Willie Nelson Biography

Fast Facts

• Was raised by his paternal grandparents during the Great Depression; his grandfather bought him his first guitar when he was 9 and taught him to play
• Got his first paying job as a musician when he was in sixth grade and was invited to join the polka group John Raycheck Band, which performed at local bars and fairs
• Served in the U
• S
• Air Force for nine months after high school until a back injury resulted in him being honorably discharged
• Was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973
• Was named Entertainer of the Year in 1979 by the Country Music Association
• Organized the first Farm Aid benefit concert in 1985
• The IRS seized all his possessions in 1991 for nonpayment of $16
• 7 million in back taxes; he has since settled the debt
• Was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993
• Cofounded Willie Nelson's Biodeisel, which markets truck fuel made from vegetable oil
• Has cowritten several books, including Willie: An Autobiography with Bud Shrake, and The Tao of Willie with Turk Pipkin