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1933 births

Willie Nelson

Ch. 1 of 8
— CH. 1 · INTRODUCTION —

Contents

Willie Nelson

8 sections

  • Willie Nelson plays a classical guitar with a hole worn through its face. Decades of strumming with a pick have scoured a wide sweep of wood away beside the sound hole. Classical guitars are made for fingers, so this one has no pickguard to stop the damage. More than a hundred friends and associates have signed its soundboard, among them musicians, lawyers, and football coaches. Nelson named the instrument Trigger. In 1991 he said, "When Trigger goes, I'll quit." The man who said it was born in Texas, wrote songs that other singers turned into standards, and once decided to retire from music altogether. How did that songwriter become one of the most recognized artists in country music? What did it mean to be an outlaw in Nashville? And what could make a famous singer fear that his guitar might be sold at auction?

  • A doctor named F. D. Sims recorded the birth of Willie Hugh Nelson in Abbott, Texas, as the 30th of April 1933. The true date was the 29th. His cousin Mildred chose the name Willie. She picked Hugh as his middle name in memory of her younger brother, who had just died. His parents had come from Arkansas in 1929 looking for work. His grandfather was a blacksmith and his father a mechanic. Soon after the boy was born, his mother left, and his father remarried and moved away. Willie and his sister Bobbie were raised by their grandparents, who had taught singing back in Arkansas.

    Music began at home. At the age of six, Willie received a guitar from his grandfather, who showed him a few chords. He and Bobbie sang gospel songs in the local church. He wrote his first song at seven. At nine he was playing guitar for a local band called Bohemian Polka.

    Summers meant picking cotton alongside other Abbott families, and Nelson disliked every hour of it. From the age of thirteen he earned money by singing in dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks, and he kept at it through high school. His heroes ranged from Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, and Bob Wills to Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong.

    At Abbott High School he played halfback in football, guard in basketball, and shortstop in baseball. He also raised pigs with the Future Farmers of America. Meanwhile he sang and played in The Texans, a band started by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher. The band played honky-tonks and held a Sunday morning spot at KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas.

    After leaving school in 1950, Nelson joined the U.S. Air Force. Back problems brought a medical discharge after only eight months. From 1954 to 1956 he studied agriculture at Baylor University, then dropped out to chase a music career. Over those years he also worked as a relief phone operator, tree trimmer, pawn shop employee, nightclub bouncer, and saddle maker.

    Radio gave him his first steady footing. In Pleasanton, Texas, Dr. Ben Parker hired him as a disc jockey at KBOP even though Nelson had never worked in radio. Using the station's equipment and used tapes, Nelson made his first two recordings in 1955, "The Storm Has Just Begun" and "When I've Sung My Last Hillbilly Song." The local label SARG Records rejected both. More radio jobs followed at KDNT in Denton and at KCUL and KCNC in Fort Worth, where he hosted The Western Express, taught Sunday school, and played nightclubs.

    Then he decided to try San Diego, found no job there, and started hitchhiking to Portland, Oregon, where his mother lived. Nobody picked him up, so he slept in a ditch and hopped a freight train bound for Eugene. A truck driver took him to a bus station and loaned him $10 for the ticket to Portland. His first commercial record was still ahead of him.

  • In 1956 Nelson made his first record, "No Place for Me," with Leon Payne's "Lumberjack" on the B-side. It failed. He kept working as a radio announcer at KVAN in Vancouver, Washington, and sang in clubs there. After stints at a Colorado nightclub and in Springfield, Missouri, he failed to land a spot on the Ozark Jubilee and ended up washing dishes. Unhappy, he returned to Texas and settled in Fort Worth.

    There he quit the music business for a year. He sold Bibles and vacuum cleaners door-to-door and eventually became a sales manager. His son Billy was born in 1958, and the family set out for Houston. On the way, Nelson stopped at the Esquire Ballroom to sell original songs to the house band singer, Larry Butler. Butler would not pay $10 for "Mr. Record Man." Instead he lent Nelson $50 for an apartment and gave him a six-night job at the club.

    In Pasadena, Texas, near Houston, Nelson worked as a sign-on disc jockey and recorded singles for Pappy Daily on D Records. Guitar instructor Paul Buskirk then hired him to teach at his school. Nelson sold Buskirk "Family Bible" for $50 and "Night Life" for $150. By 1960 "Family Bible" had become a hit for Claude Gray.

    Nelson moved to Nashville in 1960 but could not find a label willing to sign him. He spent time at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, a bar near the Grand Ole Opry where stars and songwriters gathered. There he met Hank Cochran, a songwriter at Pamper Music, the publishing company owned by Ray Price and Hal Smith. Cochran had just won a raise of $50 a week. He persuaded Smith to give that money to Nelson instead, as the price of signing him.

    The songs began to travel. After Faron Young heard Nelson sing "Hello Walls" at Tootsie's, he decided to record it. Ray Price recorded "Night Life." When Price's bassist Johnny Paycheck quit, Nelson took the job and toured with Price and the Cherokee Cowboys. Billy Walker had a hit with "Funny How Time Slips Away," and Roy Orbison with "Pretty Paper."

    The biggest came through a jukebox. At Tootsie's, Charlie Dick, the husband of Patsy Cline, liked a Nelson song playing on the bar's jukebox. Nelson played him a demo tape of "Crazy." Later that night Dick played the tape for his wife, and she decided to record it. "Crazy" became the biggest jukebox hit of all time. Its writer was still playing bass in someone else's band.

  • By August 1961, Nelson was recording for Liberty Records at the Bradley Studios in Nashville. His first charting single, "Willingly," was a duet with Shirley Collie, who would become his second wife. It reached number 10. "Touch Me" stalled at number 7. His first album, ...And Then I Wrote, came out in September 1962. He married Collie in Las Vegas in 1963. Next he took a job at the west coast offices of Pamper Records in Pico Rivera, California. It left him no time for his own music, so he quit and bought a ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee.

    In early 1964, Fred Foster of Monument Records signed him, but only one single, "I Never Cared For You," appeared. That fall Chet Atkins brought him to RCA Victor on a contract worth $10,000 per year. His first RCA album, Country Willie, was recorded in April 1965. The same year he joined the Grand Ole Opry, and after watching a show in Phoenix, Arizona, he became friends with Waylon Jennings. In 1967 he formed a backing band called The Record Men, with Johnny Bush, Jimmy Day, Paul English, and David Zettner.

    The hits at RCA were modest. From November 1966 through March 1969, his singles kept reaching the Top 25. "One in a Row" hit number 19, "The Party's Over" got to 24 during a 16-week chart run, and his cover of "Bring Me Sunshine" reached 13. None made him a star.

    In 1969 the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and a guitar with their Prismatone pickup. At a show in Helotes, Texas, he left the guitar on the stage floor, and a drunk man stepped on it. Repairman Shot Jackson in Nashville judged the damage too great, so he offered a Martin N-20 classical guitar and moved the pickup into it. Nelson bought it unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse, Trigger.

    By 1970 Nelson had sunk most of his songwriting royalties into tours that earned little. He divorced Collie that year. In December his Ridgetop ranch burned down, and he rescued Trigger from the fire. He took the fire as a sign to change course, moved to a ranch near Bandera, Texas, and married Connie Koepke. "I'm a Memory" reached the top 30 in early 1971.

    Then came April 1972 and his final RCA single, "Mountain Dew." RCA asked him to renew his contract early, with the hint that it would hold back his latest recordings if he refused. His albums had failed, and he was especially upset by the reception of Yesterday's Wine. Though his contract still had time to run, Nelson decided to retire. The retirement would not last, and the city that ended it was in Texas.

  • In Austin, Texas, the hippie music scene around the Armadillo World Headquarters gave Nelson new energy, and his popularity there soared. That March he played the last day of the Dripping Springs Reunion, a three-day country festival meant to become an annual event. Attendance fell short of what the producers hoped. The idea still inspired Nelson to start his own yearly event, the Fourth of July Picnic, the following year.

    He decided to record again and hired Neil Reshen as manager. Reshen persuaded RCA to end the contract if Nelson repaid $14,000. Then he signed Nelson to Atlantic Records for $25,000 per year, making him the label's first country artist. Nelson formed his backing band, the Family, and by February 1973 was recording Shotgun Willie at Atlantic Studios in New York City.

    The album came out in May 1973 to excellent reviews and poor sales. Nelson later said it had "cleared his throat." Phases and Stages followed in 1974, a concept album about a couple's divorce drawn from his own. Side one told it from the woman's viewpoint and side two from the man's. It included the hit "Bloody Mary Morning." That year he also produced and starred in the pilot of Austin City Limits for PBS.

    On the strength of those albums, Columbia Records gave him complete creative control. The result was Red Headed Stranger in 1975. Columbia balked at an album with mostly guitar and piano, but Nelson and Waylon Jennings insisted. The record included Fred Rose's 1945 song "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," which became Nelson's first number one hit as a singer. During his 1975 tour he raised money for PBS-affiliated stations across the south to promote Austin City Limits. The show's reception led PBS to order ten episodes for 1976.

    Nashville's standards did not suit Nelson or Jennings, and the two were grouped together as outlaw country. Wanted! The Outlaws, released in 1976 with Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser, became country music's first platinum album. In 1978 observers predicted that Stardust would ruin his career. It went platinum the same year.

    The 1982 album Always on My Mind began with a pitch to someone else. During the sessions for Pancho & Lefty, a duet album with Merle Haggard, session guitarist Johnny Christopher tried to sell Haggard the title song. Haggard was uninterested. Nelson had never heard Elvis Presley's version and asked to record it. The single topped the country chart and reached number five on the Hot 100. At the 25th Annual Grammy Awards it won Song of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The album went quadruple-platinum.

    In the mid-1980s Nelson, Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash formed The Highwaymen. The supergroup sold platinum records and toured the world.

  • In the summer of 1977, Nelson learned that Neil Reshen had been filing tax extensions and never paying the Internal Revenue Service. That June, a package containing cocaine had gone from Reshen's office in New York to Waylon Jennings in Nashville. Federal agents followed it, and Jennings was arrested. The charges were dropped after Reshen's assistant, Mark Rothbaum, took the blame for the package. Rothbaum was sentenced to jail. Impressed by his attitude, Nelson fired Reshen and hired Rothbaum as manager.

    The tax problem did not go away. In 1978 a Dallas lawyer, Terry Bray, introduced Nelson to the accounting firm Price Waterhouse. To pay off the debt Reshen had created, Nelson was advised to buy into tax shelters, and those failed. The IRS disallowed his deductions for 1980, 1981, and 1982, years when his income multiplied. Penalties and interest swelled the bill through the decade.

    In 1990 the IRS seized most of his assets, saying he owed $32 million. Weak investments made in the 1980s had made it worse. His lawyer, Jay Goldberg, negotiated the figure down to $16 million. Later another attorney reached a settlement for $6 million, but Nelson did not comply with it.

    Nelson turned to his music. In 1992 he released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? as a double album, with every dollar of profit going to the IRS. Many of his possessions were auctioned, and friends bought them. Those friends then donated the items or rented them back to him for a nominal fee. He also sued Price Waterhouse, claiming the firm had put his money into illegal tax shelters. The suit was settled for an undisclosed sum, and by 1993 his debts were cleared.

    Throughout, he worried about one possession in particular. Before any IRS agent could reach his studio, he asked his daughter Lana to take Trigger and deliver it to him in Maui. He then hid the guitar at his manager's house until the debt was paid. That manager, Mark Rothbaum, was still at his side decades later, announcing a five-part documentary called Willie Nelson and Family in December 2022.

  • In 1985 Bob Dylan said at Live Aid that he hoped some of the money would help American farmers who were losing their farms to mortgage debt. Nelson took the remark seriously. Together with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, he set up Farm Aid to raise awareness of family farms. The first concert featured Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Young, and it raised over $9 million. Nelson has performed in the annual concerts ever since and is president of the Farm Aid board.

    Marijuana has been the other great cause of his public life. Nelson is co-chair of the advisory board of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. In 2005 he and his family hosted the first Willie Nelson and NORML Benefit Golf Tournament. That led to a cover story in the January 2008 issue of High Times magazine. After his 2010 arrest he created Willie Nelson's TeaPot Party, with the motto "Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!" In 2015 he announced a marijuana brand of his own, Willie's Reserve.

    The cause had also cost him. His first arrest for possession came in 1974 in Dallas. In 1977 he flew to The Bahamas with Hank Cochran, and a customs officer found marijuana in a pair of his jeans. Nelson was jailed, and Cochran brought a six-pack of beer to his cell. A judge dropped the charges but ordered him never to return to the country.

    In 1994 Texas highway patrolmen found marijuana in his car near Waco, and the court date kept him from attending the Grammy Awards. In 2006, on the way to the funeral of Ann W. Richards, he was arrested in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He received six months of probation.

    On the 26th of November 2010, police in Sierra Blanca, Texas, found six ounces of marijuana on his tour bus. Bail was $2,500. The prosecutor, Kit Bramblett, suggested a $100 fine and joked that he would have Nelson sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court. Judge Becky Dean-Walker said Nelson need only pay the fine. A deal for a $500 fine later collapsed when the judge said Nelson was getting preferential treatment because of his celebrity.

    Nelson also took a stake in fuel. In 2004 he and his wife Annie joined Bob and Kelly King in building two biodiesel plants, one in Salem, Oregon, and one at Carl's Corner, Texas. In 2005 he and partners formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel, nicknamed Bio-Willie, which sold fuel made mostly from soybean oil to truck stops. He reopened Willie's Place, a truck stop and concert hall at Carl's Corner, by 2008. As competition grew, a federal tax credit ended and fossil fuel prices fell. Nelson and his partners defaulted on a $4.75 million loan, and TravelCenters of America bought the truck stop in foreclosure in 2011.

  • Rolling Stone placed Nelson on its lists of the 100 Greatest Singers and the 100 Greatest Guitarists. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2015 he won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2023 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the same year he celebrated his 90th birthday with two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

    His range kept widening. In 2003 a duet with Toby Keith, "Beer for My Horses," topped the country chart for six consecutive weeks. He appeared on the Toots and the Maytals album True Love, which won the 2004 Grammy for Best Reggae Album, and in 2005 he released a reggae album of his own, Countryman. A 2007 performance with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center became the live album Two Men with the Blues, which reached number one on Billboard's jazz chart. His 2013 album To All the Girls... paired him with women including Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Emmylou Harris.

    In 2018 composer Daniel Lanois wrote "Cruel World" especially for Nelson, for the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. A hurricane kept Nelson from recording it in time, so the production team sent the track to Josh Homme. Nelson then managed to record it in Los Angeles, and the team included both versions in the game. In 2024 Nelson appeared in interludes on Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album.

    He has also acted in more than thirty films. His debut came in The Electric Horseman in 1979, and he later played the lead in the 1986 film version of Red Headed Stranger. His books include an autobiography in 1988 and a second, It's a Long Story, co-written with David Ritz and published in 2015.

    Austin renamed Second Street as Willie Nelson Boulevard in 2010. On the 20th of April 2012, the city unveiled a life-size statue of him at the entrance of the new Austin City Limits studio. The ceremony was scheduled for 4:20 pm, a coincidence the city said was unintended. Nelson sang "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die."

    There is one more story about Trigger. The first signature on its soundboard came from Leon Russell, who asked Nelson to scratch his name into the wood rather than use a marker, because the guitar would be more valuable later. Nelson liked the idea and asked Russell to sign his own guitar the same way.

    The band he built has thinned with time. Bee Spears died in 2011, drummer Paul English in 2020, and his sister Bobbie in 2022. When Kris Kristofferson died in September 2024, Nelson became the last surviving member of The Highwaymen. New albums kept arriving, and the discography lists Workin' Man and Oh What a Beautiful World in 2025 and Dream Chaser in 2026.

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Updated

Common questions

Where and when was Willie Nelson born?

Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, on the 29th of April 1933. A doctor, F. D. Sims, recorded the date incorrectly as the 30th.

What is outlaw country and what was Willie Nelson's role in it?

Outlaw country was a style of country music that did not conform to Nashville standards. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were grouped together under it, and Wanted! The Outlaws in 1976 became country music's first platinum album.

Which songs did Willie Nelson write for other singers?

Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy" for Patsy Cline, "Funny How Time Slips Away" for Billy Walker, "Pretty Paper" for Roy Orbison, and "Hello Walls" for Faron Young. "Crazy" became the biggest jukebox hit of all time.

How much did the IRS say Willie Nelson owed and how did he pay it?

In 1990 the IRS seized most of Willie Nelson's assets, claiming he owed $32 million. He released the double album The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? in 1992 with profits going to the IRS, and by 1993 his debts were cleared.

Why is Willie Nelson's guitar Trigger famous?

Trigger is a Martin N-20 classical guitar that Nelson bought for $750 and named after Roy Rogers' horse. It has a large hole worn by his pick and a soundboard signed by more than a hundred people.

What is Farm Aid and who started it with Willie Nelson?

Farm Aid is a benefit concert series that Willie Nelson set up in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp to support American family farms. The first concert raised over $9 million, and Nelson has performed in the annual concerts ever since.

All sources

205 references cited across the entry

  1. 1Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Sing About Influences and Friendship on "Django and Jimmie" CDJuly 12, 2015
  2. 2Off Beat: Nearly 60 years later, Vancouver still on Willie Nelson's mind2025-05-29
  3. 3Liner notes, Twisted Willie. Justice Records. 1996.
  4. 4MagazineHear Karen O and Willie Nelson's Transformative Cover of Queen and David Bowie's 'Under Pressure'October 28, 2020
  5. 5MagazineWillie Nelson's 90th Birthday Concert: Weed, Well Wishes and Tons of SongsApril 30, 2023
  6. 6MagazineBeyoncé's Cowboy Carter Features a Beatles Cover, Miley Cyrus, and Post MaloneDaniel Kreps — March 28, 2024
  7. 7Certification of Results of 2024 Presidential Nomination PrimaryMarch 12, 2024
  8. 8Exclusive: Willie Nelson endorses James Talarico for U.S. SenateJoey Guerra — 2026-10-08
  9. 9NewsWillie Nelson cancels Outlaw Music Festival performances for health reasonsBrendan Morrow
  10. 10Largest Willie Nelson collection now at Texas StateAlkek Library staff — September 22, 2010
  11. 11The Electric HorsemanRovi Corporation — 2008
  12. 12Willie NelsonAllmovie staff — Rovi Corporation — 2011
  13. 13NewsWillie Nelson Dodges Jail in TexasCharlie Amter — June 7, 2011
  14. 14Magazine'American Epic': Inside Jack White and Friends' New Roots-Music DocSteve Appleford — May 15, 2017
  15. 15MagazineNo 'Problem': Willie Nelson's New Album Bows at No. 1Jim Asker — May 9, 2017
  16. 16MagazineLee Brice's 'Rumor' Tops the Country Airplay Chart, Willie Nelson Takes a New 'Ride'Jim Asker — June 2, 2019
  17. 17NewsWillie Nelson cancels concertsAssociated Press staff — May 13, 2002
  18. 18NewsWillie Nelson Bets on Biodiesel PublicationsAssociated Press staff — January 14, 2005
  19. 19NewsThe pigtails are gone: Willie Nelson cuts his hairAssociated Press staff — May 26, 2010
  20. 20NewsMatthew McConaughey and others celebrate Willie NelsonAssociated Press staff — April 27, 2014
  21. 21NewsWillie Nelson stages tsunami gigBBC News staff — January 10, 2005
  22. 22NewsWillie Nelson to have street named after him in TexasBBC News staff — May 28, 2010
  23. 23MagazineSinglesBillboard — December 25, 1976
  24. 24MagazineChart listing for HeroesBillboard staff — 2012
  25. 25Toby Keith BiographyBiography staff — A&E Television Networks. — 2011
  26. 26NewsBMI Cheers 'Beer for My Horses' with Willie, Toby and ScottyBMI staff — Broadcast Music — July 15, 2003
  27. 27NewsFor Willie Nelson, a biodiesel dream deferredBrick, Michael — October 30, 2014
  28. 28Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert to Honor Elton John on Biggest Hits Cover AlbumsKelly Brickey — March 15, 2018
  29. 29BookWhiskey River (Take My Mind): The True Story of Texas Honky-TonkJohnny Bush et al. — University of Texas Tech — 2007
  30. 30NewsBriscoe Center Acquires Willie Nelson CollectionBriscoe Center staff — The University of Texas at Austin — May 8, 2014
  31. 31NewsKinky Friedman To Name Willie Nelson as Texas Energy CzarJim Burt — August 22, 2005
  32. 32Willie cuts his hairJimmy Carter — May 26, 2010
  33. 33BookTurn Out the Lights: Chronicles of Texas in the 80's and 90'sGary Cartwright — University of Texas Press — 2000
  34. 34Legendary Food, Legendary Service, and Legendary PeopleBrian Carey — Shopping.com — September 28, 2003
  35. 35NewsJudge says request for Willie Nelson to sing 'Blue Eyes' in court was a jokePhillip Caulfield — March 30, 2011
  36. 36NewsLast.fm Trends: Willie Nelson's On Grammy Road AgainCBS Music staff — CBS — February 3, 2011
  37. 37NewsWillie Nelson launches Luck Films: Musician-actor in joint venture that aims to make up to five pics a yearSteve Chagollan — March 15, 2010
  38. 38NewsWillie Nelson interview: Don't fret about the end of the worldMartin Chilton — December 14, 2012
  39. 39NewsWillie Nelson gets 5th-degree black belt at 81Martin Chilton — April 29, 2014
  40. 40BookCulture wars: an encyclopedia of issues, viewpoints, and voices, Volume 1Roger Chapman — M.E. Sharpe — 2010
  41. 41NewsWillie Nelson Arrested for Marijuana PossessionGeorgette Cline — AOL — November 27, 2010
  42. 42NewsWin the Weekend: Was Willie's Case Ever Settled?Jason Cohen — February 3, 2012
  43. 43NewsBuddy Cannon witnesses Willie Nelson's magicPeter Cooper — June 26, 2014
  44. 44NewsWillie Nelson Hopes for a Hit; So Does the I.R.SAlison Leigh Cowan — September 2, 1991
  45. 45News'Willie Nelson and Family' documentary to premiere at Sundance Film FestivalCummings, Tommy — December 20, 2022
  46. 46Listen to Josh Homme's new track 'Cruel, Cruel World', taken from 'Red Dead Redemption 2' soundtrackRhian Daly — November 4, 2018
  47. 47Dayton International Peace MuseumDayton Peace Museum staff — 2010
  48. 48Willie Nelson: CountrymanStephen M Deusner — July 25, 2005
  49. 49BookThe First Generation of Country Music StarsDavid Dicair — McFarland — 2007
  50. 50MagazineErnest Tubb Goes Electric and 51 More Moments to Remember Texas' Rich Musical PastAnne Dingus — 1992
  51. 51MagazineTupac, Willie Nelson, R.E.M. Among Inductees To National Recording RegisterAnn Donahue — June 23, 2010
  52. 52MagazineIt's All Going to Shot: Willie Nelson Gets the Covid VaccineDoyle, Patrick — January 14, 2021
  53. 53MagazineTexas MonthlyRobert Draper — May 1991
  54. 54A Creditor forecloses Willie's PlaceJill Dunn — January 27, 2011
  55. 55BookNeil Young: Long May You RunDaniel Durchholz et al. — Voyageur Press — 2010
  56. 56The Liberty Records StoryDavid Edwards et al. — Both Sides Now Publications — 2001
  57. 57Magazine'We Are the World': A Minute-by-Minute Breakdown on Its 30th AnniversaryGavin Edwards — 2015
  58. 58NewsWillie Nelson inducted in Hall of FameJoe Edwards — September 30, 1993
  59. 59NewsWillie Nelson haircut: Country singer chops off trademark long tresses and debuts shorter new lookChristina Everett — May 27, 2010
  60. 60Willie Nelson (American musician)Encyclopædia Britannica staff — 2011
  61. 61Ringo RamaEntertainment One staff — Koch, Entertainment One — 2003
  62. 62BookAll Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country MusicMichael Erlewine — Miller Freeman — 1997
  63. 63VH1 StorytellersStephen Thomas Erlewine — 2000
  64. 64WWIIStephen Thomas Erlewine — Rovi Corporation — 2005
  65. 65Shotgun Willie/Phases and StagesStephen Thomas Erlewine — Rovi Corporation — 2007
  66. 66The Troublemaker – Willie NelsonStephen Thomas Erlewine — Rovi Corporation — 2008
  67. 67Country Music: Billboard albumsStephen Thomas Erlewine — Rovi Corporation — 2010
  68. 68Willie Nelson – BiographyStephen Thomas Erlewine — Rovi Corporation — 2015
  69. 69BookCountry Music Facts, Figures & FunMike Evans — AAPPL — 2006
  70. 70Willie Nelson Delivers True 'Country Music'Deborah Evans-Price — AOL — April 21, 2010
  71. 71NewsWillie Nelson wins Grammy for best country album and best country solo performanceFarias, Robbie — February 6, 2023
  72. 72Past concerts – Farm AidFarm Aid Staff — 2011
  73. 73'Nelson Highway' isn't a hit with GOPFort Worth Star-telegram staff — April 28, 2005
  74. 74NewsWillie Nelson hosting 'Come and Toke It' variety show on 4/20Lisa Respers France — April 17, 2020
  75. 75BookFarm Aid: A Song for AmericaHolly George-Warren et al. — Rodale Books — October 7, 2005
  76. 76NewsWillie Nelson's Mug Shot From Last Friday NightSteve Goddard — CBS Radio — November 30, 2010
  77. 77NewsWillie Nelson, the Silver-Headed StrangerAndrew Goldman — December 14, 2012
  78. 78NewsWillie Nelson's Wife Annie Opens Up About Her Husband's Nerve-Wracking Battle With COVID-19Goldstein, Tiffany — August 29, 2022
  79. 79NewsWillie Nelson: 'If We Made Marijuana Legal, We'd Save a Whole Lotta Money and Lives'Michael Hann — May 17, 2012
  80. 80MagazineHear Willie Nelson's Studio Version of New Song 'Vote 'Em Out'Joseph Hudak — October 11, 2018
  81. 81MagazineMove to a Fantasy IslandVannessa Grigoriadis — January 14, 2007
  82. 82NewsWillie Nelson to open chain of marijuana storesGuardian Music staff — March 27, 2015
  83. 83Habitat for Horses signature seriesHabitat for Horses staff — 2011
  84. 84BookIt's a Long Story: My Life by Willie NelsonHachette staff — Hachette Book Group; Little, Brown and Company — 2015
  85. 85MagazineWillie's God! Willie's God! We Love Willie!Michael Hall — May 1, 2008
  86. 86MagazineMaster Nelson Receives His Black BeltMichael Hall — April 30, 2014
  87. 87NewsWillie Nelson Ad for Kinky Friedman Valued HighlyReeve Hamilton — February 24, 2010
  88. 88BookThe Stars of Country Music:The Legends & The New BreedLydia Dixon Harden et al. — Publications International — 1996
  89. 89BookThe History of Texas MusicGary Hartman — Texas A&M University Press — 2008
  90. 90NewsThe Performers in 'The American Epic Sessions'Daniel Hautzinger — June 6, 2017
  91. 91BookMusic of the 1980sHarrison, Thomas — ABC-CLIO — 2011
  92. 92NewsWillie Nelson keeps on rollin'Joe Heim — 2015
  93. 93NewsThe Pope of Austin, Texas Interview: Willie NelsonHigh Times staff — November 27, 2007
  94. 94ALBUM REVIEWS / POP : 'Twisted Willie' Gives Nelson Grunge Honors TreatmentSteve Hochman — January 27, 1996
  95. 95Willie Nelson Still Cares for His 'Additional Wives'Lorie Hollabaugh — AOL — May 5, 2010
  96. 96NewsRhonda Vincent And Willie Nelson Top The ChartsLarry Holden — Headlines & Global News — December 8, 2014
  97. 97NewsWillie Nelson statue and boulevard planned for AustinHouston Chronicle staff — May 7, 2010
  98. 98Sixth Generation (Descendants of Alfred Nelson)Ernest E. IV Hunt — Mindspring.com — 2009
  99. 99BookWaylon: An AutobiographyWaylon Jennings et al. — Warner Brooks — 1996
  100. 100MagazineWillie Nelson Extends Record For Most Top 10 Country AlbumsWade Jessen — October 24, 2013
  101. 101NewsTax Shelter of Rich and Famous Has Final Date in CourtDavid Cay Johnston — November 4, 1995
  102. 102Honeysuckle Rose CBSThom Jurek — Rovi Corporation — 2008
  103. 103NewsWoody Harrelson plans a 40-day desert-island starvationColeen Kane — MNN Holdings — May 30, 2008
  104. 104List of Kennedy Center HonoreesKennedy Center staff — John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — 2011
  105. 105The Garden Movie » About The FilmScott Hamilton Kennedy — 2019
  106. 106NewsWillie Nelson has Near-Sellout Crowd in Palm of his Hand SundayWilliam Kerns — Lubbock Avalanche-Journal — March 4, 2012
  107. 107BookSouthwest Shuffle: Pioneers of Honky-Tonk, Western Swing, and Country JazzRichard Kienzle — Routledge — 2003
  108. 108BookHow Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: 50 Years of Music RowMichael Kosser — Hal Leonard Corporation — 2006
  109. 109NewsWillie Nelson's 8 Children: Everything to KnowKrauser, Emily — February 2, 2023
  110. 110NewsA Nelson SlowdownAlbin Krebs — August 25, 1981
  111. 111Willie Nelson to Host 'Come and Toke It' Livestream Variety Show on 4/20Daniel Kreps — April 16, 2020
  112. 112NewsWillie Nelson Wins 2020 Grammys Best Country Solo Performance For 'Ride Me Back Home'Jacklyn Kroll — January 26, 2020
  113. 113NewsCurtain Falls on Willie's PlaceKWTX staff — KWTX — 2012
  114. 114The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2 Featuring Daniel LanoisDaniel Lanois — NTS Radio — August 21, 2019
  115. 115BookEntertainment CelebritiesNorbert Laufenberg — Trafford Publishing — 2005
  116. 116MagazineEXCLUSIVE: Willie Nelson on same-sex marriageAndy Langer — March 28, 2013
  117. 117MagazineThe Last Word on the Willie Nelson Bus That's NOT Willie Nelson's BusAndy Langer — June 8, 2014
  118. 118Magazine'Band of Brothers' Shoots Shotgun Willie to Top of the ChartsAndrew Leahey — June 25, 2014
  119. 119MagazineWillie Nelson to Receive Gershwin Prize for SongwritingAndrew Leahey — July 9, 2015
  120. 120NewsBlake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church win CMA AwardsRandy Lewis — November 2, 2012
  121. 121NewsThe Long-Lost, Rebuilt Recording Equipment That First Captured the Sound of AmericaCharley Locke — May 17, 2017
  122. 122Woody Harrelson Writes, Directs & Stars In Live-Event Film 'Lost In London' With Owen Wilson & Willie NelsonDiana Lodderhose — December 15, 2016
  123. 123Toke along with Willie Nelson on 4/20Lynne Margolis — April 17, 2020
  124. 124NewsWillie Nelson Is 'Fine' After Canceling a ShowJames Jr McKinnley — August 20, 2012
  125. 125BookCountry music, U.S.A.Bill Malone — University of Texas Press — 2002
  126. 126NewsWillie Nelson is officially a literary star: So says the Texas Institute of LettersMichael Merschel — January 26, 2018
  127. 127NewsWillie Nelson and B.B. King Mesmerize AtlantaMelissa Miller Loncaric — MTV Networks — July 28, 2008
  128. 128BookConfessions of a Maddog: A Romp Through the High-Flying Texas Music and Literary Era of the Fifties to the SeventiesJay Dunston Milner — University of North Texas Press — 1998
  129. 129Pancho & LeftyMartin Monkman — Rovi Corporation — 2008
  130. 130MagazineWillie Nelson: His Own Story, in his own wordsJudy Myers — Charlton Publications — 1969
  131. 131InterviewHow I Ended Up With a ClassicalWillie Nelson — December 13, 2005
  132. 132BookThe Facts of Life: and Other Dirty JokesWillie Nelson — Random House Publishing Group — March 12, 2009
  133. 133BookWillie: An AutobiographyWillie Nelson et al. — Cooper Square Press — 2000
  134. 134BookOn the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family FarmWillie Nelson — Fulcrum Publishing — 2007a
  135. 135BookA Tale Out of Luck: A NovelWillie Nelson et al. — Center Street — September 3, 2008
  136. 136Willie Nelson Writes to Prevent Horse SlaughterWillie Nelson — Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute — October 27, 2007b
  137. 137NewsWillie Nelson Urges Land O'Lakes, Challenge Dairy to Stop Using Milk Products that Come from Confined CalvesWillie Nelson — March 26, 2008
  138. 138BookIt's A Long Story: My LifeWillie Nelson et al. — Little, Brown and Company — 2015
  139. 139BookPretty PaperWillie Nelson et al. — Penguin Random House — 2016
  140. 140MagazineBrokeback Balladeer: Willie Nelson talks to TIME about his gay cowboy songClayton Neu — March 1, 2006
  141. 141NewsWillie Nelson's braids sold for $37G at auctionNew York Post staff — Fox News — October 8, 2014
  142. 142NORML Advisory BoardNORML staff — NORML — 2009
  143. 143NewsWillie Nelson, Live from the 'Fresh Air' StudiosNPR staff — National Public Radio — 1996
  144. 144Willie Nelson's Guide to HappinessNPR staff — May 25, 2010
  145. 145NewsWillie Nelson: Road Rules and Deep ThoughtsNPR staff — November 18, 2012
  146. 146NewsThe Willie Nelson interview: Life, aging and making musicKevin O'Hare — May 12, 2010
  147. 147NewsOpry Broadcasts Move To New Willie's Roadhouse Channel on SiriusXMOpry.com staff — Grand Ole Opry — May 5, 2011
  148. 148NewsWhy Americans Do Not Trust the Federal GovernmentBill O'Reilly — April 20, 2010
  149. 149NewsPOP REVIEW; Marathon of Music To Celebrate Nelson, 70Jon Pareles — April 9, 2003
  150. 150NewsWillie Nelson to rebuild central Texas ranch town after heavy damage from stormKolten Parker — June 19, 2014
  151. 151BookWillie Nelson: An Epic LifeJoe Nick Patoski — Hachette Digital — 2008
  152. 152NewsThe Gospel According to Willie: The Resurrection of the Abbott Methodist ChurchPatoski, Joe Nick — 2008
  153. 153NewsWhen It Comes to Marijuana, Willie's Punishment Seems to VaporizeJoe Nick Patoski — April 2, 2011
  154. 154American Masters, lesson 19PBS staff — 2011
  155. 155NewsWillie Nelson Cited for Drug PossessionPeople staff — September 18, 2006
  156. 156BookStalking the Red Headed StrangerRandy Poe — Hal Leonard Corporation — 2012
  157. 157BookSeptember 11 in Popular Culture: A GuideSara Quay et al. — ABC-CLIO — 2010
  158. 158BookThe Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New EditionJan Reid — University of Texas Press — 2004
  159. 159BookTexas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug SahmJan Reid et al. — University of Texas Press — 2010
  160. 160MagazineTexas MonthlyAl Reinert — August 1976
  161. 161NewsNew Willie Nelson song condemns Iraq warJanuary 1, 2004
  162. 162RIAA certificationRIAA staff — 2010
  163. 163RIAA certificationRIAA staff 2 — 2010
  164. 164RIAA certificationRIAA staff 3 — 2010
  165. 165BookWillie Nelson: Behind the MusicClint Richmond — Simon & Schuster — 2000
  166. 166BookContemporary Theatre, Film, and televisionThomas Riggs — Gale Research Co. — 2007
  167. 167Willie Nelson - Rock & Roll Hall of FameRockHall — 2023
  168. 168Magazine100 Greatest SingersRolling Stone staff — 2010
  169. 169Magazine100 Greatest GuitaristsRolling Stone staff — 2011
  170. 170MagazineWillie Nelson, Margo Price Lead 2017 Luck Reunion LineupRolling Stone staff — January 20, 2017
  171. 171NewsWillie Nelson is hosting 'Come and Toke It,' a live stream celebrating 4/20Abigail Rosenthal — April 17, 2020
  172. 172BookWillie Nelson: Country OutlawLola Scobey — Kensington Pub Corp — 1982
  173. 173Kucinich sues Texas Democrats over loyalty pledge he won't signW. Gardner Selby — January 4, 2009
  174. 174'Red Dead Redemption 2' Official Score Launches on Digital PlatformsPatrick Shanley — August 9, 2019
  175. 175NewsMr. Record Man: Willie NelsonMichael William Smith — April 25, 2013
  176. 176BookRenewable and alternative energy resources: a reference handbookZachary Alden Smith et al. — ABC-Clio — 2008
  177. 177NewsWatch Willie Nelson And Merle Haggard in The Studio in All-New FootageDan Solomon — June 6, 2017
  178. 178NewsStar-studded concert raises $1.6 million for Japan earthquake, tsunami relief effortsMinna Sugimoto — Raycom Media — April 11, 2011
  179. 179MagazineWillie Nelson, the 'Hippest Octogenarian,' Honored at BerkleeJames Sullivan — May 11, 2013
  180. 180MagazineWillie Nelson to Host New TV Show 'Inside Arlyn'Chad Swiatecki — November 6, 2014
  181. 181NewsWillie Nelson upsets fans with plans to perform at Beto O'Rourke rallyDavid Taylor — September 14, 2018
  182. 182What TMP Has AccomplishedTexas Music Project staff — The Texas Music Project — 2011
  183. 183News40 Years Ago, Dripping Springs Reunion Helped Create Austin's Musical IdentityDave Thomas — Austin 360 — March 16, 2012
  184. 184NewsWille Nelson Creates 'Teapot Party' for Marijuana LegalizationGayle Thomson — AOL — November 29, 2010
  185. 185BookWillie Nelson: The OutlawGraeme Thomson — Virgin Books — 2012
  186. 186BookReading country music: steel guitars, opry stars, and honky-tonk barsCecilia Tichi — Duke University Press — 1998
  187. 187NewsJudge Crushes Plea Deal in Willie Nelson Pot CaseTMZ staff — EHM Productions — July 7, 2011
  188. 188NewsWillie Nelson Statue Unveiled in Austin, Texas on 4/20Chris Tomlinson — April 21, 2012a
  189. 189NewsWillie Nelson unveils statue of himself on 4/20Chris Tomlinson — CBS Atlanta — April 21, 2012b
  190. 190Linear CD NotesToots and the Maytals — November 10, 2016
  191. 191NewsNelson shares Ag Hall honor with Farm Aid partnersMelissa Treolo — August 18, 2011
  192. 192BookCountry: a regional explorationIvan Tribe — Greenwood Publishing Group — 2006
  193. 193NewsWillie Nelson's had a 'Crazy' career IN CONCERT – Willie Nelson and FamilyVancouver Province staff — Postmedia Network — June 28, 2007
  194. 194NewsCarrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn + More Duet With Willie Nelson on Upcoming 'To All the Girls' AlbumChristina Vinson — Townsquare Media — July 26, 2013
  195. 195BookCountry Music: The Rough GuideKurt Wolff et al. — Rough Guides — 2000
  196. 196'No highway for WillieMike Ward — April 27, 2005
  197. 197NewsWillie Nelson to Share Musings From the Road in New MemoirSterling Whitaker — Townsquare Media — September 26, 2012
  198. 198NewsWillie Nelson teams up with pro sports leagues in new PSA for COVID-19 vaccineWeisholtz, Drew — March 23, 2021
  199. 199Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray CharlesWillie Nelson.com staff — WillieNelson.com — 2011
  200. 200NewsWillie Nelson Signs Historic New Deal With Legacy RecordingsWillie Nelson.com staff — Willie Nelson.com — February 1, 2012
  201. 201Willie Nelson's Guitar Trigger!Willie Nelson General Store staff — Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store — 2010
  202. 202Willie's PlaceWillie's Place staff — 2010
  203. 203NewsMusic Live-Streams: Willie Nelson, Wiz Khalifa 4/20 Potfests Lead the Week, with Springsteen-Fronted NJ Benefit to FollowChris Willman — April 20, 2020
  204. 204Willie Nelson BiographyYahoo! Movies staff — Yahoo! Movies — 2011
  205. 205MagazineWillie Nelson: Master of Country Music and Gongkwon YusulMarc Zirogiannis — September 2014

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