Willie Nelson, with wife Connie and daughters Amy and Paula Carlene, in Colorado.
Look Magazine
April 1989
In the old days in Austin, you could catch Willie Nelson just about every afternoon at his daddy’s pool hall, sinking a few balls and dodging the blistering Texas sun. In the evenings, when the heat dropped below the boiling point, he’d climb into his battered station wagon and head for the honkytonks, where he’s play all night — as long as there was somebody there to listen.
People are still listening, but the crowds have spilled out of Texas to become something of a national Willie Nelson cult. “I never expected it to get this big,” Willie says. “I knew I’d be successful, but I never expected this.”
His success keeps growing. Willie has just finished acting in his first movie, Electric Horseman, with Jane Fonda and his close friend Robert Redford. And Universal has just accepted the script for a film based on Willie’s platinum album, ‘Red Headed Stranger’.
“I met Bob Redford at Billy Sherrill’s house in Nashville, where he was trying to get some country singers to do a benefit for his Citizens’ Action Committee, as I think he calls it. That was the first time I met Redford, anyway, and he and I hit it off pretty good,” says Willie. “So we flew out to California together, and Redford asked if I’d like to get in the movies. I said sure, I thought I could probably do it. OF course, I didn’t know what was involved, either.”
In Electric Horseman, Willie plays the part of Redford’s manager, an old rodeo buddy who hangs around to make sure he doesn’t get too drunk. It wasn’t a hard part.” In fact, Willie says, it was almost easier than being onstage in front of an audience, “except, instead of memorizing songs, you’re memorizing lines, and the songs are usually longer.”
Yet a third movie, tentatively titled Honeysuckle Rose, is scheduled to begin shooting this June in Texas with Sidney Pollack producing and Willie as the star. The million-selling Stardust album, which features Willie singing his favorite songs, including “Georgia On My Mind” and “Blue Skies” (and which record-company insiders figured was simply a waste of everybody’s time), is still selling. And then there are his concerts at the White House, where Rosalyn and Jimmy Carter are numbered among his biggest fans. ”
I love these old articles and pictures … so great you find them and post them …
Thanks, Monique. I have bought many, one by one, off e-bay. Then, I scored a BIG box of stuff from a guy on e-bay, in Texas, who was selling his grandma’s collection, after she died. (Some day my nephews will be doing the same thing
.
Then, I bought a bunch from Ann Willis, of Texas, magazines and newspapers, and have posted from her collection.
Most recently (last week!) Dee/WillieTattoos kindly sent me a large package of clippings.
The national magazines I could collect, but the Texas newspaper clippings are priceless.
I love typing up the old articles, and posting the pictures; archiving everything here at the site. I save the clippings, but this way everyone can enjoy the old stuff, too.
Thanks to everyone who shares their stuff with me.
Thanks to everyone on my behalf too … and to you Linda for doing such a great job typing up the old articles. If I find an old Dutch article about Willie, I’ll translate it and send it to you.
YES! You are awesome to post the old clippings; fun to see.