Willie Nelson: a singer, songwriter, guitar player and actor. An outlaw and a political activist. A man who has not just played at the White House but smoked a joint on the roof of the building after the show. He is, if nothing else, an American original. Born in a small town outside Dallas, he developed a sound that combined honky-tonk, blues, soul, jazz and rock ’n’ roll. "If America could sing with one voice," Emmylou Harris once said, "it would be Willie’s." In words and photos, this is his story.
WHY WE LOVE WILLIE NELSON • He’s truly one of a kind
1 THE EARLY YEARS • IT TOOK WILLIE NELSON A LONG WHILE TO BECOME AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION
2 OUTLAW COUNTRY • TO MAKE IT AS A PERFORMER, WILLIE PIONEERED HIS OWN STYLE OF COUNTRY MUSIC
3 CLASSIC WILLIE • A FEW OF HIS MOST MEMORABLE SONGS
4 MUST-HAVE ALBUMS • A FEW OF WILLIE’S FINEST
5 TROUBLES & WOE • WILLIE’S CAREER TOOK TIME TO SETTLE, AND SO DID HIS PERSONAL LIFE
6 HIS HIGHNESS • WILLIE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOUD AND PROUD WEED ADVOCATE
7 ROOTS RUN DEEP • THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE AMERICAN FARMER IS A CAUSE CLOSE TO WILLIE’S HEART
8 A LIVING LEGACY • THE HONORS AND MILESTONES KEEP COMING—AND SO DOES THE MUSIC
Willie Nelson
PHOTO CREDITS