Willie  Nelson Willie  Nelson Audio Clips WHISKEY RIVER BIOGRAPHY Willie Hugh Nelson was born April 30, 1933 in Abbot,Texas and was raised by his Grandparents. Willie and his sister, Bobbie Lee learned music through mail order courses taught to them by thier Grandparents. His first guitar was a Stella guitar bought by "Daddy" Nelson when Willie was 6 years old. The Nelson family was deeply involved with the church and gospel music.  Willie listened to the Grand Ole Opry,Black blues from the South and Bob Wills Western Swing. Willie's first performance was at age 5 when he recited a poem he had written at a Church picnic .By age 10 he had his first group,John Raycjeck's Bohemian Polka Band. He worked many jobs,selling encyclopedias and other door to door items but mainly as a DJ.  In the late 1950's Willie returned to Houston,Texas where he worked as a DJ and performed at the Esquire Club. Here he wrote some of his most memorable work,including "Night Life" and "Family Bible" Both songs were sold for $200. Willie moved to Nashville in 1960 and hung out with other songwriters such as Mel Tillis, Roger Miller and Kris Kristofferson at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. His first success came  when Patsy Cline recorded Willie's "Crazy" in August 1961.  "Hello Walls" followed,recorded by Faron Young. Both songs hit number 1 on the charts. In 1962 Willie did 2 duets with his second wife Shirley Collie  and both reached the top 10 . They recorded "Willingly" and "Touch Me"  together.  After a fire burned down  Willie's house in Ridgetop,TN on Dec. 23 1970 he left and returned to Texas. He had just written a song called "What Can They Do To Me Now". In 1973 "Shotgun Willie" for Atlantic Records became his breakthrough album followed by the 1975 album "Red Headed Stranger"  .The hit "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" helped establish Willie as one of the top artists in country music. In 1985 Willie teamed with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson to form the supergroup  The Highwaymen.  For the rest of the decade he recorded less and remained on the road. He also did charity work, such as Farm Aid,an annual concert to aid ailing farmers. While Willie's career was declining he started having problems with the IRS .In November of 1990 he was given a bill for 16.7 million dollars he owed in back taxes.  During the folowing year almost all his assests were taken away. To help pay the bill Willie released a double album "The IRS Tapes:Who'll Buy My Memories"   The records were marketed on TV commercials and all profits went to the IRS. By 1993, Willie's 60th birthday, his debts were paid off. Willie relaunched his recording career with "Across the BorderLine" The record got great reviews and became the 1st solo album to appear on the pop charts since 1985.  After the release of "Across the BorderLine" Willie continued to work steadily. Touring constantly and releasing at least one album a year.  In 1993  he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  1996 Willie signed onto Island and released "Spirit"  Two years later the critically acclaimed "Teatro"  followed by the instrumental oriented "Night and Day"  and one year later,2000, "Me and the Drummer" .   By the Spring of  2001 "the Rainbow Connection" was released which featured and eclectic selection of old time country favorites. Willie is currently married to Ann Marie D"Angelo.(September 16, 1991) They have two children together,Lukas Autry (born 1989)  and Jacob Micah (born 1999). He has four other children  from his previous marriages, Lana (born 1953) Susie(born 1956) Paula (born1969) and Amy(born 1973).His son Billy Nelson(born 1958) commited sucide by hanging himself December 25, 1991. DISCOGRAPHY Love and Pain 1961 And Then I Wrote 1962          Here's Willie Nelson 1963            Country Willie-His Own Songs 1965         Country Music Concert 1966                   Make Way for Willie Nelson 1967    The Party's Over 1967     Texas in my Soul 1968   Good Times 1968               My Own Peculiar Way 1969   Columbus Stockade Blues 1970   Both Sides Now  1970      Laying My Burdens Down 1970     Willie and Family 1970 Yesterday's Wine 1971   Willie's Way 1972        Shotgun Willie 1973          What Can You Do To Me Now 1975   Redheaded Stranger 1975        Live 1976     Sound in Your Mind 1976    Troublemaker 1976    To Lefty from Willie 1977      Waylon and Willie 1978       Stardust 1978         Willie and Family-Live 1978           Electric Horseman 1979   One for the Road 1979    Sweet Memories 1979        Pretty Paper 1979      Honeysuckle Rose 1980   Always on my Mind 1982    Pancho and Lefty 1983    Take it to the Limit 1983   Don't You Ever Get Tired 1984    Funny How Time Slips Away 1984    Collectors Series 1985                          Somewhere Over the Rainbow 1985 Me and Paul 1985 Half Nelson 1985 Promiseland 1986 Island in the Sea  1987 What a Wonderful World 1988 Some Enchanted Evening 1987 Horse Called Music 1989 Born for Trouble 1990 Broken Promises 1992 Who'll Buy My Memories-The IRS Tapes 1992 Night Life   1992 Funny How Time Slips Away 1992 Willie 1993 6 Hours at Pedernales 1994 Moonlight Becomes You 1994 Augusta 1995 Standard Time-1996 Spirit  1996 I Let My Mind Wander 1997 Building Heartaches 1998 December Days 1998 Teatro 1998 On the Road Again 1999 Backtracks 1999 Milk Cow Blues 2000 Blame it on the Times 2001 Rainbow Connection 2001 The Great Divide 2002 Stars and Guitars 2002 Classic Willie 2003 Crazy :Demo Sessions 2003 The Essential Willie Nelson 2003 Willie Nelson & Friends: Live & Kickin 2003 Waylon says about Willie in his book, "WAYLON an Autobiography:    "Through it all,Willie and Waylon stayed Waylon and Willie. One RCA executive kept mixing up the two. When                              he came to Nashville, a bean counter that had worked his way up the corporate ladder, I called him on it. "I heard that you thought     Willie and Waylon were one person."  "Ah," he laughed. "But I know better now."  "All us hillbillies look alike," I told him. "So what you      need to do, when you don't know their names, is just call  'em  Hoss."  "Oh, Horse?"  I said, "No, not horse. It's Hoss."  "Hass?"  No, Hoss      and perhaps you better not  come down here no more. I first  heard the term from Ferlin Husky when I was real young. It's a sign of      respect, an affectionate nickname that means somebody who's great at what they do. A thoroughbred, or a champion. A trusted friend.        That kind of describes Willie,though he'll be the first to admit that he actually enjoys getting me in trouble.  "It keeps Waylon alert,"       he likes to say. "He could sit over there and get old and weak. I keep him young by sending him problems."  If that was the case, I"d be       a babe in arms now. I write a lot of songs about Willie, because I never thoroughly understood him. He's like a cartoon to me. I'll be        the first to his door when he's in trouble, but he could screw up a two car funeral. He's so smart, but he never learns a thing from        anything that happens to him.  Sometimes I think he likes courting disaster.  When he pulled his car off the road recently and took        a nap, only to wake up being arrested for pot possession. I thought he was the only person in the world who could get busted for        "sleeping under the influence".  But if I'm there for him, he's there for me."                                                                                                                                                      (C) Waylon an Autobiography  1996