Willie Nelson & Family in San Angelo, Texas (8 times in 44 years)

www.SanAngelo.com
by: Matthew McDaniel

Read article, see lots more photos at their website here.

One would be hard-pressed to find a major recording artist who has performed in San Angelo more often than Mr. Willie Nelson.

Willie, as he prefers to be called, first played in town back in 1967, as a fresh-faced country-music artist breaking out of Nashville’s confines to create a new sub-genre of music known as “Outlaw Country.”

According to an item from Page 12B of the May 18 edition of that year, Nelson, a composer-guitarist who hit bestseller lists with “The Party’s Over,” was among several performers who entertained audiences at the San Angelo Coliseum that day.

Willie Nelson first played in San Angelo in May 1967

It’s been almost 52 years since that inaugural San Angelo performance, and during his career, Nelson has recorded an impressive 69 solo records, 29 collaborative albums, a dozen live albums, and 42 compilation albums — in addition to the soundtracks for The Electric Horseman and Honeysuckle Rose motion pictures.

Nelson doesn’t appear to have any plans for going gently into retirement, as he recently celebrated his 86th birthday on April 29, and is releasing a new record soon with a big tour this summer.

The Standard-Times clippings file is barely contained by the little manila envelope, which is bursting at the seams from overcrowding.

A young Rick Smith caught up to Willie in Odessa during a concert in 1975. He talked with the singer about the new direction country music was taking, noting there was a very broad cross section in attendance that night, ranging from young hippies to self-proclaimed rednecks.

Two years later, Nelson was on stage at the San Angelo Coliseum with Dolly Parton, as 2,500 fans cheered for the performers on Jan. 26, 1977.

Willie also made appearances in San Angelo on May 13, 1981; Oct. 30, 1991; April 6, 1997; March 30, 2003; March 12, 2008; and Nov. 17, 2011 — giving him a total of eight San Angelo concerts during a 44-year period.

Willie also made appearances in San Angelo on May 13, 1981; Oct. 30, 1991; April 6, 1997; March 30, 2003; March 12, 2008; and Nov. 17, 2011 — giving him a total of eight San Angelo concerts during a 44-year period.

Nelson has made a lifelong habit of appearing for benefit concerts, including one concert near Mertzon that took two attempts to pull off, as the first date was flooded out by a massive downpour on March 16, 1987, which caused it to be rescheduled to June 8. The event had been organized by famous San Angelo entrepreneur Sam Lewis to benefit two people in need of organ transplants.

Lewis had previously worked with the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce to secure Willie’s presence at a benefit concert for the city of Lima, Ohio, on July 30, 1982.

The two cities became linked by a Wall Street Journal article comparing the two economies side-by-side, which cast San Angelo in a very positive light, while highlighting the Ohio town’s struggles with unemployment, which was above 15 percent at that time.

“Willie was really moved and agreed immediately to do the benefit in Lima,” Lewis told the Standard-Times. “A lot of people don’t know it, but Willie puts on benefits all the time.”

He also appeared at a benefit concert in Big Spring back in 1981 to raise money for a Jaycees-supported college for the handicapped in Gonzales. Nelson is nationally known for his support of Farm Aid through annual concerts going back to 1985.

Nelson’s new album, entitled “Ride Me Back Home,” is set to be released June 21, with two Texas tour dates.


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