Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson, the unofficial patron saint of Texas music, is a country legend who has written more than 350 songs and released more than 100 albums (not counting greatest hits collections). He’s also known for his social activisim, co-creating Farm Aid. But his work with that organization is overshadowed by his support of the legalization of marijuana. (He’s been arrested multiple time for possession of the drug, most recently after being stopped at the infamous Sierra Blanca border checkpoint).
Willie was born in Abbott, Texas, in 1933. He started writing songs when he was five years old, and when he was six, Willie’s grandfather gave him a Stella guitar. The first song Willie learned was “Show Me the Way to Go Home.”
He scored his first gig playing rhythm guitar in John Rejcek’s polka band in West, Texas. He was paid $8. (“The first night that I made money making music, I knew that I had succeeded,” he told Texas Monthly‘s former editor Evan Smith in 2005.) Willie joined the U.S. Air Force in 1950, but a bad back forced him to quit. He briefly attended Baylor University, but dropped out and became a disk jockey, writing songs when he had the time. By the late fifties, he had composed “Night Life,” “Crazy,” and “Funny How Time Slips Away.”
A few of Willie’s songs—particularly “Crazy,” recorded by Patsy Cline, and “Night Life,” by Ray Price—became hits after he moved to Nashville in 1960, where he got a job as a songwriter. Still struggling to make a name for himself, Willie attempted to play bass for Price’s band in 1961. “When we came off the tour the first time,” Price told senior editor Michael Hall for a 2008 oral history, “he said, ‘I bet you didn’t know I couldn’t play bass.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘The first night.’”
Willie’s songs were selling well for other artists, but his own recordings flopped. Contributing editor Gary Cartwright wrote in 1998, “Disillusioned, Willie bought a small farm outside Nashville and determined to be a gentleman farmer-songwriter. He smoked a pipe, wore overalls, raised weaner pigs with fellow musician Johnny Bush, and gained thirty pounds on [his wife] Shirley’s good country cooking.”
After his home in Tennessee burned down in 1970, Willie moved to Austin, where he embedded with the outlaw country music scene. Robert Draper wrote in 1991 that “the man who once wore gaudy rhinestone-and-glitter Nudie suits as one of Ray Price’s Cherokee Cowboys and then took to wearing a poncho after seeing The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly now wore jeans and T-shirts and hair past his shoulders.”
In 1973 he started hosting his famous Fourth of July picnic, and his albums during this decade—particularly Red Headed Stranger and Stardust—contributed to his crossover success.
Willie also dabbled in film, appearing in The Electric Horseman (1979), starring Robert Redford, and Honeysuckle Rose (1980). Willie remained a commercially successful musician, recording songs such as “Always on my Mind” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” He also formed a supergroup, the Highwaymen, with Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash.
The generally charmed musician had a spurt of bad luck in 1990 when the IRS went after him and demanded he pay $16 million in back taxes. (Willie retained his sense of humor throughout the traumatic ordeal: “What’s the difference between an IRS agent and a whore?” he’d ask. “A whore will quit f-ing you after you’re dead.”) To pay down his substantial debt, Willie auctioned off assets and released a double-album titled, The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?
Willie continues to tour regularly, playing Trigger, a Martin N-20 classical guitar he has used since 1969, an instrument so iconic Hall profiled it in December 2012. (Willie also lovingly embraced Trigger on our May 2009 cover, one of nine times he’s graced our front page.)
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and in 2012, the Country Music Association paid him tribute at the Country Music Awards. Willie is renowned for being an affable collaborator and has worked with Phish, Toby Keith, T Bone Burnett, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, and most recently—and perhaps most impressively—he convinced Snoop Dogg to croon along with him on “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”
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All 143 Willie Nelson Albums, Ranked
The recording career of country music’s greatest artist, surveyed, sized up, and sorted on the occasion of his 87th birthday.
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The Best Thing in Texas: Willie Nelson Performs a Guy Clark Tune on the ‘Tonight Show’
The Red Headed Stranger honors his fellow Texas troubadour with two tracks on his new album.
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Willie Nelson Officially Releases His Ballot Box Anthem “Vote ’Em Out”
And it’s strangely bipartisan! Really!
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In Our Hyper-Political Times, Even Willie Nelson No Longer Unifies Us
The Red-Headed Stranger announced he’d be playing a rally for Beto O’Rourke. What happened next was predictable.
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Here’s Why We Get to Celebrate Willie Nelson’s Birthday Twice
If anybody deserves two cakes, it’s Willie.
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Why Does Willie Nelson Still Do It?
The music icon talks to us about how he’s able to continue writing—and touring—well into his eighties.
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Watch Lukas Nelson Cover His Dad’s “Funny (How Time Slips Away)”
Three years after learning the song in a cabin, he plays it a lot more confidently in the studio.
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High Times at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion
Generations of Willie devotees came together to revel in music and good times with the Red Headed Stranger in his own backyard.
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Willie’s Guitar Gets a New Inscription
Alejandro Rose-Garcia—a.k.a. Shakey Graves—recently carved his initials into Trigger, Willie’s famous guitar, the first inscription the instrument has seen in years.
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Willie Nelson’s Daughter Is Making a Documentary About His 90-Year-Old Roadie
Texas’s favorite octogenarian looks like a spring chicken next to his longest-tenured roadie.
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Willie Nelson Is Opening His Own Marijuana Dispensaries
Only question is, how did it take him so long?
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Here Is a Map of Every City in America That Willie Nelson Ever Sang About
Buffalo may not be geared for Willie and Paul, but everywhere from Fargo to Kankakee to Tucson to Birmingham is.
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“The First Roadie—Ever”
Ben Dorcy, who turns 90 next month, has been a roadie since 1950, and in that time has worked with Willie, Waylon, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Jerry Jeff, Randy Rogers, Jack Ingram, . . . well, you get the idea.
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Where News and Music Meet
Willie Nelson and Dan Rather, two longtime friends, talk about music, politics, and longevity in their businesses.
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Willie Nelson’s BioFuel Business Is in a Pretty Bad Way
Basically, Willie’s talents as a songwriter are inversely proportionate to his skill at managing his finances.
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You Can Buy Willie Nelson’s Actual Braids
. . . which were formerly owned by Waylon Jennings. Do you want them?
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Willie Nelson Gave New York Times Columnist Maureen Dowd A Pot Tutorial
After a new campaign in Colorado has literally made Dowd the poster child for how not to consume legal marijuana, she turned to the nation’s most beloved expert for advice on how to do it right—and shared what she learned in the pages of the Grey Lady.
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Willie Nelson Is Showing Off Card Tricks on His YouTube Channel Now
Texas’ favorite octogenarian is taking his grandpa game to the next level.
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NPR Is Streaming The New Willie Nelson Album In Its Entirety
Can you think of a better way to spend your Monday?
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Phantom of the Opry House
Sixteen photographs of some of the cooler moments of Austin history, as taken by Scott Newton, the longtime official photographer of “Austin City Limits.”
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My First Willie
Somehow I lived in Texas more than twenty years without seeing Willie Nelson. This had to end.
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Yes, This Is A Corn Maze Shaped Like Willie Nelson
Corn maze + Willie’s braids and guitar = pure Texas.
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Willie Nelson to Hold Benefit Concert For West, Texas
He repurposed his upcoming show at the Backyard, in Austin, to be a fundraiser for the town recently devastated by a fertilizer plant explosion.
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EXCLUSIVE: Willie Nelson on same-sex marriage
“I’d never marry a guy I didn’t like,” says the man who once covered “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other.”
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Willie Faces the Music
Willie Nelson is set to release a new album in April, just two weeks shy of his eightieth birthday.
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The Red Hooded Stranger
Is Willie Nelson Santa Claus? We asked him that, and a few other things—like what it’s like to get busted and get along with Pat Robertson and Snoop Dogg.
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Trigger: The Life of Willie Nelson’s Guitar
Most guitars don’t have names. This one has a voice and a personality, and bears a striking resemblance to his owner.
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Eight Great Trigger Performances
From “I’m a Memory” to “Here We Go Again,” listen to eight performances that highlight the capabilities of Willie Nelson’s treasured guitar.
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That ’70s Show
Forty years ago, Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff, and a whole host of Texas misfits grew their hair long, snubbed Nashville, and brought the hippies and rednecks together. The birth of outlaw country changed country music forever.
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A Q&A With John Spong
The senior editor on writing about outlaw country, hearing Jerry Jeff Walker tell stories, and listening to good music.
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Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles
A tribute album by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, and Norah Jones.
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“Willie’s God! Willie’s God! We Love Willie!”
In this extraordinary oral history, Willie Nelson’s friends, kin, and collaborators (Jimmy Carter, Emmylou Harris, Robert Redford, Merle Haggard, and many more big names) tell their favorite stories about the Red Headed Stranger.
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The 100 Best Texas Songs
Two are by Willie. Which songs, exactly? And what about the remaining 98? You’ll have to check our list to find out.
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The Full Nelson
April 30, 1933 Born in Abbott. His mother leaves six months later; his father leaves a few years after that. Willie and his older sister, Bobbie, are raised by their grandparents, Daddy and Mama. 1939 Gets his first guitar, a …
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The Ballad of Billy Joe Shaver
If the Corsicana native is the best songwriter in Texas, perhaps it’s because he knows his material. Hardscrabble upbringing. Sinful behavior. Redemption. Personal tragedy. Profound sorrow. And, finally, more redemption.
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Willie Nelson Statue, Austin
Washington, D.C., has Abraham Lincoln, Salt Lake City has Brigham Young, Philadelphia has Rocky Balboa. And now Austin has Willie. The massive bronze sculpture, which was commissioned by a local group called Capital Area Statues, rests downtown at the corner of Willie Nelson Boulevard (formerly Second …
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Like Father, Like Son
Andy Langer talks with Willie Nelson and his youngest son, Lukas, about “The Family,” Willie’s new album (Heroes), and passing the torch.
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Norah Jones’s Country Music Playlist
To celebrate For the Good Times, the new album by the Little Willies, Norah Jones’s country cover band, the singer shares five of her favorite tracks by Texas songwriters.
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A Conversation With Billy Joe Shaver
The outlaw-country legend on his recent acquittal, his songs, and his friendship with Willie Nelson.
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The Trials of Billy Joe Shaver
Is the legendary Texas singer-songwriter a honky-tonk hero or a honky-tonk bully?
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Memories of a Guitar Picker
Willie Nelson called him a show off, Charley Pride and Jim Cullen both asked him to join their bands, and Hank Williams Sr. was a close friend.
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Mad to Play
Famed Texas-based guitarist Stephen Bruton was a man who knew how to count his blessings.
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Last Call at Poodie’s Bar
Poodie Locke, longtime stage manager for Willie Nelson, died Wednesday at the age of 60.
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Say Hey Willie
To the famously short list of things that are certain in life—death and taxes—you can confidently add another: Willie Nelson sells copies of Texas Monthly. The iconic singer, golfer, actor, bus rider, weed smoker, and all-around good guy has been …
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One Hell of a Ride
Not bad for 75 years. It would take most artists two lifetimes to catch up to the output of wildly prolific Willie Nelson, and even then it’s inconceivable that anyone would leave a greater legacy. At first glance, the aptly …
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Willie Nelson: An Epic Life
The first time nine-year-old Booger Red got drunk on beer, he decided, “I had already fucked up more ways than God was going to put up with . . . so I had in mind, the sky’s the limit from …
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Moment of Forever
Though he’d likely prefer a live afternoon session with his Family Band, Willie Nelson, to his credit, occasionally loosens his laissez-faire hegemony enough to let a producer take charge in the studio. The results, a far cry from his more …
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Big State Festival
Here comes another all-the-decibels-you-can-handle musical gathering. The Big State Festival, which spans a weekend this month (and has a moniker only a Texan could love), is aiming to do for country music what the Austin City Limits Music Festival does …
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Body of Work
For twenty years, the Southwestern Writers Collection, on the campus of Texas State University, in San Marcos, has gathered up manuscripts, personal papers, photos, and other mementos from various icons and at least one outlaw. Want to have a look-see?
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Willie Nelson
“I always thought that if I was having fun doing what I was doing and making a living doing it, then I was already successful.”
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Punchline Willie
We knew he could sing, of course. What we didn’t know was that he had such a great sense of humor. Here are some of Willie Nelson’s favorite jokes from his just-published memoir, The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes.
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Outlaw Country
Rick Sikes and the Rhythm Rebels could have been bigger than Willie Nelson—if only bank robbery hadn’t been on the playlist.
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Entertainer of the Century—Willie Nelson
“Willie Nelson doesn’t fit the stereotype of a 66-year-old veteran of a profession that eats its young. The goofy grin he flashes conveys the vibe that he really and truly likes what he’s doing. We like it too.”
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CD and Book Reviews
CDs by Doctors’ Mob and the American Analog Set, plus a tribute to Bob Wills; booksby James Lee Burke and Louise Redd.
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CD and Book Reviews
MUSIC Townes Van Zandt A Far Cry From DeadArista A Townes joke: what has a front cover, a back cover, and “Pancho and Lefty”? The new Townes Van Zandt album! That song, and others like “To Live’s to Fly,” “For …
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Music to Our Ears
Texans (natives or onetime residents) have quite an impressive record when it comes to the Grammy awards. Most years we’ve practically dominated—big surprise—the country music category, but we chalked up our share of wins in other classes too. Here’s the …
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CD and Book Reviews
Hot CDs Coming Home, the debut release from Paula Nelson (Luck Records), one of Willie’s daughters, proves that the 29-year-old shares at least one thing with her father: the ability to say so much with so few words. This contemporary …
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The Improbable Rise of Lyle Lovett
Twenty years ago, he was inspired by the redneck rock of Steve Fromholz and Guy Clark. On his new album, he says thanks.
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CD and Book Reviews
Hot CDs You could plunk Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers down on a stage anywhere in the world, with any sidemen, and they could deliver the irresistible dit-dit-dit they’ve plied for more than thirty years without missing a beat. On …
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Full Nelson
Ain’t it funny how time slips away? Before you know it, you’ve made two hundred albums, thirty movies, and had one amazing career. What follows is the Compleat Willie: a discography—including every U.S. album release as well as his early …
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Willie at 65
The Red Headed Stranger is about to be eligible for Medicare? Ain’t it funny how time slips away.
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The Great, Late Townes Van Zandt
More than a year after his death, he’s still being remembered as the best Texas songwriter of his time. This month’s star-studded Austin City Limits tribute shows why.
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My Willie
Willie Nelson and I have been friends for years, so why did I decide only now to make him a character in one of my mystery novels? The plot thickens.
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Walken Tall
If you can’t get enough of creepy character actor Christopher Walken, boot up The Darkening, one of this year’s CD-ROM releases from Austin’s Origin Systems. Walken, like John Hurt and Amanda Pays, plays one of the fifty characters who meet …
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Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson may not be a radio staple anymore, but a new tribute album recorded by some of rock’s coolest stars shows that his music is still moving to them.
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Deconstructing Willie
Carnality, Castration Anxiety, and Jouissance in Willie Nelson’s Taco Bell Commercial.
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Poor Willie
When the IRS seized all that Willie Nelson had, it was a case of the man who can’t say no meeting the men who won’t take no for an answer.
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Off the Road Again
Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic at Carl’s Corner was the picnic to end all picnics. It did just that.
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With Strings Attached
Willie Nelson’s true love may have a body that’s worse for the wear, but woe to the man who tries to pick it up.
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Growing Old at Willie Nelson’s Picnic
What is it like to miss the sexual revolution (and some others) by a mere handful of years?