Willie Nelson: America's Favorite Outlaw

Willie Nelson: America's Favorite Outlaw

"If you start out looking at somebody, wondering whether he's good or bad, I think you're starting out in the wrong direction. I think we're all good and we're all bad."

–Willie Nelson

http://willienelson.com

Willie Nelson, a famous American country music singer-songwriter as well as actor and activist, was born on April 30, 1933 in Abbott, Texas. Also known as the “red-headed stranger” for his famous red hippie braids, Nelson is recognized as the first country artist to achieve notable crossover success into other genres, even collaborating with rap artist Snoop Dog in May 2008. He is famous for his unique musical style that incorporates styles such as jazz, pop, blues, rock, and folk along with his impressive career as an activist. Having written over 2,500 songs and released almost 300 albums, the country music Hall-of-Famer is considered a pioneer of country music (biography.com).

Nelson was born during the great depression in 1933. Having been abandoned by his mother at an early age, he was raised by his grandparents in a home that stressed the importance of music. He received his first guitar at age six, and by age seven Nelson had written his first song. By age ten Nelson had joined his first ban (a polka band) and began touring locally with his band come high school. After musically surpassing his band mates, Nelson began to DJ for a Texas Honky Tonk radio station before moving to Nashville, Tn. In Nashville, Nelson began writing hits for country music super stars, such as “Crazy” by Patsy Cline and “Hello Walls” by Faron Young (Thompson, n.p.). Nelson soon returned to Texas and earned a humble living playing in dance halls, honky tonks, and taverns, even participating in the famous Grand Ole Opry.

 http://willienelson.com

Nelson’s career really took off after the creation of outlaw country, a genre that was both a reflection of his non-Nashville sound and rebellious public persona. Having been inspired by Austin’s hippie music scene, Nelson fused the genres of “redneck” country, and “hippie” rock, thus creating the genre known as “outlaw country”(Brown, n.p.). Having emerged as an outlaw himself, Nelson, along with fellow outlaw Waylon Jennings, created this genre in the 1960s as a reaction to the conservative Nashville sound that so many artists were adhering to (biography.com). The genre grew to be quite popular among the counter-culture, making Nelson’s album Wanted! The Outlaws the first platinum country album of all time. The album featured the collaboration of Nelson and Jennings on the song “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” winning the duo a Grammy in 1978 (Brown, n.p.). By Nelson welcoming his outlaw image he emerged not only as a musical renaissance man but also a hero to the counter-culture youth that held his art most dear. Most artists catered to the Nashville sound and squeaky-clean lifestyle, but Nelson embodied the role of the outlaw and embraced his reputation as a hard-drinking and hard-living man (biography.com).

Willie Nelson performing his famous song "Always On My Mind"

Although Nelson has a “bad boy” persona, he is an extremely passionate activist for a plethora of causes. After his many arrests for the possession of marijuana, the singer created the Teapot party under the motto “Tax it, regulate it, and legalize it.” Nelson remains an advocate for the reform of marijuana laws, even performing a song called “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” at a legalization ceremony in Austin. In 1985 Nelson created an organization called Farm Aid to increase awareness of the importance of family farms in America as well as raise money to help American farmers in danger of losing their farms to debt. This contribution eventually spawned his indictment into the National Agriculture Hall of Fame. He is also widely known as a supporter of the Democratic Party, for which he has raised money, appeared at events, and even created the song “What Ever Happened to Peace on Earth?” to openly criticize the war in Iraq and support his campaign for world peace (biography.com). In 2005, Nelson (along with investors) formed Willie Nelson Biodiesel, a company that strives to replace harmful fuel with Nelson’s environmentally friendly biodiesel made of vegetable oil, all without modification to a standard diesel engine. The singer also campaigned for the passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and is an active contributor to the Animal Welfare Institute.

Willie Nelson remains an American icon, not only for his successful music career, but also for his compassion and forever-positive attitude. Even at age 77 he tours 150-200 dates each year, spreading his music and message with his diverse fanbase.

Bibliography

" Willie Nelson," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/willie-nelson-9421488 (accessed Oct 02, 2012).

Thomson, Graeme. Willie Nelson: the outlaw. London: Virgin Books, 2006.

Brown, Jim. Willie Nelson: Red Headed Stranger. Kingston, Ont: Quarry Music Books, 2001.