For quite some time, Willie Nelson’s birthdate was celebrated as APRIL 30, 1933!
On 4/29/1933, Willie Hugh Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas, and then was “raised” by his Grandparents. He has acted in more than 30 movies, helped author several books, “stumped” for the manufacturing and use of “bio-fuels,” and pushed for the legalization of “recreational marijuana.” He has long been known for his part as an “outlaw country singer/writer,” as he fought against the restrictions Nashville wanted to force on the “more real” “less docile” country artists! This period was mainly during the 1970s and ‘80s and helped to cement his long-lasting success and recognition as a county music force.
Nelson began singing before his teen years, because he did not at all enjoy picking cotton and was already a member of a touring “musical group” before he was out of high school. A stint with the Air Force ended early with medical problems (bad back), which may have begun during his early athletic career in high school as a halfback in football, guard in basketball, and shortstop in baseball.
The “to become singing/ writing legend” attended Baylor University and studied agriculture for a “couple” years and enjoyed the fraternity life!
I will not attempt to tell about all the successful Nelson music, but I will mention some of my favorites—the album, Pancho and Lefty, a duet album with Merle Haggard. Single songs that are, in my opinion, great are “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Blue Skies,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” “Living in the Promiseland,” “Always On My Mind,” “Funny, How Time Slips Away,” “Seven Spanish Angels,” “Luckenbach, Texas,” “Beer for My Horses,” “That Lucky Old Sun,” “Amazing Grace,” “I’m Still Not Over You,” “Yesterday’s Wine,” “City of New Orleans,” “Grandma’s Hands.” (I give up—I can’t quit naming them!) On a per
On a personal note, Willie Nelson has been married four times and has seven children, tours the country in his own bio-diesel fueled bus he lovingly calls, “The Honey suckle Rose,” and cut off and gave his “red braids” to Waylon Jennings in 1983 to celebrate his “sobriety.” The braids were auctioned off with the Jennings estate in 2014 and brought much money for charity!
I attended a Willie Nelson concert at East Texas State University in the early 1970s and could have touched him as he walked right past my seat on the way to the stage. I have been to others of his concerts since, but I must say that one was the “greatest.” His voice was clear and strong; the concert was long; he sang wellknown and favorite songs ‘til the final gong! The sell-out crowd “fell in love” with him that night if they weren’t already!
Willie is no angel; he never professed to be one, but he is a great singer and even greater writer of songs!
Now, back to the double birthday. Willie was born shortly before midnight on April 29, 1933. However, the county courthouse did not register his birthdate in county records until during the morning of April 30, 1933! His family and he (laidback folks) never did stress about the event; they just decided to celebrate both days!
According to his daughter, Lana, Willie celebrated his birthday on April 29 until he was 18 years old and joined the Air Force and obtained a copy of his birth certificate and found out he had been telling folks his wrong birthdate, since the official certificate said, April 30. So, he began telling all the folks that the date was April 30. Then, sometime in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, his cousin, Mildred, told him that he actually was born on April 29.
The NELSONS decided that the best way to handle the situation was to just celebrate both days and not “make a big deal of it!” And that is how I like Willie’s music, laid-back and preferably played on a “juke box” in a dive with “a lot of good ol’ boys and girls stomping and clapping and waxing nostalgic!”
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