by Dusty Raines
Texas Girl
December 1979
On Monday night, October 8, 1979, the Nashville country music establishment finally settled a long overdue account with Willie Nelson. He was named the Country Music Entertainer of the Year.
By distinguishing Willie as such, the folks that give out the awards in Nashville have caught up with the feelings of the majority of country music lovers who have known, appreciated, and loved Willie and his musical style all along.
In the span of his forty-six years, stretching form his birth in Fort Worth, Texas on April 20, 1933 to the Country Music Awards night. Willie Nelson learned not to rely a great deal on the platitudes of the record business. Like all truly great musicians he concentrated on his music and how it related to the public.
His professional career began at the age of ten when he played guitar with a bohemian-style polka band. Later, after a short stint in the Air Force, and two years of farm planning at Baylor University. Willie married and settled in Waco, playing part-time while supporting his family through odd jobs of selling vacuum cleaners, encyclopedias and bibles.
Keeping his song writing behind the scenes, Willie gravitated ever c loser to the music business by talking his way into a disc-jockey slot in San Antonio in the early fifties and stayed (off and on) with spinning records for seven years in Texas, (he worked part time for KIKK in Houston in 1957), Oregon and California. Meanwhile, he sang in the honky tonks when he could, wrote his songs and sold the first one, entitled “Family Bible” for $50.00.
When Willie moved to Nashville, he found almost instant success as a songwriter; but the patrons of The Grand Ole Opry just weren’t ready for his half-country, half-western singing style as yet. So, Willie had to content himself behind the scens of music greats such as Ray Price, who recorded Willie’s songs, ‘Night Life” and “Funny How Time Slips Away.
“ He also wrote the big hit, “Hello Walls” for Faron Young as well as another biggy “Crazy” for Patsy Cline.
The next few years of the early 60′s would find Willie, while continuing his songwriting, playing in Price’s backup band, The Cherokee cowboys. Rooming with Roger Miller in Nashville, he finally began recording his own songs while the likes of Perry Como, Aretha Franklin, Lawrence Welk, Stevie Wonder, Eydie Gorme, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Al Green and others sang and made hits of his tunes. They were such hits that, in 1962, two of them were on the Top Ten charts.
Every year saw Willie advancing his writing career and in 1964 he was named to the cast of The Grand Ole Opry. In 1966 he formed his own band and kept sight on his goal until, finally in 1968 — he it it big with “Little Things.”
At this time a strang ephenomenon began to emerge around Wilie and other, media-labeled “outlaws”; notably Waylon Jennings and Johnny Paycheck. A ‘cult’ of sorts began to grow around Wilie and, when his Nashville home burned down in 1972, he came back to his Texas roots. He played mostly in Texas after than, partly to cut traveling expenses but mainly to pursue his singing and songwriting career in the studio.
The tremendously successful “picnics” began that year as well and Willie and his unique style, derived form Western swing, a country-jazz blend that was popular from the thirties through the fifties in Texas and Oklahoma began to emerge on a grand scale.
He was there when the longhair trend in Texas shifted from hard rock to country and country rock. The picnics grew to huge, mini-Woodstock proportions and Willie settled into the laid-back Austin lifestyle.
During this period he cut two albums on the Atlantic label, “Shotgun Willie” and “Phases and Stage” which were good sellars and, of more importance, finally launched him once and for all as a nationally known and respected performer.
Willie wouldn’t reach “star” status however until the album, cut in a day and a half in Garland, Texas in 1975, “Red Headed Stranger” hit the record racks. An album of recognized genius, “red Headed Stranger” implanted Nelson in his rightful place through its creative thematic unity and his brilliant blends of pop, country, and blues. It went platinum. The first country-and western album in CBS’ history to do so. “Red Headed Stranger” sold well over a million copies.
Now, Willie has finally arrived into his own. Behind him, the twenty years of hard knocks and drifting from one honky tonk to another. Behind him also, the knowledge of his years of nonacceptance as a singer in Nashville because of his conversational, straightforward style
It’s about itme Willie Nelson got the award he so richly deserves. His love of music has been awarding the public too long without proper recognition.
Congratulations Willie! To a Texan tough enough to take it — and make it — all the way to the top.
[That reporter talking to Willie is really blushing. I think she's smitten, don't you? - LL]
OMG I know I would be smitten, I would probably not be able to get a question out of my mouth!! he he