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As a songwriter and singer,
Willie Nelson made a huge impact on country music, as well as
the post-rock and roll era. However, he did not reach
“super-star” status until the mid 1970s, when he join Waylon
Jennings to create the movement known historically as “The
Outlaws.”
Nelson’s early career was a
constant struggle for survival. Born on April 30, 1933 in
Abbot, Texas to parents Ira and Myrle Nelson, he and his
sister Bobbie Lee were raised by the paternal grandparents.
His father died young and his mother ran away. Willie was
given his first guitar at age six and taught how to play it
from mail-order courses. He discovered he had a talent for
making up his own songs at the age of seven! Bobbie learned to
play the piano and dated a bandleader by the name of Bud
Fletcher, whom she later married. Eventually, both Bobbie and
Willie worked in Bud’s band.
After a brief stint in the U.
S. Air Force, Nelson worked several part-time jobs before
landing a job as a country DJ in 1954 at KCNC in Fort Worth,
Texas. He supplemented his income by singing in honky tonks at
night.
Nelson started recording for a
small label in 1956, but without much success. He continued to
struggle. He wrote a song he called “Family Bible,” but sold
it to a friend for $50, and when the song became a hit for
Claude Gray in 1960, Willie decided to move to Nashville the
next year.
Hank Cochran, recognizing
Nelson’s songwriting ability, helped him connect with Pamper
Music. Pamper was co-owned by Ray Price who recorded Nelson’s
song “Night Life” and hired him to play bass as one of his
Cherokee Cowboys.
While in Nashville,
Nelson rolled out a string of hits: “Crazy” by Patsy Cline;
“Hello Walls” by Faron Young; “Funny How Time Slips Away” by
Billy Walker; and “Touch Me” by Wilma Burgess.
Monument Records released
recordings by Willie Nelson in the early 1960s but they did
not sell, so in 1965 he moved over to RCA Victor. This was the
same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry. Over the next seven
years, Willie had several minor hits with his best offering
being “Bring Me Sunshine” in 1969. He grew frustrated with
the way his career was going. In 1972, discouraged by the lack
of success, Nelson decided to retire from country music,
moving back to Austin, Texas to a pig farm. Realizing that
young rock fans were embracing the new sound of country music,
he began writing and performing again. He also took on the
outlaw image with Waylon Jennings and this proved to be
exactly what he needed to become a super-star. The duo
recorded “Good Hearted Woman” and it became a number one hit.
In 1978, Willie Nelson
decided to launch his acting career. He had success in several
films, including “Red Headed Stranger,” “Thief,” “Honeysuckle
Rose,” “Barbarosa,” “Pair Of Aces,” “Songwriter,” “Electric
Horseman,” “Stagecoach,” and many more. He also made some
television appearances, which continues even today. His famous
recording of “On The Road Again” was the background music to
the popular film, “Forrest Gump.”
Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News
Sources:
Country Stars
MSN Entertainment
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