Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson’s professional career launched in 1960 in Nashville, securing a publishing contract and penning country classics like ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ and ‘Crazy.’ He released his debut album, …And Then I Wrote, in 1962, then signed with RCA Victor in 1964 and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965. Relocating to Austin in 1972, Nelson embraced ‘outlaw country,’ performing on the pilot episode of PBS’s Austin City Limits in 1974. His critically acclaimed Red Headed Stranger (1975) and platinum-certified Stardust (1978) followed, with Wanted! The Outlaws (1976) – featuring Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser – becoming country music’s first platinum album.

His documentary, Willie Nelson and Family, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, followed by a special celebration at the Hollywood Bowl. Nelson was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, and in 2024, he was featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album.