Willie Nelson

Renn Loren Friday, November 18, 2016 Comments Off on Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson

BY  RENN LOREN

There’s no mistaking Willie Nelson’s signature life-chiseled, leathery, blue-Texas-sky twang. One weathered note is all it takes to know instantly that Willie’s at the mic, weaving heartache with hope, and laughter with tears, spinning tales that prove he is a master of the art of living life and writing songs about it.

Listening to Willie Nelson’s music is a lot like spending time in one’s favorite flannel shirt or jeans, in the company of a good ol’ reliable friend.

To tell his inconceivably eventful life story would take a couple of novels (and, indeed, there are a few out there). So I’ll just try to touch on some of the most important events.

Born in Abbott, Texas, on April 29, 1933, Nelson and his older sister, Bobbie, were raised by their grandparents, and picked cotton during the summers. Nelson’s grandfather bought him a guitar at age 6. Nelson wrote his first song at age 7.

After leaving high school, Nelson went into the Air Force for nine months. Honorably discharged due to back problems, he then attended two years at Baylor University in Waco, but the honky tonks called him back.

Nelson spent the 1950s traveling the country, looking for work. In Eugene, Ore., he worked as a plumber’s assistant; in Fort Worth, Texas, he sold vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias door to door.

In San Antonio, Nelson talked his way into a radio disc-jockey job, which led to other disc-jockey positions at other Texas stations. During a two-year run on Houston’s nightclub circuit, Nelson managed to sell his song “Family Bible” to honky tonk singer Claude Gray for $100. The song became a Top 10 country hit. Encouraged by that success, Nelson moved to Nashville.

Nelson found himself at odds with the heavily produced sound and slick image of Nashville in the 1960s, and became very frustrated, knowing his music could go further if he were allowed to do it his way.

Everyone else was getting big hits with Nelson’s songs (which were sold outright for one-time sums of between $50-150), while Nelson himself only achieved a string of minor hits during the decade he worked in Nashville. His house in Ridgetop burned down, and he took that as a sign, leaving Nashville to retire from the music biz in 1972.

He ended up moving to Austin, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Nelson found the burgeoning, diverse musical and social landscapes of Austin inspirational. Soon he was back to playing at venues such as the infamously central Armadillo World Headquarters, where hippies, cowboys and businesspeople bonded over lunches, beers and music.

In the free, unbridled, openly creative atmosphere of Austin, Nelson was able to play his music his way — developing his now trademark “outlaw” sound and style — a style that has influenced multiple generations and whole musical movements such as No Depression, Alt-Country and its latest incarnation, Americana.

Nelson soon ended up on Atlantic for two records: the pivotal Shotgun Willie, and Phases and Stages. These albums yielded the concert staples Whiskey River, Sad Songs and Waltzes, Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer) and Bloody Mary Morning.

Leaving Atlantic for Columbia put Nelson in complete creative control over his records. Even so, Columbia was reluctant to release what they considered the raw, unfinished demo-sounding recordings of 1975’s Red Headed Stranger. Spare and sparse, with the sound of a cowboy plucking his guitar by a campfire or joined by a saloon pianist (played by his sister Bobbie), the album would give Nelson his first number-one hit in the form of his high plains drifter incantation of Roy Acuff’s Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. At 42 years of age, Nelson had finally “made it.”

Association with fellow Outlaw Waylon Jennings (Outlaw was a term used to denote progressive artists such as Waylon Jennings and Nelson, who didn’t fit the clean-cut, slick Nashville mold) on Wanted, the first platinum album in country music history, and the 1978 double platinum Waylon & Willie, would propel Nelson’s career ever higher.

Not one to follow trends (least of all his own), Nelson wielded his artistic control to maximum effect with the highly unlikely Stardust album, released later that year. Observers predicted that this collection of pop standards would thoroughly derail Nelson’s career. Quite contrarily, Stardust rode the country charts for 10 years, and sold well over 6 million units. Films, more iconic songs such as On the Road Again (which was, ironically, written on a plane), and a continuous steady stream of albums (sometimes two per year) would follow.

Nelson continues to amaze and dominate in a field populated by kids who could be his grandchildren’s grandchildren. This year, Nelson holds the unique record of 50 country music Top Ten albums. He achieved the longest span between No. 1 albums for any living artist when his recent Band of Brothers topped the chart in 2014. His last No. 1 was The Promiseland in May of 1986. With 2015’s Django and Jimmie, Nelson is, amazingly enough, at the top of the charts once again, with his Pancho & Lefty pal Merle Haggard — 40 years after achieving his first number one.

During his extensive career, singer, songwriter, author, poet, actor, activist Nelson has written more than 2,500 songs. The prolific Nelson has released 69 studio albums, and at least 10 live albums. Additionally, there have been hundreds of compilations of his work. He has won multiple awards, including countless Grammys, American Music Awards and Country Music Awards. In addition to his records having sold well globally, Willie has sold over 40 million albums in the USA alone.

With the piercing, life-tempered gaze and braids of a tribal leader, boundless energy and an indomitable Texas cowboy heart, Willie Nelson is the very embodiment of the relentlessly rugged, doggedly determined and enduring American spirit. His richly storied, hard-lived life is an ongoing testament to that. Beyond iconic, Willie Nelson is America.

Nelson will be in concert Friday, Nov. 18, 8:30 pm, at Golden Nugget.

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