www.stillisstillmoving.com

www.AmericanSongwriter.com
by: Erinn Callahan

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Before he became the face of outlaw country, Willie Nelson was barely keeping afloat in Nashville like so many artists before and after him. The “Always On My Mind” crooner found Music City an unforgiving place when he moved there in the late ’60s. Adding insult to injury, a drunk man destroyed Nelson’s only guitar after he trod on it during a show in Helotes, Texas. However, that catastrophe turned out to be a blessing in disguise when it led the 12-time Grammy Award winner to his most prized possession. Nearly six decades later, Nelson has yet to part with Trigger, his beloved Martin N-20 nylon-string classical acoustic guitar.

“How many months have you been together?” reads the text overlayed onto a picture of Nelson holding his cherished instrument.

“Months?” reads the next slide. Then, his 2017 song “Still Not Dead” plays over a montage of photos featuring Nelson and Trigger over the decades.

A Man and His Instrument: The Tale of Trigger

Much like its owner, Willie Nelson’s guitar is weathered, worn… and still kicking.

After his pal Shot Jackson deemed the damage to his previous instrument irreparable, he offered Nelson an alternative. That alternative was Trigger, whom the “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” singer named after Roy Rogers’ horse. “I figured, this is my horse!” Nelson said.

In the nearly six decades since, the Hall of Famer has worn a massive hole above the bridge, nearly reaching the sound hole. And yet, Trigger and Willie play on, as the nonagenarian continues entertaining crowds of thousands.

Claiming the singer owed $16 million in tax debt, the Internal Revenue Service seized most of Nelson’s assets in 1990. This set off a lengthy process that was eventually resolved, but while it was ongoing, the singer’s primary concern was his guitar.

Declaring, “When Trigger goes, I’ll quit,” Nelson hid the guitar in attorney Joel Katz’s house until he paid off his debts three years later.

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