"No one in country music compares to Willie Nelson. In fact, no one anywhere does. Long since outgrowing his chosen genre, “The Red Headed Stranger” is a unique cultural force who, after seven decades in the business, shows no signs of slowing down. The list of accolades is incomparable: 25 No. 1 singles on the country music charts, three platinum albums, 15 Grammys, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and George Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, to name a few. He’s an actor, a pot-smoking mogul and a best-selling author. But a rundown of Nelson’s accomplishments only paints a small part of the picture. There’s no limit to Nelson’s artistry, nor to whom he welcomes to the party. He’s championed farmers and LGBTQ rights, and railed against mass incarceration for marijuana and family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border. He’s collaborated with country icons from Waylon Jennings to Dolly Parton to Loretta Lynn, and pop stars like Ray Charles and Sheryl Crow. Even as he turns 90, he’s kept up a nonstop touring schedule, with annual festivals in his home state of Texas, including Luck Reunion on his own ranch. As Nelson gears up to celebrate his 90th birthday with a star-studded concert this April, he swears there’s no big secret to his remarkable drive. “Oh, you know,” he told E! News in 2023, of how he lives: “One day at a time.”"
WILLIE NELSON • The King of Country
Howdy, Stranger
All Of Me • BACKSTAGE MEMORIES AND INTIMATE MOMENTS FROM THE WILD LIFE OF COUNTRY MUSIC ICON WILLIE NELSON.
Around the World in 90 Years • WILLIE NELSON PREPARES TO CELEBRATE HIS BIG BIRTHDAY LIKE ONLY HE KNOWS HOW.
SING ON, SISTER • Older sibling Bobbie Nelson passed away in 2022.
God’s Problem Child • HE GREW UP DIRT-POOR DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, PICKING COTTON AND SINGING HYMNS. BUT THE MUSIC HE FOUND OUTSIDE THE CHURCH WAS HIS SALVATION.
STILL THE KINGS • The artists who shaped a young Willie Nelson.
The Promiseland • A STRING OF RECORDS FOR OTHER ARTISTS, INCLUDING PATSY CLINE’S “CRAZY,” MADE WILLIE NELSON HOT PROPERTY AS A NASHVILLE SONGWRITER, BUT NOT AS A SINGER.
NEARLY NO. 1 • How the songwriter almost topped the pop charts, thanks to Patsy Cline.
Early Phases, Small Stages • A DREAM GIG WITH RCA RECORDS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SINGER’S BIG BREAK. INSTEAD, HE GOT LOST IN THE COGS OF THE NASHVILLE MACHINE.
TRIGGER HAPPY • The star’s guitar is his most recognizable companion.
ME & PAUL • For six decades, drummer and all-around tough guy Paul English was Willie’s flamboyant pal.
Essential Willie • A MASTER INTERPRETER AS WELL AS ONE OF COUNTRY MUSIC’S GREATEST SONGWRITERS, THE LEGEND IS AT HIS VERY BEST ON THESE 10 TRACKS.
Reborn on the Fourth of July • UPON RETURNING TO TEXAS, WILLIE NELSON PLAYED A MUSIC FESTIVAL IN DRIPPING SPRINGS THAT INSPIRED HIS OWN STAR-SPANGLED TRADITION.
THE OTHER OUTLAWS • He wasn’t country music’s only troublemaker in the ’70s. These were his fellow protagonists.
Back to the Basics • ONCE IN TEXAS, THE COUNTRY SINGER SET ABOUT BUILDING AN EMPIRE WITH TWO OUTLAW CLASSICS, SHOTGUN WILLIE AND PHASES AND STAGES.
SHOTGUN WILLIE • How the rebel got his double-barrel moniker.
The Time of the Preacher • RED HEADED STRANGER BROKE THE RULES OF THE COUNTRY MUSIC BUSINESS. IT ALSO MADE WILLIE NELSON A SUPERSTAR.
PLATINUM OUTLAWS • RCA’s Wanted! The Outlaws compilation was country music’s first million-selling record.
WILLIE AND THE LAWMAN • A rundown of the Ambassador to Weedville’s most memorable busts.
The Wives of Willie • OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR MARRIAGES, THE DETAILS OF THE SINGER’S LOVE LIFE COULD BE RIPPED FROM THE PAGES OF HIS OWN SONGBOOK.
The...