Willie Nelson Biography

QUICK FACTS
Activities Actor , Composer , Performer (Soundtrack) more
Real name Willie Hugh Nelson
Nationality USA
Birth April 30, 1933 (Texas – United States)

BIOGRAPHY
Willie Hugh Nelson is a renowned American musician, actor and activist, born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. His parents separated from him when he was a child and he was raised, along with his sister, with his grandparents, who taught them to sing. By age six, he got his first guitar and learned early, allowing him to sing alongside his sister at a local church. He composed his first song at the age of 7 and at 10 he was already playing guitar in a band. He spent his summers playing in bars and restaurants to earn money, influenced by artists such as Hank Williams, Django Reinhardt, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. At school, he played in the band known as The Texans, alongside his brother-in-law, in addition to working as a telephone operator and gardener. In the ’50s, after serving in the Air Force and working as a DJ at some radio stations, Nelson began composing songs for Night Life and Family Bible, and by the ’60s he moved to Nashville in order to write hits for Patsy Cline and Billy Walker, among others. Finally, in 1962, he landed a contract with Liberty Records and soon hit the charts with his style and his lyrics. It was in the 70s when he adopted the traditional country style, becoming one of the most acclaimed and successful artists in his country’s music. With just over 70 studio albums, several of them platinum, Nelson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 and remains active to this day.