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Willie Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American guitarist and country singer, originally from Abbott, Texas. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, though he had already become famous as a 1960s songwriter.
Nelson and his sister, Bobbie , were raised by their grandparents after their father died and their mother ran away. Willie played the guitar, while Bobbie played the piano. She met Bud Fletcher , a fiddler, and both siblings joined his band while Willie was in high school.
After graduation, Nelson joined the Air Force, but left due to back problems. Eventually, he became a DJ at a country radio station in Fort Worth, Texas, while singing locally in honky tonkHonky tonk was originally the name of a type of bar common throughout the southern United States, also Honkatonk or Honkey-tonk . Honky tonks were also known as Tonks or Tunks . These were usually establishments selling alcohol to a working-class clientel bars. In 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in, Nelson moved to Vancouver, WashingtonNot to be confused with the much larger Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver, Washington is a city on the north shore of the Columbia River, in the state of Washington, USA. It is the county seat of Clark County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a tot to begin a musical career by recording "Lumberjack" by Leon Payne . The single sold respectably but did not establish a career. Nelson continued to DJ and sing in clubs, and sold a song called "Family Bible" for fifty dollars; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, has been coverIn pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. Pop musicians may play covers as a tribute to the original performer or group, to win audiences who like to hear a familiar song, to increase their chance of success by using aed widely, and is often considered a gospel musicGospel music combines Christian religious lyrics with melody and rhythm that developed in tandem with early blues and jazz. Modern gospel artists have also incorporated elements from soul music, which originally arose as a secular form of gospel. Gospel m classic.
Nelson moved to Nashville, TennesseeFor other cities named Nashville, see Nashville (disambiguation). Nashville is the capital city of Tennessee, a state of the United States of America. Nashville is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County. Nicknamed "Music City, U. it is the hom but was unable to land a record labelA record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. The name derives from the paper label contract. He did, however, receive a publishing contract at Pamper Music . After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life" (reputedly the most covered country song of all time), Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bassist. While playing with Ray Price & the Cherokee Cowboys, many of Nelson's songs became hits. "Funny How Time Slips Away" ( Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" ( Faron Young ), "Pretty Paper" ( Roy Orbison) and, most famously, "Crazy" ( Patsy Cline) became popular songs in the 1960s. Nelson signed with Liberty Records in 1961 and released several singles, including the hits "Willingly" (with his wife, Shirley Collie) and "Touch Me". He was unable to keep his momentum going, though, and Nelson's career ground to a halt. Demo recordings from his years as a songwriter for Pamper Music were later discovered and released as Crazy: The Demo Sessions ( 2003). His personal life during this period was also colorful, to say the least. His alcoholism, failed day jobs, and penchant for carrying guns got him in trouble with the law and his wife a number of times.