A singer, guitarist, country music composer and actor, Willie Nelson is the initiator of the Outlaw style. Place des Arts lets you discover the extraordinary career of this artist.
Willie Nelson is a country songwriter and performer known for songs like “Crazy” and “On the Road Again.” Now in his nineties, Nelson continues to record and tour.
Born April 29, 1933 in Abbott, Texas. Willie Nelson was raised by his paternal grandparents during the Great Depression. He bought his first guitar at the age of six and began writing poetry and his first musical compositions soon after. A few years later, he played professional concerts with a local polka band.
In 1947, Willie Nelson joined the gospel group Bud Fletcher and the Texans . The training occurs in local clubs. It was at this time that Nelson first appeared on radio. Freshly graduated from Abbott High School in 1950, Nelson enlisted in the Air Force. His military career was short. In fact, he was reformed nine months later. Nelson returns to his studies and takes on odd jobs. But he has not lost his passion for music, which he pursues by working as a disc jockey for radio stations.
At the beginning of the 1960s, the musician moved to Nashville, the capital of country music, where he signed with Pamper Music. The following year, two of his creations, performed by other artists, became hits. Faron Young’s version of “Hello Walls” reached number one on the country charts and sold two million copies.
Patsy Cline’s version of “Crazy” became a Top 10 country and pop hit. Two years later, Ray Price’s recording of “Night Life” also made the country Top 40.
Willie Nelson On the road to success:
Willie Nelson returned to Texas in 1970 and continued recording. He is involved in the outlaw country movement (1). He enjoyed success with the album Red Headed Stranger, released in 1975, which went gold. The following year, several of the singer’s tracks appeared on the Wanted! compilation. The outlaw, first country record to be certified platinum.
The album Stardust in 1979 sold four million copies. In 1980, Willie Nelson recorded On the Road Again , the title taken from the album Honeysuckle Rose. The singer received a Grammy Award for this song.
In 2005, Willie Nelson released a reggae album, titled Countryman . He appeared in the documentary Got Soul: Reggae The Story of Toots and the Maytals in 2011.
Other activities: