Country Music Legend of the Week, Willie Nelson [VIDEOS]

Willie Hugh Nelson was born April 30, 1933. He is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist.

The critical success of the album " Shotgun Willie"  in 1973, combined with the critical and commercial success of  "Red Headed Stranger"  in 1975 and Stardust in 1978, made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music.

He is one of the main figures of outlaw country, and has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player.

Always On My Mind

Willie Nelson and Ray Charles - Seven Spanish Angels

Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

Good Hearted Woman - The Highwaymen

Stardust

"Stardust"  is a 1978 album by Willie Nelson that spans the genres of pop, jazz, country and folk music. Its ten songs consist entirely of pop standards that Nelson picked from among his favorites.

Nelson requested Booker T. Jones, who was at the time his neighbor in Malibu, California, to initially arrange him "Moonlight in Vermont". Impressed by the arrangements, Nelson asked Jones to produce the entire album. Nelson's decision to record such well-known tracks was met with some controversy among Columbia executives, as he had positioned himself in the outlaw country genre at the time. Recording consumed nine days.

Released in April, Stardust was met with near-universal positive reviews and high sales. It peaked at number one in Billboard's Top Country Albums and at number thirty in the Billboard 200. Meanwhile it charted at number one in Canadian RPM's Country Albums, and at number 28 in RPM's Top Albums. The singles "Blue Skies" and "All of Me" peaked at number one and three in Billboard's Hot Country Singles respectively.

He is one of the main figures of outlaw country, and has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks.

Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. In 1960, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy".

In 1962, he recorded his first album, And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits during the end of 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, and the failure to succeed in music, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The rise of the popularity of Hippie music in Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as  "Shotgun Willie"  and  "Phases and Stages".

In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album, "Red Headed Stranger". The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, "Wanted! The Outlaws", which he recorded with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser.

Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film, "The Electric Horseman", followed by other appearances in movies and on television.

During the mid 1980s, while creating hit albums like " Honeysuckle Rose" and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho & Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.