Willie Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter. Shotgun Willie, released in 1973, Red Headed Stranger in 1975 and Stardust in 1978, are his most critically and commerical succesful albums.
During the 1950s, Nelson worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky tonks. He wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. In 1958, he moved to Houston and he wrote songs such as "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and joined Ray Price's band as a bassist.
In 1962, he released his first album, ...And Then I Wrote and he joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972. The rise of the popularity of hippie music in Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement.
In 1973, Nelson released the albums Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he recorded the critically acclaimed album, Red Headed Stranger along with Wanted! The Outlaws, featuring Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser.
During the mid-1980s, he released Honeysuckle Rose and as well as "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho & Lefty. In 1991, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? and the profits were destined to the IRS to clear debt.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring and released albums every year.