Biographic - Sunday January 26, 2020 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

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Born in Abbott, Texas, on April 29, 1933, Willie Nelson wrote his first song at the age of 7 and joined his first band at the age of 10. During the summer, his family picked cotton, but Willie earned money by performing in taverns dance halls and Honky Tonks. In High School, he excelled at Football, Baseball, and Basketball while continuing to play in a band. After leaving school, he worked a number of menial jobs, spent a few months in the Air Force and studied agriculture in college before dropping out to concentrate on a music career. From Texas to California, Oregon, Washington and Missouri, he pursued his dream. Augmenting his meager earnings as musician and disc jockey by working at everything from dishwasher to selling bibles and vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Money was so tight that he sold the rights to his composition "Family Bible" for just $50. He began to make headway after settling his Nashville, when his songs became big hits for other artists, such as Patsy Cline with "Crazy" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" sung by Billy Walker. In 1964, he signed a record contract worth $10,000 a year. In the 1970s, he turned to outlaw country, charting with such albums as "Shotgun Willie" and "Red Headed Stranger" The 1980s, saw hit versions of "You Were Always On My Mind" "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" and "On the Road Again" and his membership in platinum-selling supergroup The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Krostofferson. In the 1990s, his assets were seized by the IRS, and it took an auction and a double album to clear his significant debt. He has appeared in more than 30 movies, has co-authored several books and is a committed activist on numerous social, political and environmental issues. Plagued by breathing problems for some time. Willie recently confirmed that he has quit smoking. He continues to record and tour with concert dates scheduled throughout 2020.

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