American country music performer Willie Hugh Nelson was born on April 29, 1933. Nelson became one of the most well-known country music performers because of the critical and commercial success of the albums Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), as well as the critically acclaimed album Shotgun Willie (1973).
He was a key figure in the development of outlaw country, a style of country music that emerged in the late 1960s as a reaction against the constricting Nashville sound’s conservatism.
Nelson is an activist for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana who has appeared in more than 30 films, co-authored many books, and performed in many more.
Nelson, who was raised by his grandparents and was a Great Depression baby, penned his first song at the age of seven and joined his first band at the age of ten.
He traveled regionally as the lead vocalist and guitarist with the Bohemian Polka while still in high school. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 after finishing high school but was later released owing to back issues.
Nelson returned and spent two years at Baylor University before leaving due to his musical success. He performed as a performer and songwriter throughout the late 1950s while working as a disc jockey at radio stations in his native Texas and various radio stations in the Pacific Northwest.
During that time, he wrote songs like “Funny How Time Slips Away,” “Hello Walls,” “Pretty Paper,” and “Crazy” that would later become country staples. He relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1960, and later obtained a publishing agreement with Pamper Music, which enabled him to play bass in Ray Price’s band.
He recorded his debut album,…And Then I Wrote, in 1962. Nelson secured a contract with RCA Victor in 1964 as a result of his popularity, and the following year he joined the Grand Ole Opry.
Nelson became tired of the corporate Nashville music industry after mid-chart singles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so he relocated to Austin, Texas, in 1972. Nelson was inspired to resume performing by Austin’s vibrant music culture, making frequent appearances at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
After joining Atlantic Records, Nelson switched to an outlaw country in 1973. He participated in the initial Farm Aid concert’s planning in 1985. He joined The Highwaymen in the middle of the 1980s, joining other musicians Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
Nelson’s assets were taken by the Internal Revenue Service in 1990, which asserted that he owed $32 million in back taxes. Nelson published The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories in 1992. His debt was paid off thanks to the double album’s sales and an asset auction.
Who is Willie Nelson wife Martha Matthews?
Nelson has seven kids and has been married four times.
From 1952 to 1962, he was married to Martha Matthews. Willie “Billy” Hugh Jr., Susie, and Lana were the couple’s three children. In 1991, the latter committed suicide.
The couple’s marriage was tumultuous, with Matthews repeatedly hitting Nelson, including once when she wrapped him in bedsheets and thrashed him with a broomstick.
ncG1vNJzZmifmJa7orLUqGWcp51kxKm7jKKqZq%2BZobmqsYynnKWrn6N6uLXFnmSmmaKptaJ5zJqrraCVrMBw