Willie Nelson Concerts Setlist

Picture a young boy in Abbott, Texas, writing his very first song when he was just seven years old and playing with bands at ten. That boy was Willie Nelson, and he transformed country music. Before being famous, Willie did it all - he disc-jockeyed, sold encyclopedia door-to-door, and taught Sunday school too! But the call of the music kept pulling him back in. In the early 1960s, he wrote hits that were giant recordings for other artists. Know Patsy Cline's "Crazy"? That's Willie's song, and it was the biggest jukebox hit ever.

But Willie wasn't satisfied to write for others. In the 1970s, he tired of slick Nashville sounds and moved to Austin, Texas. That's where he longed his hair out, started braiding it, and made what others called "outlaw country" - raw, shoot-from-the-hip music that mixed country with rock, folk, and jazz. His worn, old guitar, Trigger (yes, named after Roy Rogers' horse), was a celebrity equal to his.

Here's a wild one: In 1990, the IRS came after Willie for $32 million in unpaid taxes. Instead of going broke, he recorded an album called "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?" to pay the tab. That's just being Willie - turning virtue into necessity. You might know him from his classics "On the Road Again" and "Always on My Mind," but Willie's done much more. He established Farm Aid in 1985 to support American family farmers, was a pioneer in the environmental movement with his own biodiesel company "BioWillie," and was a vocal proponent for marijuana legalization.

At 90, as of 2023, Willie's still going strong. He's toured with Snoop Dogg and Beyoncé, won a galaxy of Grammy Awards, and even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His guitar Trigger becomes more battered by the hour, but like Willie himself, just won't die. The most energizing thing about Willie is that he never tried to be anything else. Either playing presidents or singing at truck stops, he's still always the same old Abbott, Texas, songwriter trying to sing his truth.