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Willie
Nelson
Birth
Name: Willie Hugh Nelson
Induction
Year: 1973
Date
of Birth: 4/30/1933
Place
of Birth: Abbott, TX
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Former Occupations:
cotton
picker, encyclopedia salesman,
farmer,
saddle maker, plumber,
vacuum
cleaner salesman, disc jockey,
U.S.
Air Force (during the Korean War) |
Education:
High
School--Abbott High School (graduated in 1951)
College--Baylor
University (studied agriculture and business)
College--Waco
University (from 3/54 to 7/54) |
Career Milestones:
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1939--got
his first guitar and started learning music from his grandparents
who were learning trough mail-order courses |
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1940--began
writing songs |
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1943--joined
John Raycjeck's Bohemian Polka Band on a part-time basis |
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1949--first
published song "Pullamo" with Sophisticate Music |
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1955--began
broadcasting a radio show in Washington state featuring a half-hour
live set by his own band |
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1956--recorded
first record, "No Place For Me" in Vancouver; record was self-financed |
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1960--moved
to Nashville |
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1961--Patsy
Cline recorded "Crazy"; the song reached #1 |
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1962--first
success as a singer when "Willingly" and "Touch
Me," duets with second wife Shirley Collie, reached the Top 10 |
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1964--Grand
Ole Opry debut on November 28 |
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1970--returned
to Texas |
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1972--began
hosting the Fourth of July picnic concerts in Austin, TX |
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1973--breakthrough
album "Shotgun Willie" released |
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1975--album
"Red-Headed Stranger" released; included hit "Blue
Eyes Crying In the Rain" and helped to establish Nelson as one
of the top artists in country music |
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1980--first
movie role in "Electric Horseman" |
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1980--first
starring role in a film in "Honeysuckle Rose" |
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1985--song
"Highwayman," featuring Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon
Jennings, and Johnny Cash (as The Highwaymen) went to #1; |
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Awards:
1975--Grammy\Best
Country Vocal Performance, Male\Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain
1976--CMA\Single
of the Year (with Waylon Jennings)\Good Hearted Woman
1976--CMA\Album
of the Year (with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall
Glaser)\Wanted: The Outlaws
1976--CMA\Vocal
Duo of the Year (with Waylon Jennings)
1978--Grammy\Best
Country Vocal Performance, Male\Georgia On My Mind
1978--Grammy\Best
Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group (with Waylon
Jennings)\Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
1979--CMA\Entertainer
of the Year
1979--ACM\Entertainer
of the Year
1980--Grammy\Best
Country Song\On the Road Again
1982--Grammy\Best
Country Vocal Performance, Male\Always On My Mind
1982--CMA\Single
of the Year\Always On My Mind
1982--CMA\Album
of the Year\Always On My Mind
1982--ACM\Album
of the Year\Always On My Mind
1983--CMA\Vocal
Duo of the Year (with Merle Haggard)
1983--Playboy\Hall
of Fame induction
1983--National
Academy of Popular Music\Lifetime Achievement\first country artist
ever honored with this award and fourth only recipient
1984--CMA\Vocal
Duo of the Year (with Julio Iglesias)
1984--ACM\Single
of the Year\To All the Girls I've Loved Before
1984--ACM\Tex
Ritter Award\songwriter with Kris Kristofferson
1989--Grammy\Living
Legends Award
1993--Country
Music Hall of Fame induction
Catalog
Highlights
Crazy
- On
the Road Again
- Artists:
Willie Nelson (1980)
- Hello
Walls
- Artists:
Faron Young (1961)
- Good
Hearted Woman
- Co-writer:
Waylon Jennings
- Artists:
Waylon Jennings (1972), Waylon & Willie (1976)
- Funny
How Time Slips Away
- Artists:
Billy Walker (1961), Narvel Felts (1975)
- Night
Life
- Artists:
Ray Price (1963), Claude Gray (1968), Danny Davis/Willie Nelson/The
Nashville Brass (1980)
- Family
Bible
- Artists:
Claude Gray (1960), George Jones (1961)
Comments:
Due
to financial situation in the late 1950s, Nelson sold the song
"Family Bible" for $50 and "Night Life" for $150 |