As the fire ravages his Nashville home, Willie Nelson is on a determined mission. He’s decided to brave the flames and rescue his Martin N-20 guitar. Nelson had bought the guitar sight unseen for $750 the previous year and was determined not to lose the considerable investment. “Trigger”, the name Nelson had given his guitar, was like no other; it was a classical acoustic with a custom fitted electric pickup, the first of its kind. Nelson somehow manages to get both himself and Trigger out of the house before it collapses. This tragedy sets off a chain of events that will ultimately change his career forever .
Willie Hugh Nelson was born on April 29, 1933 in Abbott, Texas. Nelson’s mother left the family after his birth, and his father remarried and moved away in 1934. Willie and his sister, Bobbie, were left in the care of their grandparents, who taught both of the children to sing and play instruments at a young age. By the time he was six Nelson could play guitar, and wrote his first song at age seven. He began singing in dance halls for money when he was thirteen, mostly covering country artists of the time such as Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, and Bob wills. On some occasions he would cover black jazz artists of the era, most notably Louis Armstrong.
Nelson joined the Air Force in 1950 but was discharged later due to a back injury. He started college at Baylor University in 1952 but dropped out in early 1954. After leaving college, he had various short lived stints with local radio stations and studios, amounting to little success. To support himself, he worked as a mechanic, saddle maker, and a tree trimmer. He continued to write songs and pursue music.
In 1960, Nelson moved to Nashville, determined to make it big. One night, he took his songs to the Grand Ole Opry and pitched them to any star he could get close to. His song “Hello Walls” was rejected by many big name acts because they didn’t like the story it told: a heartbroken man talking to inanimate objects in his home. After almost giving up, he pitched the song to Faron Young, a younger member of the Opry. Young agreed to record the song and it went on to be his first number one hit. Nelson’s songwriting career soon took off.
He joined Ray Price’s band as a bassist shortly after and wrote many songs that would become country standards. In 1962 he began recording on his own and signed with RCA in 1964. However his career saw little success, with virtually no chart success by 1969. In 1970, after his home burned down, he decided it was time for a change. He moved to Texas hoping to save his career, however it remained stagnant. In 1972 he refused to renew his RCA contract and retired from music.
Nelson moved to Austin, Texas in 1973 and the lively music scene inspired him to make a return to music. He began writing and recording again with moderate success by 1974. In 1975 he signed with Columbia records and released his album, The Redheaded Stranger. The album saw massive success and earned Nelson his first number one single. Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, Willie Nelson and fellow country artist Waylon Jennings (who had belonged to Buddy Holly’s band but missed the fatal 1959 flight) dominated the new genre of “Outlaw Country”, recording various albums and songs together.
Nelson’s career continued to soar well into the 1980’s. He saw a brief stall in the 90’s but made a comeback in the mid 2000’s. Willie Nelson is considered by many to be an American icon, and is one of the most successful country artists in the history of the genre. As of 2018, he’s had a total of 24 solo top ten hits (12 number ones) and 16 collaboration top ten hits (12 number ones), six of which he recorded with Waylon Jennings (all were number one hits). At 84, Nelson continues to record music and has become one of the main advocates for the legalization of marijuana.
My Picks:
- Blue eyes crying in the rain -1975
- Beer for my Horses (with Toby Keith) -2003
- Pancho and Lefty (with Merle Haggard) -1983
- Last thing I needed, first thing this morning -1982
- Angel flying too close to the ground -1981
I’ve never really listened to Willie Nelson, but I might have to give him a go. His story is really interesting, I love hearing the history of people and where they came from and what they accomplished.
This was a good post that gave a lot of background about Willie Nelson. I have found a common thread in your posts, that most of the artists failed over and over before eventually succeeding. It shows that talent is not everything and that persistence is paramount, especially for a musician.
Although I have heard of Willie Nelson, I have never made an effort to listen to his music. After reading about his background maybe I will have to give it a go. Although I am not a big fan of country music, maybe Willie can convert me.
I had no idea who Willie Nelson was before your blog. He has a very interesting story and would definitely listen to his music sometime soon.
You always find the most fascinating details for these blog posts. I love how you go into detail about the name of his guitar, the price, and things like that. It shows how you truly are passionate about this blog and go into extensive research for every post. I honestly know nothing about Willie Nelson and I don’t think I’ve heard of any of his songs, but I definitely will look him up and listen to some of the songs you listed. I like how you give us information on what he’s doing currently.