WILLIE NELSON
From Honkytonk Hero To Outlaw
...and Beyond
Photo by Matt Carmichael
On April 30, 1933 (at 12:30 PM CST), God gave Country Music a precious gift: the birth of Willie Hugh Nelson. He is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, an accomplished guitar player, and has his own unique style of performing which has ranked him among the finest country singers as well.
He was born in Abbott, Texas, and was raised by his grandparents, "Mama" and "Daddy" Nelson after his parents separated. Willie and his sister, Bobby Lee, both loved music. While his sister was taught to play the piano, he was shown how to play guitar. His grandfather bought him a guitar at the age of 6, and by the time he was 7, he was writing heartbreak songs. "Maybe I got 'em from soap operas on the radio," he said, "but I've always seemed to see the sad side of things."
When he was just about 10 years old, Willie joined his first band, John Raycheck's Bohemian Polka Band. Then, at the age of 13 he joined his brother-in-law's band, Bud Fletcher and the Texans. After he graduated high school, he spent nine months in the Air Force, but was discharged due to back problems. Soon he enrolled part-time in a farming program at Baylor University.
In 1952, Willie met Martha Matthews, a carhop who later became his wife. Their marriage was a rocky one. According to Willie, "Martha was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, and every night was like Custer's last stand." Soon the couple left Abbott and moved to San Antonio, where Willie played with another band. Then, in 1954, he became a DJ on KCNC in Fort Worth. His opening line was "This is your ol' cotton pickin', snuff dippin', tobacco chewin', coffee pot dodgin', dumplin' eatin', frog giggin' hillbilly from Hill Country!" By 1956 Willie and Martha moved to Vancouver, WA, the town where Willie's mother lived. He was the host of a morning radio show on the local radio station KVAN, but unable to get a raise there, he then returned to Texas.
At this point in his career, Willie Nelson was becoming deeply involved in songwriting.
He sold his song "Family Bible" to Paul Buskirk for a mere $50 in 1956. This song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, and it was then that Willie knew he had to make the move to Nashville. While hanging out in Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, he met Hank Cochran. It was Hank who helped him obtain a songwriting contract with Pamper Music. He also met Ray Price there, and not only did Ray take his song "Night Life," but he also made Willie a member of his band.
The year 1961 was an important year for Willie Nelson. He wrote "Hello Walls," which became a Number One song for Faron Young. Next, Billy Walker had a hit with "Funny How Time Slips Away." Finally, after hearing Willie's recording of "Crazy," Charlie Dick convinced his wife, Patsy Cline, to record the song. All three of these country songs crossed over to the Pop charts, and have become country music standards.
Touring with the Cherokee Cowboys put added pressure on his marriage, and he and Martha were divorced in1962. In spite of some industry critics who weren't thrilled by his singing style, Liberty Records signed him to a recording contract. He had his first country hits, "Willingly," with Shirley Collie, his second wife, and then on his own with "Touch Me." He then gave Roy Orbison "Pretty Paper," which became a huge Christmas hit in 1963.
In late 1964, Willie became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry as well as joining the cast of Ernest Tubbs TV show. He left Liberty Records for RCA in 1965, remaining there until the early 1970's. This time period has been described as one of his lowest, but he actually had some success as a recording artist then. He had a number of singles on the country charts, including "The Party's Over" in 1967 and "Little Things" in 1968. None of these efforts, however, did much to help gain Willie widespread recognition as a performer. He was unable to match his recorded efforts with those of his live performances. "I'd get nervous," he said. "I just didn't feel comfortable in that kinda situation. You'd walk into the studio and they'd put six guys behind you who'd never seen your music before, and it's impossible to get the feel of it in a three-hour session. That was true for me, at least." Nevertheless, although his performing career lagged, he continued to rake in royalties from recordings of his songs made by others.
In search of a new beginning, Willie moved back to Texas in 1972. It proved to be a good move, and he did find the new start he was looking for. He noticed that young, longhaired people who loved rock and roll were also becoming interested in Country Music. He said, "I found that interest there and I also knew that they didn't have any place to go to listen to Country Music…Their hair was too long to get into some of those places without getting into trouble…but I knew there was an audience there…So I went down to the Armadillo World Headquarters [a rock-oriented establishment] and told them that I wanted to play for their audiences and see if what I was thinking was right." A recording contract with Atlantic Records led to the release of the albums "Shotgun Willie" and "Phases and Stages" in 1973.
At this time, Willie had settled in Austin with Connie, his third wife. Atlantic's Nashville operation soon closed down, and Willie signed with Columbia, recording the album "Red Headed Stranger" which contained the cross-over hit single "Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain." Later, as "the unofficial Mayor of Austin," he brought together the various groups of Country Music fans and helped start a new explosion of interest in the genre.
He let his hair grow long, wore a T-shirt and blue jeans, and wrapped a bandana around his neck. He also began to take an interest in karma and reincarnation.
There were those people in Nashville who thought of Willie Nelson as a rebel because he desired more control over the creation of his recordings. There were others, however, who also thought they had a better method of producing their records, perhaps even better than a lot of the Nashville producers. Among these Outlaws were Waylon Jennings, Willie and Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter. In 1976, "Good Hearted Woman" became a huge hit,and the album which contained it, "Wanted: The Outlaws," became the first certified platinum album in the history of Country Music. The industry demonstrated its acceptance when the CMA voted Waylon & Willie several top awards.
Willie Nelson's refused to be tied down to mere commercial considerations. The diversity of his recordings is tremendous. He demonstrated his love for classic American pop songs with the release of the album "Stardust" in 1978, which included the songs "Georgia On My Mind," "Blue Skies" and "All Of Me." Various artists have appeared on his many albums, including Johnny Bush, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Julio Iglesias, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Brenda Lee, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Leon Russell, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, and Neil Young. Willie has always been opposed to the categorizing of music. "There is no good reason to label music at all," he once said, "unless it helps to get the attention it deserves. I look at it all as just being American music…I don't need a name to be enjoyable."
Not only has Willie shown an ability to perform a variety of music, he has also shown the ability to organize several large festivals and gatherings of musicians. He has been involved in the legendary Fourth of July Picnics in Texas as well as the star-studded Farm Aid Concerts and USA for Africa. His career has also included several movie appearances, including "The Electric Horseman," "Red Headed Stranger," "Barbarosa," "Honeysuckle Rose," "The Songwriter," and "Stagecoach."
Willie continues to tour throughout the country. Playing a wide variety of material covering his entire career, he still has the ability to put on one hell of a show! His recent concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga, New York was the best live performance I have seen in many years. So, if you get the chance to see his show, you will not regret your decision. Not only was his show an event to remember, but I had the privelege of meeting him backstage after the show. He is truly a gracious performer who loves his many fans.
I hope you have enjoyed my tribute to Willie Nelson. This webpage has only scratched the surface of his life and career. In order to find out more about him, please consult the list of sources below, as well as the book, Willie: An Autobiography by Willie Nelson (with Bud Shrake).
BMG Special Products, Inc. of New York and Delta Entertainment Corporation
of Los Angeles are pleased to announce that Delta Entertainment has been
named the exclusive retail distributor of the venerable RCA Camden label in
the United States.
Delta's initial release included the reissue of the 1970 album by
Willie Nelson, Columbus Stockade Blues. This album has been re-mastered
using 24-Bit Mastering for crystal clear clarity, and repackaging with new
graphics.
Columbus Stockade Blues can be found at Amazon.com and CDNow. The album will most likely not hit the retail outlets until the New Year.
Chisai Remembers...Willie Nelson
Live at the Grapevine Opry
A Recording of Willie, live on stage at the Grapevine Opry. This album is available now and is exclusively distributed by:
Web Space Provided by: Albany Net
