Willie Nelson, (born April 29, 1933, Abbott, Texas, U.S.), U.S. country music singer and songwriter. His grandfather taught him to play guitar, and by age 10 he was performing at local dances. After working as a disc jockey, in 1961 he moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he wrote hit songs for dozens of country, rhythm-and-blues, and pop singers; these songs include “Hello Walls,” “Night Life,” and “Crazy.” He returned to Texas and released the hit album Red Headed Stranger (1975). He became one of the leading figures in the outlaw country movement. In 1985 Nelson cofounded Farm Aid, which organized festivals to raise money for farmers. He has recorded with numerous other singers, including Waylon Jennings. His later albums include Teatro (1998), Heroes (2012), and Last Man Standing (2018). The Border (2024) is Nelson’s 75th studio album. Nelson is a well-known and enthusiastic connoisseur of marijuana, and, after a few states legalized the drug’s sale and purchase, he launched (2015) a marijuana supply company, Willie’s Reserve. Nelson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2012 the Country Music Association presented him with its first lifetime achievement award. Nelson has won more than 10 Grammy Awards.
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