![]() In 1971, his resonant voice opened Yesterday’s Wine, before any music began, with a New Age declaration: Willie had a soulful cover of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” on a 1966 live album. There had already been inklings of the countercultural turn that came next. Facing personal and professional challenges that culminated in his house burning down, Nelson left Tennessee for Texas by decade’s end. He did record, but Nelson’s flamenco guitar, jazzy phrasing and eccentric lyricism did not fit the mold of 1960s Nashville. Nelson moved from success to success as a songwriter, with Price singing “Night Life,” Faron Young singing “Hello Walls” and Patsy Cline singing “Crazy.” He likely would have made it to the Country Music Hall of Fame with this early songwriting alone. Price had been a roommate of Hank Williams Sr.’s, and the Cherokee Cowboys built on Williams’ legacy, at various times including not just Nelson but also his pals Johnny Bush, Johnny Paycheck and Roger Miller. In 1961, he joined Ray Price’s band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Like most aspiring country artists, Nelson ended up in Nashville. He spent the next years chasing the life in those songs, hitting the road as an itinerant performer. The songs inside, though-“Hangover Blues,” “Faded Love and Wasted Dream,” “I Guess I Was Born to Be Blue”-speak to honky-tonk themes far beyond Nelson’s years. Nelson’s first songbook has all the doodles of a child’s arts and crafts project. We know this in part from a curious artifact in the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. Nelson joined his first band at 10 and was a songwriter by 12. From Texas to Nashville and backīorn on April 29, 1933, in a small town between Waco and Dallas, Nelson and his sister, Bobbie, took to music at a young age. He catapulted to pop stardom in the 1980s but always went out on the road making music with his friends, night after night. He redefined country music’s image and industry through the outlaw revolt of the 1970s. He then returned to Texas a prodigal son, fostering Austin’s musical ascent and, as the story goes, brokering a peace between the warring rednecks and hippies. While Nelson’s story is vast, it can be distilled down to this: He sprang from the Texas cotton fields and earned his spurs in the state’s dance halls before becoming one of Nashville’s signature songwriters in the 1960s. And the country outlaw is a current nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Nelson headlined a star-studded tribute concert weekend in honor of his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29 and 30. The LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas recently announced the Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities. There is Willie Nelson the songwriter of rare and poignant gifts, and more Willie Nelsons yet to be named.Īs a Texas music historian, I find that Nelson’s legacy also challenges appraisal because the concept assumes closure, a pastness, while the man at 90 still seems to be active everywhere. There is activist Willie Nelson, Farm Aid’s co-founder and biofuel pioneer. There is outlaw Willie Nelson, revolutionizing the country music industry. ![]() There is iconic Willie Nelson, near-embodiment of Texas myth. There is historical Willie Nelson, child of the Depression. The country music legend, who celebrated his birthday this past Saturday, is on tour, with dates scheduled into October.Īssessing Nelson’s legacy is challenging, because there are so many Willies to assess. Willie Nelson’s unofficial theme song, “ On the Road Again,” remains accurate as he turns 90.
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