RARE " Shotgun Willie " Willie Nelson Signed Kids Picture Guitar Todd Mueller
Item History & Price
Reference Number: Avaluer:8178402 |
WillieHugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is anAmerican singer, songwriter, musician, actor, producer, author, poet, andactivist. The critical success of the album ShotgunWillie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial successof Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), madeNelson o...ne of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of themain figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country musicthat developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictionsof the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the useof biofuelsand the legalization of marijuana. Born during theGreat Depression and raised by hisgrandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his firstband at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka astheir lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due toback problems. After his return, Nelson attended BaylorUniversity for two years but dropped out because he was succeedingin music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockeyin Texasradio stations and a singer in honky-tonks.Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote"Family Bible" and recorded the song"Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at variousradio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records.He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a diskjockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed apublishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, herecorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand OleOpry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s andthe early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas.The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters. In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlawcountry, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases andStages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded thecritically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, herecorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with WaylonJennings, Jessi Colter, and TompallGlaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hitsongs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along withfellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. In 1990, Nelson's assetswere seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimedthat he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debtwas aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy MyMemories?; the profits of the double album—destined to theIRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year.Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk. Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed byother appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and theco-chair of the advisory board of the NationalOrganization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is infavor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns thebio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is madefrom vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory boardof the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.