson Won The Gershwin Prize The Lifetime Award Of The Library Of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute Of Letters Inducted Him Among Its Members For His Songwriting. He Was Included By Rolling Stone On Its 100 Greatest Singers And 100 Greatest Guitarists Lists.

HOME WILLIE NELSON
POPULAR TRACKS MIXES ALBUMS
Video 1 : 50