A Willie Nelson primer: quick career facts
Country renegade due in for sold-out show.
At 82, Willie Nelson remains one of the most active figures in country music.
The Texas native, presenting a sold-out concert at Fraze Pavilion in Kettering on Tuesday, is a musician, concert organizer, author, actor and activist.
Here are some high points from his lengthy career:
Origin story:
Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, on April 29, 1933. He was performing live by the age of 9 and working professionally by the time he was a teenager. He was a three-sport athlete in high school and a member of Future Farmers of America and still found time to perform regularly throughout the region.
Rambling man:
After short stints in the Air Force and college, Nelson moved frequently, working a string of day jobs while pursuing a music career. His first big break came a few months after relocating to Nashville in 1960 when Ray Price recorded a Nelson original and then asked him to join his band.
The Nashville years:
Nelson wrote songs for several other acts, including the Patsy Cline hit “Crazy,” before signing his first record deal in 1961. He was 28 years old. He had a string of Top 40 country hits throughout the decade, but a No. 1 smash still eluded him.
Musical renegade:
The singer’s fortunes changed after moving to Austin, Texas, in the early ’70 s and embracing the outlaw country of contemporaries such as Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. Landmark albums followed, such as “Red Headed Stranger” (1975) and “Stardust”
(1978).
Overcoming obstacles:
Despite problems with the IRS and a few altercations with law enforcement for marijuana possession, Nelson continues to thrive as a recording artist and in-demand live act. He is currently on the road for a summer tour with Old Crow Medicine Show.
Willie & friends:
Nelson has recorded his share of collaborations, including the albums “Waylon & Willie” (1978) with Waylon Jennings, “Pancho & Lefty” (1983) with Merle Haggard and “Two Men With the Blues” (20 0 8) with jazz musician Wynton Marsalis. He hit the top 5 on the pop singles chart in 1984 with a duet with Julio Iglesias, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.”
Django & Jimmie:
Nelson and Haggard collaborated again on the new album, “Django & Jimmie,” which was released on June 2. The longtime friends deliver a powerful collection of songs about childhood heroes, mortality, lost friends and faith.
In the mid1980 s, Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young created a fundraising concert to benefit American farmers. Farm Aid celebrates its 30 th anniversary in Chicago on Sept. 18 with performances by the founders along with Dave Matthews, Mavis Staples and others.
Farm Aid: