Nelson, Willie (1933– )

US country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first made an impact in the mid-1970s as a pioneer of the Texas ‘outlaw’ school of country music that rejected string overdubs, suits, and surface gloss. His albums include Shotgun Willie (1973), Always On My Mind (1982), and Across the Borderline (1993). He also had many joint successes with Waylon Jennings (1937– ), including ‘Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys’ (1978).

Nelson first recorded in 1962 but had already written hits for others (‘Funny (How Time Slips Away)’, ‘Hello Walls’). Disillusioned with the Nashville country-music establishment, he returned to his native Texas in 1971 and spearheaded, with Waylon Jennings, the ‘outlaw’ style. A resultant LP featuring Nelson, Jennings, and two others, Wanted: The Outlaws (1976), became popular with a rock audience and was the first country album to sell more than a million copies. His first crossover hit came with ‘Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain’ (1975). He has also written music for many films, for example Electric Horseman (1979).

He won several Grammy Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.