willie nelson tour 1975

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Brief History | Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic 1973 – 2018

A brief history of willie nelson's 4th of july picnic year by year | 1973 - 2018.

The festivals are listed in order by year and each date has a bit of history, picture of memorabilia or concert poster, and information regarding that certain year.

Picnic Posters, Pictures & Memorabilia

Willie nelson's july 4th picnic 2018, 1973   -  dripping springs, tx .

Venue:   Hurlbt Ranch

The birth of an iconic festival happened in Dripping Springs on the year of 1973!  In 1972 , Willie was on the lineup bill for the Dripping Springs Reunion, and fortunate for the Willie fans, the reunion did not meet expectations due to poor attendance.  Nelson was interested in this concept and in 1973, he decided to host the first annual Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic in the same place, only this time,  Willie brought  over 40,000 hippies and rednecks.  The Picnic lost money, but launched a Texas tradition.

The lineup was:  Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, Loretta Lynn, Hank Snow, Tex Ritter, Bill Monroe.

"It was miserable and it was great, one of the glorious heathen stomps between the Americas of J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy and Ronald Reagan. Many had come the evening before and spent the night passing stories and hits around campfires."  -  Billy Porterfield, Austin Statesman

1974   -  College Station, TX

Venue:   Texas World Speedway

Over the years, we've heard more about two specific Willie Picnics; 1976 in Gonzales, TX and the fiery 4th of July down in College Station, TX.  Some 25,000 concert goers enjoyed 3 days of Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Kinky Friedman and Townes Van Zandt.  That might be the only time Jimmy Buffett has performed at Willie's Picnic.

Legend has it that Robert Earl Keen was attending the festival as a concert goer that year when his car caught fire in the parking lot.  He talks about it on his live album, "No. 2 Live Dinner" in the song, " The Road Goes On Forever (Intro) ."  [ view below ]

Sounds like there could be a movie made out of this concert!  Who wouldn't want to see a young '70s, college student, Robert Keen.  Who would play REK?

1974 Picnic Quotes

Pointed out by Austin360 , Texas Monthly's William Martin had these describing words:

" picking one's way through a crowd of 25,000 people, sitting or lying next to one another like stricken pilgrims at the Ganges, is a delicate maneuver at best" " As they jiggled and swayed bare-breasted through several long numbers, the plight of the fifth girl became apparent and poignant.  Less abundantly blessed than her sisters ... she could not disrobe without revealing less than she cared to" " By late afternoon the combination of sun, alcohol and drugs had taken a terrible toll ... hundreds slumped around in a red-eyed stupor as if the life had gone out of them" " Waylon Jennings got a good reception with his hard-driving music about men that represent poor marital risks

1975   -  Liberty Hill, TX

The 3rd annual Willie's Picnic drew in the largest crowd of over 70,000 picnic fans .  What a shock that must have been for the rural town Liberty Hill, TX, as today, they only have a population of around 1,000.  The attendance record would be beaten the following year. 

Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Rita Coolidge and Pointer Sisters shared the stage on July 4th.

A quote from a Williamson County deputy sheriff, you can tell how great the festival must have been:

"If we had arrested all the naked and drunk people I saw, we'd have filled our jail and yours and all of the jails from here to Dallas,"

Legend has it that Willie was fined $1000 for violating the Texas Mass Gatherings Act.

1976   -  Gonzales, TX

The legend of '76 is one we will never fully know in detail!  If you were not there you have probably heard the stories of what took place and if you did attend, you probably can't repeat most of them.  

After being fined $1,000 for violating the Texas Mass Gatherings Act with 70,000 people in '75, he drew an even larger crowd of 80,000 in Gonzales in '76.  No indication of another ticket was issued!

I've heard that David Allan Coe pulled out his ole six-shooter and shot holes through the tarp that was protecting the stage from all the rain.  Some people remember seeing many people working on their "full body tan."

The town of Gonzales took more of a liberal  approach according to deputy sheriff, Don Kincaid, " If an officer sees someone smoking a marijuana cigarette, he won't arrest him ",  " But if someone is making a sale or has heroin, he or she will be taken in. "  Liberal or they just didn't have the man power to arrest everyone.

Estimated attendance in the upwards of 80,000.

The rambunctious festival of '76 could have been in part from such a power packed lineup.  Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson, Ernest Tubb, Roger Miller, Jerry Jeff Walker, Leon Russell, Ray Wiley Hubbard, George Jones and more.

1977   -  Tulsa, Oklahoma

The festival was moved out of state to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  There was more than 50,000 concert goers.  

Fact:   Willie actually performed his picnic on July 3rd with guys like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon, Jerry Jeff, Leon Russel and Asleep at the Wheel.

Willie's Picnic in Pictures (History)

View them all by clicking here.

1978   -  Kansas City, Missouri

Venue:  Arrowhead Stadium

The 1978 festival was held on July 1st and featured artists like Grateful Dead, Jessie Colter, Jerry Jeff Walker and of course, Waylon Jennings.

According to Austin360.com , "The traditional Picnic was still cooling its heels when Willie suggested having one at the Opry House to manager Tim O'Connor, and it proved to be a welcome respite from the heat and lawsuits.  A few days earlier in Dallas, 25,000 didn't quite pack the Cotton Bowl ... and Willie admitted it just wasn't the same: "It's too controlled," he told the Washington Post. "I liked it better when it was out in the pasture."

1979   -  Austin, TX

Venue:   Pedernales Country Club

Withe the newest purchase of the "Briarcliff Yacht and Golf Club", or better known now as, "Pedernales Country Club", Willie Nelson hosted the Fourth of July Picnic back in the great state of Texas!  [Read more about Pedernales Club below]

Estimates of around 25,000 people attended the picnic that year.  Not to terrible for a hot, summer Wednesday in Texas.

Johnny Paycheck and Ernest Tubb joined Willie in Austin to throw a so-called "House Warming Party"  at the Pedernales Country Club!

1980   -  Austin, TX

This year, Ray Price and Faron Young headlined the festival alongside Willie.  Held once again at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Country Club.

Willie would later run into legal troubles with the IRS.  Read how it was seized and re-purchased by Nelson below.

Head on over to our friends, StillIsStillMoving.com for more great Willie Nelson news, history and more.

Pedernales Country Club History

Designed back in 1968 by Frank Howard, the once Briarcliff Yacht and Golf Club was a nine-hole golf course.  In 1977 Willie Nelson purchased the bankrupt course for $250,000.

In 1985, Willie Nelson designed a recording studio on the property and this is where Merle Haggard and Willie recorded the album, " Pancho and Lefty ."

In 1991, the IRS and Willie were not seeing eye-to-eye and they seized up by the government.  After a year of troubles, Willie had once again bought back the Pedernales Country Club.  Only this time, it was for a whopping $470,000.  Willie still owns the property today.

1981   -  No Picnic Recorded

1982   -  no picnic recorded, 1983   -  atlanta georgia.

Venue:   Atlanta International Raceway

1984   -  Austin, TX

Venue:   Southpark Meadows

After a 3-year stint out of Texas, Willie Nelson and friends like Johnny Rodriguez, Moe Bandy and Joe Ely played the 1984 picnic in Austin, Texas.

Legend has it, there was about 18,000 people that attended and unlike in Gonzales, nearly a decade ago, there were only 27 arrests, according to concert goers!

1985   -  Austin, TX

Venue:  Southpark Meadows

The number of arrests continued to fall as the number was reported to be under 12.  

From Austin360.com ,  "Drive into South Austin today and pull into the Southpark Meadows shopping complex off Interstate 35. Park on the south side of Jason's Deli, facing west, and look toward the parking lot in front of the Hobby Lobby. If you had been here in 1985, you would have gazing up at the Highwaymen: Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson and Johnny Cash .

You also would have been very wet. Heavy rains made the concert venue a mud pit, closed the parking lot (cars had to park along I-35) and limited attendance to about 12,000 picnickers. It might have been the coolest Picnic – and not just because Cash made his first appearance: The high temperature in Austin hit 79 degrees .

1986   -  Manor, TX

Although the second annual " Farm Aid II " wasn't called "Willie's Picnic," he still gave his fans of Texas something to cheer for. 

The Farm Aid concert included acts like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Beach Boys, Bon Jovi, Joe Walsh, Tom Petty, and much more.  90 total bands actually!

Farm Aid II was held at the Manor Downs Racetrack.  It is estimated that over 40,000 people attended!

1987   -  Hillsboro, TX

Venue:  Carl's Corner

Reports say that when Willie moved the Fourth of July festival to Hillsboro, he figured that he was making it easier on the folk of Dallas to attend.  The estimated attendance was underwhelming but still brought in nearly 10,000 people!

Jackie King and Roger Miller, Bruce Hornsby seranaded the small crowd alongside Willie!

1988   -  No Picnic Recorded

1989   -  no picnic recorded, 1990   -  austin, tx.

Venue:  Zilker Park

After a hiatus, Willie returned to the city that had been so good to him for years, Austin.  This time, the  Fourth Festival was seen more as a Family-Freindly Event that brought roughly, 15,000 people to Zilker Park.

The guys on stage:   Highwaymen: Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson and Johnny Cash, Shelby Lynne and Little Joe!

Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over 350 acres of publicly owned land.

1991   -  No Picnic Recorded

1992   -  no picnic recorded, 1993   -  no picnic recorded, 1994   -  no picnic recorded, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999   -  the years of luckenbach.

The legendary, Luckenbach, TX...  The once trading post that catered to Comanchi Indians and pioneer

farmers and the same town that had once been placed in the local newspaper as "TOWN FOR SALE", was home to Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic through the years of 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Luckenbach being small and desolute as it is, had it's share of country music legends come through its gates before Willie started celebrating July 4th.  In 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker went to Luckenbach and recorded an album, " Viva Terlingua. "

Other notable songs that were produced under the 500 year oak trees were Gary P. Nunn’s, “ London Homesick Blues ”; Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “ Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother ”; Guy Clark’s, “ Desperadoes Waiting for A Train ” and “ Sangria Wine ”.  And of course, the world-known hit by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, " Luckenbach Texas. "

Notable Acts throughout the years in Luckenbach included: Other notable songs that were produced under the 500 year oak trees were Gary P. Nunn’s, “ London Homesick Blues ”; Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “ Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother ”; Guy Clark’s, “ Desperadoes Waiting for A Train ” and “ Sangria Wine ”.  And of course, the world-known hit by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, " Luckenbach Texas . "

Notable Acts throughout the years in Luckenbach included:

1995:   Robert Earl Keen, T. Bingo 1996:   Asleep at the Wheel, Waylon Jennings, Souvenirs, Billy Joe Shaver 1997:   Dwight Yoakam, Joe Ely 1998:   Emmylou Harris, Toni Price, Derek O'Brien and Asleep at the Wheel 1999:   Larry Gatlin and Pat Green

Luckenbach History

From luckenbachtexas.com :  "The legendary Dancehall still hosts monthly dances by some of the best Texas musicians going, many of whom were toddlers when Viva Terlingua and “Luckenbach Texas” became hits.  Texas minstrels such as Pat Green , Gary P. Nunn , Ray Wylie Hubbard , Billy Joe Shaver and their audiences come to partake of the timeless ambiance, the cold beer, and the increasingly rare sense of being in the center of the known universe, a place where everybody is truly somebody.  Many of the Luckenbach faithful celebrate the music, magic & memories of times they’ve spent in Luckenbach by returning for special occasions."

Read the history of Luckenbach on luckenbachtexas.com

Willie's Picnic Memorabilia

2000   -  Austin, TX

Estimated attendance:  11,000    

2001   -  Luckenbach, TX  ( Cancelled )

Willie was quoted saying this: "I've never been off on the Fourth, ever in my life".

What did it mean for the town of Luckenbach?  The mayor, VelAnne Howle, had this to say, "We're really bummed. But we've been here (153 years), and we'll still be here when Willie decides to throw another one."

The lineup  was going to include Ray Price, Pat Green, Leon Russell, Cory Morrow and David Allen Coe.    

2002   -  No Picnic Recorded

2003   -  spicewood, tx.

Venue:  Two River Canyon Amphitheater

Other than the traffic jam problem,  more than 22,000 people came out to this two-day festival at the beautiful Two River Canyon Amphitheater just outside of Spicewood, TX.

The star-studded lineup included:  Toby Keith, Pat Green, Neil Young, Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, Patty Griffin and more.

When Tim O'Connor told the Statesman about the picnic, he had this to say:

"A woman called and said Willie told her that her band could play. This was less than two weeks before the Fourth. But I called Willie and he confirmed it, so she's on the bill. That's the Picnic for you,"

2004   -  Fort Worth, TX

Venue:  Billy Bob's Texas

The lineup included acts like: Kris Kristofferson, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Clarence Brown.

A picnic goer had this to say,

"It was naked hippies last year. This is drunk rednecks,"

2005   -  Fort Worth, TX

The festival returned to the North Forty and the Ft. Worth Stockyards once again that drew nearly 18,000 concert goers!  This year Bob Dylan was one of the main attractions for the festival!

The lineup included acts like:  Bob Dylan, Doobie Brothers, Lightnin' Willie & the Poorboys and Pauline Reese.

The once "outlaw" behavior seen in the past had looked played out as one Fort Worth police officer said, "There hadn't been a single arrest", he continued, "we haven't even escorted anyone out."

2006   -  Fort Worth, TX

Step aside legends, there are new guys in town!  This festival had a few new faces on the bill and most of them offspring of the legendary outlaws!  Paula Nelson and Folk Uke (Paula & Raeylnn Nelson), Noel Haggard (Merle's son), Shooter Jennings (son of Waylon) and even Lucas Hubbard (son of Ray Wylie Hubbard).

With the festival landing on a Tuesday, the crowds they had gotten in 2004 & 2005 were not the same in 2006.  Estimated that only 12,000 people showed up to the North Forty in Fort Worth!

The lineup included acts like:  Paula Nelson, Noel Haggard, Shooter Jennings, Lucas Hubbard, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Folk Uke.

2007   -  George, Washington

Venue:  Gorge Amphitheater

According to Austin360.com , David Letterman is to blame for driving Willie out of Texas this year.  Letterman invited Willie and some others to join them on his ranch in Montana for this festival!

The lineup included acts like:  Son Volt, Old 97s, Drive-By Truckers and 40 Points.

2008   -  Selma, TX

Venue:  Sam Houston Race Park

The lineup included acts like:  Ray Price, Paula Nelson, David Allan Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Los Lonely Boys and Del Castillo.

2009   -  No Picnic Recorded

But we did find this concert poster!

2010   -  Bee Cave, TX

Venue:  The Backyard at Bee Cave 

The picnic returned after a year of absence and this time it was at the brand-new Backyard at Bee Cave, just outside of Austin.  With over 7,500 attendees, the picnic was another legendary one!  I can remember the Willie chants starting around 10pm and we packed it in around 11pm.  Rumor has it that Willie didn't come on stage until after midnight, leaving concert goers wondering what the man could have been doing on his tour bus!

The lineup included acts like:  Tim O'Connor, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kris Kristofferson, The Reflectacles, Jamey Johnson and Jack Ingram.

2011   -  Fort Worth, TX

Willie's Picnic had once again returned to the Fort Worth area with an estimated crowd size of 6,000 people.

The lineup included acts like:  Country Throwdown, Billy Joe Shaver and David Allan Coe.

2012   -  Fort Worth, TX

The concert has seen diminishing numbers in attendance as this year, only around 4,000 people showed up for this festival!  The lineup probably did not help the cause as the usual "legends" were not listed!

The lineup included acts like:  Asleep at the Wheel, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Price and Johnny Bush.

2013   -  Fort Worth, TX

The 40th anniversary of Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic did not disappoint as more than 10,000 people packed Billy Bob's Texas and the fields of Fort Worth's North Forty.  This year, bringing a power-packed lineup as listed below.

The lineup included acts like:  Asleep at the Wheel, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jamey Johnson and Paula Nelson.

2014   -  Fort Worth, TX

Another year, another festival!

The lineup included acts like:  Ryan Bingham, Dierks Bentley, Johnny Bush, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Josh Abbott Band and Willie's musical children!

Concert Poster 2011

Concert Poster 2012

Circuit of The Americas - Austin, TX | 2015-2018

Venue:  Circuit of The Americas

Years: 2015 , 2016 , 2017 , 2018

Willie Nelson seems to like the atmosphere at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX.  He has been holding his festival here for 4 years and counting.  

The Circuit of The Americas is primarily known for its world-class motorsport events like Formula 1 and MotoGP, the venue has also played home for other events such as, the X Games, Austin360 Amphitheater, RedFest and more.

The venue seems to be the perfect layout for a music festival as they already host several in the Austin360 Amphitheater that is beautifully designed with flawless sound.  For Willie's Picnic, they set up an extra stage about 300-400 yards away and the lineup is always staggered in a way that no one-band will play over the sound of another.  

The large and steady attendance during 2015, 2016 and 2017 years at The Circuit of The Americas could be in large part due to the powerful lineups they brought with them.  With legendary acts on the bill such as the official S.O.B. of Texas himself, David Allan Coe , and you better believe the other two outlaw bandits, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard were there.  ( Merle's last performance here was in 2015.)   The other usual suspects need no introduction, Mr. Billy Joe Shaver and Ray Wylie Hubbard .  And of course the family bands of Willie Nelson. 

Nelson's Children's Bands

• Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real
• Folk Uke (Amy Nelson)
• Paula Nelson Band
• Raelynn Nelson Band
• Insects vs. Robots (Micah Nelson)

[Check out ' The Bands of Willie's Kids "]  

But somebody realized the way to attract more people is to offer a younger lineup to the picnic.  Some of these acts were on the up-rise and some where just more mainstream at the time.  These folks include: Kacey Musgraves, Turnpike Troubadours, Hayes Carll, Sheryl Crow, Brantley Gilbert, Eric Church, Lee Ann Womack, Shakey Graves, Ryan Bingham, Jamey Johnson and more.

Lineups over the Year:

2015 Lineup included acts like:  Eric Church, Merle Haggard, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Asleep at the Wheel, Sturgill Simpson, Leon Russell, Chris Stapleton, Billy Joe Shaver, Johnny Bush, Kris Kristofferson, David Allan Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Paual Nelson, Raelyn Nelson, Folk Uke, and more.

2016 Lineup:   Brantley Gilbert, Jamey Johnson, Allison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lee Ann Womack, Shakey Graves, Leon Russell, Cody Johnson, Margo Price, Jamestown Revival, Shaver, Hubbard, David Coe, Dallas Wayne and more.

In 2016, Jamey Johnson and Allison Krauss lit up the stage with wonderful performances and Krauss and Johnson memorized the crowd as the two sang "This Land is Our Land". Also, the Outlaw DJ, Dallas Wayne strummed his guitar and played emcee for the hilarious folk music duo, Folk Uke. 

2017 Lineup included acts like:  Kacey Musgraves, Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle, Margo Price, Asleep at the Wheel, Turnpike Troubadours, Hayes Carll, Sheryl Crow, Willie's Family and more.

In our opionon, Lukas Nelson stole the show in 2017 when he sang a song during his set titled, " Forget About Georgia ".  If you haven't heard him sing and cry over the guitar licks, do yourself a favor and listen to it here.  His guitar skills and vocals have nearly matched that of a younger Willie Nelson.   Later in the night, after the fireworks,  Lukas joined his dad on stage and the two traded guitar rifts to Stevie Vaughan's, "Texas Flood" for what seemed to be hours.

2018 has all the potential to be one of the greatest as we come closer to the end of a legendary music festival.  2018 will mark the 45th anniversary of Willie's Picnic.  

2018 Lineup:   Sturgill Simpson, The Head and The Heart, Ryan Bingham, Edi Brickell & New Bohemians, Maro Price, Jamestown Revival, The Wild Feathers, Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Wylie Hubbard, David Allan Coe, Billy Joe Shaver and more.

Quotes & Information Credits

A special thanks to Austin360.com for their sources and continued great coverage of the legendary Willie Nelson. Another thanks to StillIsStillMoving.com , another great Willie site that you should check out! Check out our friends of the TSHA ( Texas State Historical Association ).  You can check out their new e-book titled, " Texas: A Musical Journey. "  The e-book takes you down a path how Texas got her sound.  You can download it for free today!

Photo Credits

Martha Hannah 'Out Loud' Austin360.com Scott Newton Photos Music.Blog.Austin360.com

Written by:   Cody Box

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2 Responses

From above: “1983 – Atlanta Georgia Venue: Atlanta International Raceway”

Incorrect. The 4th of July picnic in 1983 was at the Meadowlands (Giants Stadium) in East Rutherford, NJ. I was there, and still have the t-shirt.

Hi Molly, thanks so much for pointing that out! There were some mystery years when I was looking back through the years. I hope it was an incredible evnet. Thanks, again, I’ll get that fixed!

ARTS & CULTURE

Now 90 years old, willie nelson is always on our mind.

A look back at the life of the country music rebel, superstar, and elder statesman who is back on the road, again

Jason Mellard, The Conversation

Willie Nelson’s unofficial theme song, “ On the Road Again ,” remains accurate as he turns 90. The country music legend, who celebrated his birthday this past Saturday, is on tour , with dates scheduled into October.

Assessing Nelson’s legacy is challenging, because there are so many Willies to assess. There is historical Willie Nelson, child of the Depression. There is iconic Willie Nelson, near-embodiment of Texas myth. There is outlaw Willie Nelson, revolutionizing the country music industry. There is activist Willie Nelson, Farm Aid’s co-founder and biofuel pioneer. There is Willie Nelson the songwriter of rare and poignant gifts, and more Willie Nelsons yet to be named.

As a Texas music historian , I find that Nelson’s legacy also challenges appraisal because the concept assumes closure, a pastness, while the man at 90 still seems to be active everywhere. The LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas recently announced the Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities . Nelson headlined a star-studded tribute concert weekend in honor of his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29 and 30. And the country outlaw is a current nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame .

While Nelson’s story is vast, it can be distilled down to this: He sprang from the Texas cotton fields and earned his spurs in the state’s dance halls before becoming one of Nashville’s signature songwriters in the 1960s. He then returned to Texas a prodigal son, fostering Austin’s musical ascent and, as the story goes, brokering a peace between the warring rednecks and hippies. He redefined country music’s image and industry through the outlaw revolt of the 1970s. He catapulted to pop stardom in the 1980s but always went out on the road making music with his friends, night after night.

From Texas to Nashville and back Born on April 29, 1933, in a small town between Waco and Dallas, Nelson and his sister, Bobbie , took to music at a young age. Nelson joined his first band at 10 and was a songwriter by 12. We know this in part from a curious artifact in the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. Nelson’s first songbook has all the doodles of a child’s arts and crafts project. The songs inside, though—“Hangover Blues,” “Faded Love and Wasted Dream,” “I Guess I Was Born to Be Blue”—speak to honky-tonk themes far beyond Nelson’s years. He spent the next years chasing the life in those songs, hitting the road as an itinerant performer. Like most aspiring country artists, Nelson ended up in Nashville. In 1961, he joined Ray Price ’s band, the Cherokee Cowboys . Price had been a roommate of Hank Williams Sr.’s, and the Cherokee Cowboys built on Williams’ legacy, at various times including not just Nelson but also his pals Johnny Bush , Johnny Paycheck and Roger Miller . Nelson moved from success to success as a songwriter, with Price singing “Night Life,” Faron Young singing “Hello Walls” and Patsy Cline singing “Crazy.” He likely would have made it to the Country Music Hall of Fame with this early songwriting alone. He did record, but Nelson’s flamenco guitar, jazzy phrasing and eccentric lyricism did not fit the mold of 1960s Nashville. Facing personal and professional challenges that culminated in his house burning down, Nelson left Tennessee for Texas by decade’s end. There had already been inklings of the countercultural turn that came next. Willie had a soulful cover of the Beatles’ “Yesterday” on a 1966 live album. In 1971, his resonant voice opened Yesterday’s Wine , before any music began, with a New Age declaration: “There is great confusion on Earth,” Nelson mused, “and the power that is has concluded the following: Perfect man has visited Earth already, and his voice was heard; the voice of imperfect man must now be made manifest. And I have been selected as the most likely candidate.” This was not Chet Atkins’ country music . The qualities that made this imperfect man a Nashville outsider transformed him into the most prominent symbol for a new cosmic cowboy style that was coming together in Austin venues like the Armadillo World Headquarters and events like Nelson’s own annual Fourth of July Picnic , which is scheduled for its 50th anniversary this July 4. Willie Nelson’s classic band came into shape while gigging in Texas with sister Bobbie on piano, Mickey Raphael on harmonica, Bee Spears on bass, Jody Payne on guitar and Paul English on drums. They were a family band—in the country sense, like the Carter Family —but also in the hippie sense, a roving carnival akin to Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters . The group’s sound mixed traditional country with the improvisations of psychedelia and jazz. You can hear the crackling combination in live performances from the period , including the pilot episode of the long-running PBS television program “ Austin City Limits .”

Rise of the outlaws.

Nelson’s albums from the 1970s blazed new paths for country music. Nelson secured complete creative control for his album Red-Headed Stranger , released in 1975, and its success struck a blow in support of artists’ independence from the constraints of the country music industry in Nashville, a rebellion that took further root with Wanted! The Outlaws the following year. That album—a collaboration with Tompall Glaser , Jessi Colter and frequent partner Waylon Jennings —named a movement.

Nelson’s band performed on the pilot episode of “Austin City Limits” on October 17, 1974.

Outlaw country was in part a marketing move for country artists who wore their hair long, leaned into rock’s grit or wore biker leather. On another level, though, Nelson and Jennings lodged a successful critique of industry practices for country artists who wanted to use their own bands in the studio, have a greater say in the material they recorded and be regarded as serious artists rather than simply the label’s hired help.

The outlaw years took Willie to a new class of stardom. He made films with the likes of Robert Redford and duetted with Julio Iglesias.

There were twists in the path, though. In 1990, the outlaw image turned literal in a high-profile dust-up with the IRS. The loss of his son Billy the next year was a much more harrowing setback. Through it all, he kept on the road, kept recording and stuck with family, community and song.

Advocate and elder statesman

It was, perhaps, these ups and downs that made Nelson a prominent advocate for others.

He held the door open for the sorts of folks who had traditionally had a hard time breaking into country music. He has consistently showcased artists and issues from just outside the bounds of traditional country, from early support for Black artist Charley Pride and benefits for the United Farm Workers in the 1970s to his cover of the gay-themed “ Cowboys are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other ” in 2006. More recently, in a moment when country music’s gatekeepers have not been generous with women artists , Nelson has championed new voices like Kacey Musgraves , Margo Price and Allison Russell .

Nelson has been an elder statesman for a very long time, but he has chosen to stay in the thick of things, even as the wheels on the bus begin to slow. Members of the Family Band that traveled so many miles with him have been exiting the stage of late: Bee Spears died in 2011, Jody Payne in 2013, Paul English in 2020 and sister Bobbie in 2022. Nelson’s sons Lukas and Mikah have often joined the band in the meantime, as has Paul’s brother Billy English.

Things change, seasons pass, but there is continuity, too, in Nelson’s world.

He reminds us that eccentricity is among the most traditional of country music’s verities. In a single concert, the joking wink to mortality of “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” can share the set with a rousing gospel closer, Nelson singing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” or “I’ll Fly Away” as he points skyward, imploring the audience to join in on what he calls “the big finish.”

This article is republished from  The Conversation  under a Creative Commons license. Read the  original article .

Jason Mellard is the director of the Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University

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Willie Nelson’s 30 greatest songs – ranked!

As the 90-year-old country icon releases a new album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, we look back on the outlaw’s best tracks

30. I Don’t Know a Thing About Love (2023)

At 90, Willie Nelson continues to record and tour – it might be a while before his ashes are being rolled between the Rizlas. His 2023 album finds him focusing on the songs of Nashville’s premier songwriter, the late Harlan Howard; this, its title track, is perfect Nelson: wry, reflective and beautifully sung.

29. Bring Me Sunshine (1968)

Originally recorded by the Mills Brothers and best known in the UK as Morecambe and Wise’s theme song, Bring Me Sunshine gave Nelson the last hit of his Nashville era. When he returned to the charts in the mid-1970s, the thriving counterculture of Austin, Texas, had transformed Nelson’s look and sound.

28. Always on My Mind (1982)

A decade after Elvis scored with this bathetic ballad, Nelson took uber-producer Chips Moman’s advice and recorded it. Nelson’s weathered baritone conveys a relatable heartache and he scored the biggest country hit single and album (of the same name) of 1982 while scooping several Grammy and Country Music Association awards.

27. I Am the Forest (1983)

Recovering from collapsed lungs, Nelson wrote the songs for Tougher Than Leather, his first album of original material in eight years. His band (which featured his older sister Bobbie Nelson on piano until her death in 2022) provide beautiful accompaniment on a song that captures Willie’s Texas Zen spirit.

26. On the Road Again (1980)

Honeysuckle Rose gave Nelson his first starring role in a feature film (playing a struggling country singer having an affair), but it’s this song that he wrote for the soundtrack – which encapsulates his desire to live life on a tour bus – that fans remember.

25. Across the Borderline (1993)

Nelson’s album produced by Don Was found him surrounded by famous fans; inevitably with such a project, it’s uneven. Yet Nelson sang the title track, a haunting lament – written by Ry Cooder, John Hiatt and Jim Dickinson for Freddy Fender – about migrants crossing from Mexico to Texas, with such grace that it’s now a modern standard.

24. The Harder They Come (2005)

Countryman, Nelson’s long-gestating reggae-country album (Chris Blackwell initially paired him with Sly & Robbie, to no avail), was generally regarded as a failure. Yet Nelson works wonders here, transforming Jimmy Cliff’s Jamaican outlaw anthem into a stark, sharp outlaw country song powered by snapping guitar and fierce, foreboding percussion.

23. Too Sick to Pray (1996)

If the 1980s found Nelson dominating the charts (don’t mention that Julio Iglesias duet ), the 1990s were more musically adventurous. Spirit is a striking album featuring this fine track on ageing and mortality. His exquisite acoustic picking (on his battered Trigger guitar) reinforces just how gifted Nelson is as a musician.

22. Seven Spanish Angels (1984)

Nelson had long been in awe of Ray Charles when the producer Billy Sherrill paired them to sing this dramatic, mariachi-flavoured gunfighter ballad. Both men rose to the occasion and delivered exceptional vocal performances. A huge hit in the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, this is a stunning recording.

21. God’s Problem Child (2017)

Tony Joe White, Leon Russell and Jamey Johnson join Nelson – who left Nashville for Austin in 1972 – on this atmospheric slice of southern rock. Nelson’s interpretations of Russell’s A Song for You and Gregg Allman’s Midnight Rider demonstrate the shared country and blues roots he and the rockers share.

20. What Is This Thing Called Love (2018)

Nelson’s album My Way is a collection of Frank Sinatra’s hits – Sinatra being the singer who most influenced his vocal style. Here, teamed with his regular duet partner Norah Jones, he cooks up a joyous country-jazz boogie.

19. Immigrant Eyes (2019)

Across the decades, Nelson has recorded several songs by his fellow Texas songwriters and outlaw country poets Billy Joe Shaver and Guy Clark, neither of whom ever enjoyed his mainstream success. This sublime interpretation of Clark’s homage to ancestors who crossed from Europe to Ellis Island is intimate and deeply felt.

18. Bloody Mary Morning (1974)

Disillusioned by Nashville and his lack of success, Nelson briefly left music in 1971 to raise hogs. When he returned, he continued to struggle until Phases and Stages, a concept album reflecting on a couple’s divorce, produced this jaunty, bluegrass-flavoured boogie, his first significant hit of the 1970s.

17. Good Hearted Woman (1976)

Nelson and Waylon Jennings wrote this rousing celebration of their longsuffering wives in 1969, recording it individually. Remixed as a duet for The Outlaws, a compilation RCA threw together that quickly sold more than 1m copies, Good Hearted Woman hit big and helped Nelson and Jennings become American legends.

16. Blue Skies (1978)

Columbia’s executives feared Stardust, interpretations of songs from Nelson’s childhood, would be rejected by fans who wanted the outlaw they knew. But they loved it. Backed by a small combo, Nelson sings the Irving Berlin standard with a wistfulness few before or since have matched. One of his finest vocal performances.

15. Pancho and Lefty (1982)

Nelson’s prodigious output has seen him record duet albums with many of his contemporaries, Bakersfield’s Merle Haggard – a real outlaw, having served time in San Quentin – being a favoured partner. Townes Van Zandt’s ode to weary bandits suited these grizzled singers’ personas and gave Nelson and Haggard a US hit.

14. Shotgun Willie (1973)

With Arif Mardin producing and the Memphis Horns blasting, the title track of Nelson’s debut for Atlantic Records is a raucous celebration of Nelson the “hellbilly” (a term for wild southerners coined by Rob Zombie) – he had recently had a gunfight with a son-in-law. Kris Kristofferson referred to Shotgun Willie as “mind farts” while Nelson later declared it “more clearing my throat”.

13. Willingly (1961)

This duet with Shirley Collie, then soon to be Nelson’s second wife, is a country torch song consisting of little more than aching voices and double bass. Willingly gave Nelson his first US country Top 10 hit (although he would have to wait until 1975’s album Red Headed Stranger to establish himself as a bestselling artist).

12. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1980)

Robert Redford cast Nelson in The Electric Horseman, his first acting job, and he delivered an engaging turn as the wisecracking Wendell. This peach of a ballad became the film’s theme song, appropriately addressing themes of ageing and faded dreams, although Nelson was a youthful 47 when he sang it.

11. Hello Walls (1961)

Faron Young’s version of Nelson’s song of existential dread – a jilted lover addresses the walls, window and ceiling of his room, like a prisoner locked in torment – gave him a career-defining hit in 1961. Nelson has since recorded Hello Walls many times, including as a duet with Young in 1985.

10. Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die (2012)

Nelson is joined here by his old pal Kristofferson and his new pal Snoop Dogg, the trio joyously sharing a wry philosophy on what to do with their ashes. Willie released the song on green vinyl for Record Store Day and named his 2012 memoir after this irreverent celebration of getting blunted.

9. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (1978)

Nelson and Jennings were seen as the Butch and Sundance of outlaw country. The opening track (and biggest hit) of the first (and best) of their three duet albums is a joyous decrying of the outlaws’ wayward lifestyle. Reggie Young’s electric guitar fires things up nicely.

8. Me and Paul (1971)

Nelson’s homage to Paul English (Nelson’s drummer from 1955 until his death in 2020) is a witty, proto-rockabilly bromance about mishaps they endured while touring. English also served as Nelson’s enforcer. “If you’re writing songs about shooting people, it’s nice to have a guy who’s shot people up there on stage with you,” noted English’s son Paul Jr.

7. Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other (2005)

Nelson first demoed Ned Sublette’s ode to gay cowboys in the mid-80s, finally releasing it (“I kept it in the closet,” he joked) in the wake of Brokeback Mountain’s success. A warm, insightful song addressing small-town mores, it won Nelson plaudits – he has long been country music’s most progressive voice – and brickbats.

6. Funny How the Time Slips Away (1961)

Nelson’s bittersweet ballad about encountering a former partner is one of his most covered songs – everyone from Elvis and Al Green to Bryan Ferry and Tina Turner has sung it. Nelson has made several versions – perhaps to do with him having been married four times.

5. Highwayman (1985)

Jimmy Webb’s mythic ode to reincarnation provided not just the name for a country supergroup comprising Nelson, Johnny Cash , Kristofferson and Jennings, but also gave the quartet a giant, Grammy-winning hit. Nelson sings the first verse as a mythic outlaw “hung in the spring of ’45, but still alive”.

4. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (1975)

Fred Rose’s 1946 ballad had been recorded by everyone from Hank Williams to Gene Vincent before Nelson cut the definitive version. Aching and sparse, it’s the centrepiece of Red Headed Stranger, a concept album about a killer on the run, and gave Nelson his first US country No 1.

3. Night Life (1960)

Nelson’s label rejected Night Life as “not country”, forcing Nelson to record it under the alias Paul Buskirk and the Little Men. Ray Price made it a hit in 1963 and everyone from Doris Day through Aretha Franklin to BB King has sung the immortal lines: “The night life ain’t no good life, but it’s my life.”

2. Georgia on My Mind (1978)

When Booker T Jones produced Stardust, an album of Nelson singing a selection of standards from the 1930s, his label was aghast. Yet Stardust won Nelson international stardom. Here, he sings Hoagy Carmichael’s ballad with such keen, understated grace that it established him as one of popular music’s great interpretive singers.

1. Crazy (1961)

During one week in 1958, despondent about his career and marriage, Nelson wrote Night Life, Funny How Time Slips Away and Crazy, three songs that would become standards. Crazy demonstrates his innate grasp of what makes a great country song. It’s short, melodic and heart-rending, a self-flagellating portrait of a breakup that the protagonist knows they should have seen coming. When he first offered it to other stars, Nelson struggled for interest – Nashville musicians disliked the complex minor chords and jazz-influenced phrasing – until a reluctant Patsy Cline turned his stately demo into an era-defining hit. Nelson’s first version, from his 1962 debut, is even slower: timeless moody blues brimming with heartbreak’s hurt and sorrow.

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Live Country Music Concert

This 1966 concert document is one of Willie Nelson’s most underrated LPs and one of the greatest live country music albums period. Panther Hall was Willie’s home away from home in the early to mid-‘60s, when he would regularly play to a packed house in the 32,000-sqare-foot hall in east Fort Worth. It's where Willie perfected his craft, and grew from being a worthy successor to Ernest Tubb and Ray Price to a distinctive artistic voice in his own right. Despite its deceptively anonymous title, Live Country Music Concert is a faithful document of a very specific place and time — namely, Panther Hall on July 5, 1966. Save for a few minor overdubs, what you hear here is what the patrons at the long tables heard on that hot night. Nelson’s band is cracking and the crowd noise is authentic. Over the course of this short set you can hear Willie alter the rules of what a country performer should be. Rather than deliver the same old dance music, he challenges his audience to listen to story songs and Beatles covers. Country music was changing and they were rapt. Close to fifty years later, so are we.

June 1, 1966 11 Songs, 38 minutes ℗ Originally Released 1966. All rights reserved by Sony Music Entertainment

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