Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson born April 30 1933 is an American country singersongwriter author poet actor and activist Nelson was one of the main figures of the Outlaw Movement a subgenre of Country music that developed between the end of 1960s and early 1980s The critical success of the albums Shotgun Willie Phases and Stages and the commercial success of Red Headed Stranger made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music Nelson is also recognized for his contributions to charity he is the president and one of the founding members of Farm Aid charity concert and his activism for the legalization of marijuana and for the use of biofuels Nelson started studying music from mail order material that his grandparents gave him He wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at nine During high school he toured locally with the Bohemian Fiddlers as their lead singer and guitar player After graduating from high school in 1950 he joined the Air Force However he was discharged due to back problems After his return Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music During this time he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks Nelson moved to Vancouver Washington where he wrote Family Bible and recorded the song Lumberjack in 1956 In 1960 he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Prices band as a bassist During that time he wrote songs that would become country standards including Funny How Time Slips Away Hello Walls Pretty Paper and Crazy In 1962 he recorded his first album And Then I Wrote Due to this success Nelson signed in 1965 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry Nelson is a major liberal activist and the cochair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws which is in favor of marijuana legalization On the environmental front Nelson owns the biodiesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel which is made from vegetable oil He is the cofounder and president of Farm Aid and has been contributing to the benefit concert series since the first event in 1985 organizing concerts and performing with other prominent artists Nelson is also the Honorary Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Texas Music Project the official music charity of the state of Texas Description above from the Wikipedia article Willie Nelson licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia