Tuesday 30 April 2019

Willie Nelson born 30 April 1933


Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.), is an American songwriter and guitarist who is one of the most popular country music singers of the late 20th century.

Nelson learned to play guitar from his grandfather and at the age of 10 was performing at local dances. He served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming a disc jockey in Texas, Oregon, and California during the 1950s. He also was performing in public and writing songs then.

By 1961 he was based in Nashville, Tennessee, and playing bass in Ray Price’s band. Price was among the first of dozens of country, rhythm-and-blues, and popular singers to achieve hit records with Nelson’s 1960s tunes, which included the standards “Hello Walls,” “Night Life,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and, most famously, “Crazy.” By contrast, Nelson achieved only modest success as a singer in that decade.


                           

In the early 1970s Nelson moved back to Texas and, with Waylon Jennings, spearheaded the country music movement known as outlaw music. Beginning with the narrative album Red Headed Stranger (1975), which featured the hit song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” he became one of the most popular performers in 
country music as a whole. Nelson’s performances featured a unique sound, of which his relaxed behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar were the most distinctive elements. Unusual for a country album, songs by Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin, and other mainstream popular songwriters made up his Stardust (1978), which eventually sold more than five million copies in the United States.

Nelson found further crossover success with the album Always on My Mind (1982) and the single “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (1984), a duet with Julio Iglesias. After making his film acting debut in The Electric Horseman (1979), Nelson appeared in such movies as Honeysuckle Rose 
(1980)—which introduced what would become his signature song, “On the Road Again”—and Red Headed Stranger (1986), a drama based on his album.

In 1990 the Internal Revenue Service, claiming Nelson owed $16.7 million in unpaid taxes, seized his assets. To raise money, he recorded the album The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories (1991), which initially was available only through phone orders but was sold in stores beginning in 1992. Despite that setback, he continued to record at a prolific pace into the 21st century. His subsequent albums included Across the Borderline (1993), the atmospheric Teatro (1998), and the reggae-tinged Countryman (2005).

As Nelson aged into the role of a musical elder statesman, his recordings increasingly focused on traditional songs and covers. Among them were Heroes (2012); Let’s Face the Music and Dance (2013), a collection of standards; To All the Girls… (2013), a series of duets with female singers; and Summertime (2016), a set of George Gershwin songs. In 2014 Nelson issued Band of Brothers, which comprised largely new material, and Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1: December Day, the first in a series of releases from his vast catalogue of recordings. The latter record focused on his collaborations with his sister and pianist, Bobbie. 
He later released two collections of original meditations on 
mortality, God’s Problem Child (2017) and Last Man Standing (2018).

Throughout his career he recorded with dozens of other singers and released album-length collaborations with such musicians as Jennings, Merle Haggard, and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. He was the recipient of several Grammy Awards.

In addition to his own performance career, Nelson produced annual Fourth of July country music festivals in Texas and elsewhere, and in 1985 he co-founded Farm Aid, which organized festivals to raise money for farmers. Nelson was a well-known and enthusiastic connoisseur of marijuana, and, after a few states legalized the drug’s sale and purchase, he launched (2015) a marijuana supply company, Willie’s Reserve. He penned several memoirs (with coauthors), including Willie: An Autobiography (1988), Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road (2012), and It’s a Long Story: My Life (2015).


Nelson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993. He accepted a Kennedy Centre Honour in 1998, and in 2015 he received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

(Source from britannica.com)

16 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “ Willie Nelson – Mr. Record Man – The Early A's & B's Plus” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/9897333/Willie_Nelson___Early_Singles.rar.html

1. LUMBERJACK - Willie Nelson
2. NO PLACE FOR ME - Willie Nelson
3. THE STORM HAS JUST BEGUN - Willie Nelson
4. MAN WITH THE BLUES - Willie Nelson
5. WHAT A WAY TO LIVE - Willie Nelson
6. MISERY MANSION - Willie Nelson
7. NIGHT LIFE - Paul Buskirk and his Little Men
8. RAINY DAY BLUES - Paul Buskirk and his Little Men
9. MR. RECORD MAN - Willie Nelson
10. THE PART WHERE I CRY - Willie Nelson
11. CHAIN OF LOVE - Willie Nelson
12. WILLINGLY - Willie Nelson & Shirley Collie
13. TOUCH ME - Willie Nelson
14. WHERE MY HOUSE LIVES - Willie Nelson
15. YOU DREAM ABOUT ME - Willie Nelson & Shirley Collie
16. IS THIS MY DESTINY - Willie Nelson
17. WAKE ME WHEN IT'S OVER - Willie Nelson
18. THERE'S GONNA BE LOVE IN MY HOUSE - Willie Nelson
19. THE LAST LETTER - Willie Nelson
20. HALF A MAN - Willie Nelson
21. HELLO WALLS - Willie Nelson
22. FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY - Willie Nelson
23. CRAZY - Willie Nelson
24. THREE DAYS - Willie Nelson
25. ONE STEP BEYOND - Willie Nelson
26. UNDO THE RIGHT - Willie Nelson
27. DARKNESS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH - Willie Nelson

Willie initially came to fame in the early 1960s as a songwriter rather than as a singer. However he had actually been recording since 1957, with no more than local success at best. However once better known singers started recording his songs on a regular basis, demand for his own recordings increased substantially. By the mid-1970s he had become the biggest male vocalist in country.
'Mr. Record Man' contains the A and B sides of Willie's first 10 singles, presented chronologically, plus all the album-only tracks from his first long player 'And Then I Wrote'. Among the highlights here are Willie's versions of many of the best known country classics of the early 1960s, including 'Crazy' (a hit for Patsy Cline), 'Hello Walls' (Faron Young), 'Night Life' (Ray Price) and 'Funny How Time Slips Away' (Billy Walker/Jimmy Elledge). There are also a handful of duets with Shirley Collie, who became Willie's wife not long after they were recorded; including Willie's first country chart hit 'Willingly'.
This compilation shows that Willie Nelson was never short of talent, even though many years would pass before that talent was fully appreciated outside of his peer group. 'Mr. Record Man' is a musical testament to genius in the making.

At the age of 86, Willie is still making new music and still touring, his marathon shows usually featuring many of the tracks contained in this essential CD. He truly is a 'Living Legend' of country music.(Jasmine notes)

(A big thank you to Mijas @ ACM2)

Crab Devil said...

Thank you!

tamworthted said...

Happy Birthday Willie, Nice write up for a young fella.

Mickey Bitsko said...

Thanks again, boppinbob!

♪ Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be bloggers ♬

Charles D said...

Thanks for Willie.

JennyD said...

boppinbob, you always post the most interesting liner notes and great albums and this is another. I can't believe he's 86 now, omg --- that makes me older than I thought, sheesh.
Thanks so much for all you do :)

Mike said...

Nice notes - nice collection!
Thanks,
Mike M

Jacdaw said...

I can listen to any and all of Willie's songs and just relax. He soothes my soul when I listen to him. hanks Bob for these early songs.

Chris C said...

Willie is a real hometown hero in Hill County, Texas where he and his sister were raised in the small town of Abbott by his grandparents after their parents left them. When the 1890 Hill County Courthouse burned in 1993, Willie asked many musician friends to join him in Hillsboro (the county seat) on the courthouse square for two fundraisers that greatly helped restore the historic courthouse back to its original grandeur. Later on, when the Abbott United Methodist Church was dwindling and could not continue to maintain their historic building, Willie bought the property for more than was asked and restored the building so the congregation could continue to have worship and other events there. The church is where his family worshipped when he were growing up! He also keeps the Abbott store running and gives scholarships to Abbott high school kids every year. A good guy who really cares about his hometown and uses his celebrity to make a difference!!

JennyD said...

To Chris C.

Best post EVER! Kudos to you, Chris. I told someone that I couldn't decide who I wanted to hug more, you or Willie.
Your post tells who Willie really is & so many times we don't hear these stories. It was beautiful. But it also tells so much about you, because you took the time to tell the story and that says gold star things about you.
Just had to tell you.
That, and thank you.

Chris C said...

JennyD...
Aren’t you so very nice! My pleasure to share. I just think it’s really special when celebrities use their time and money to make a difference for others - especially when it’s done in the places where they were raised. Too bad it doesn’t happen more often. Thanks again for your very sweet words.

Hitparade said...

Chris C

Willie Nelson just released a great new album "A Beautiful Time", my 169th by him. There are some really great songs like "My Heart Was A Dancer" and the old Beatles' classic "With A Little Help From My Friends". The sound is great, so very full and heavy, and "I swear" Willie's voice sounds the best in years :-)

So I decided to come over to Boppin' Bobs' blog to see what he posted on Willie in the past, and I found your delightful comments. I'm going to save them into my Willie Nelson folder. Thanks you :-)

JennyD said...

I wonder if Chris knows how many fans HE grew with his outstanding post.
A gold 🏆 and 5 gold ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐s handed to Chris 😊👍

Rev. bIGhIG said...

Say, Bob

been looking for Red Headed Stranger, a classic, but no-one seems to have it.
Think you can?

thanks

boppinbob said...

For “Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger (1975 Columbia) / (2000 Club Edition)” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/14894637/WillieNelson_RedHeadedStranger.rar.html

1. Time Of The Preacher 2:24
2. I Couldn't Believe It Was True 1:32
3. Time Of The Preacher Theme 1:12
4. Medley: Blue Rock Montana / Red Headed Stranger 1:32
5. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain 2:17
6. Red Headed Stranger 3:57
7. Time Of The Preacher Theme 0:25
8. Just As I Am 1:45
9. Denver 0:55
10. O'er The Waves 0:48
11. Down Yonder 1:53
12. Can I Sleep In Your Arms 5:22
13. Remember Me 2:50
14. Hands On The Wheel 4:20
15. Bandera 2:18
BONUS
16. Bach Minuet in G 0:37
17. I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You) 3:31
18. A Maiden’s Prayer 2:14
19. Bonaparte’s Retreat 2:26

Rev. bIGhIG said...

Thanks Bob,
Terrific!
and bonus tracks too!