Willie NELSON

Family tree of Willie NELSON

Singer & Musician

AmericanBorn Willie Hugh NELSON

American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor and activist

Born on April 30, 1933 in Abbott, Texas, USA , United States (90 years)

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Nelson was born and raised in Abbott, Texas, the son of Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson, a mechanic and pool hall owner. His mother left six months after his birth; his father, a few years later.



His grandparents William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth Smothers, whom he and his sister Bobbie called "Daddy" and "Mama," gave him mail-order music lessons starting at age six. He wrote his first song when he was seven and was playing in a local band at age nine. Willie played the guitar, while his sister Bobbie played the piano. He met Bud Fletcher, a fiddler, and two siblings joined his band, Bohemian Fiddlers, while Nelson was in high school. While he was in high school he took part in the Future Farmers of America organization.

...   Nelson was born and raised in Abbott, Texas, the son of Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson, a mechanic and pool hall owner. His mother left six months after his birth; his father, a few years later.



His grandparents William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth Smothers, whom he and his sister Bobbie called "Daddy" and "Mama," gave him mail-order music lessons starting at age six. He wrote his first song when he was seven and was playing in a local band at age nine. Willie played the guitar, while his sister Bobbie played the piano. He met Bud Fletcher, a fiddler, and two siblings joined his band, Bohemian Fiddlers, while Nelson was in high school. While he was in high school he took part in the Future Farmers of America organization.



Beginning in high school Nelson worked as a disc jockey (DJ) for local radio stations. He had short DJ stints with KHBR in Hillsboro, Texas, and later with KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas, while singing locally in honky tonk bars.



Nelson graduated from Abbott High School in 1951. He joined the Air Force the same year but was discharged after nine months due to back problems. He then studied agriculture at Baylor University for one year in 1954.



In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, to begin a musical career, recording "Lumberjack," which was written by Leon Payne. The single sold fairly well, but did not establish a career. Nelson continued to work as a radio announcer in Vancouver and sing in clubs. He sold a song called "Family Bible" for $50; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, has been covered widely and is often considered a gospel music classic.



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Geographical origins

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