Arranging interviews can be a logistical nightmare. I extend thanks to the following for their general help and assistance smoothing my path: Martha Moore, Richard Wootton, Barbara Charone, Nicole Hegeman, Jennifer Tipoulow, KSP Wilson, Braden Kuhlman, Nikki Mitchell, Tamara Saviano, Kay Clary, Jeanne Meyer and Amanda Conroy, Tresa Mumba and Geoff Andrew. There have been many more helping hands along the way, and each one was appreciated.
Closer to home, a big thank you to my agent Stan for all his encouragement throughout, and his tenacity (above and beyond the call of duty) in every aspect of my work over the past year. Thanks to Stuart Evers for his input and enthusiasm in the latter stages.
Thanks also to the editors at all the publications I write for, especially those who published some of my work-in-progress on Willie Nelson in 2005: Gordon Thomson at Time Out, Mark Ellen at The Word and Keith Bruce at the Herald.
As always, love and thanks are due to my mother, father and brother. Most of all, this biography comes with love and appreciation for my wife Jen. Not only for her constant support, but also for colluding in the notion that this is somehow a perfectly acceptable way to make a living.
INDEX
The page references in this index correspond to the printed edition from which this ebook was created. To find a specific word or phrase from the index, please use the search feature of your ebook reader.
Abbott, Texas 4–17, 22, 109, 257
Across The Borderline 224, 225–227, 229
Adams, Gerry 199
Adams, Ryan 245
‘After The Fire Has Gone’ 134–135
Ahern, Brian 161
Albright, Richie 95, 103, 104, 168
alcohol 2, 48, 55, 70–71, 78–79
Allison, Joe 56, 57, 58, 63
Allison, Mose 226
Allsup, Tommy 63
Always On My Mind 180
‘Always On My Mind’ 180–181, 188
‘And So Will You My Love’ 50
And Then I Wrote 56, 62
Anderson, David 188, 195, 254
Anderson, John 197
Andrews, Chuck 62
‘Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground’ 177
Angelo, Annie d’ see Nelson, Annie ‘Annie’ 236
Another Pair Of Aces TV film 211
‘Are There Any More Real Cowboys Anywhere?’ 188
Arens, John 212
Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin 115, 117–119, 121, 125
Atkins, Chet 66, 77, 81, 104, 105, 106
Atlantic Records 106, 122–127, 129–134
Austin, Texas 109–110, 111–116
Austin City Limits TV show 130
awards 198, 228, 238, 245
Grammies 144, 163, 180, 245, 246
Axthelm, Pete 153
Axton, Mae 35
Bandera, Texas 96–98
Barbarosa (film) 176
Baylor University, Waco 25–28
‘Be That As It May’ 249
Beatles, The 73, 99
Beck 238
Beckett, Barry 132
‘Beer For My Horses’ 246
Belland, Bruce 124
Big Six-O, The (film) 227–228
Billboard Country charts 43, 51, 59, 69, 127, 200
Billboard Hot 100 141
birthday concerts 245–246
Blackburn, Rick 161
Blackwell, Chris 232, 235
Blaine, Buck 59–60
Bledsoe, Ron 139
‘Bloody Mary Morning’ 89, 134
‘Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain’ 135, 138, 141, 144
Both Sides Now 88, 89, 106
Bradley, Jerry 104–105, 142, 146
Branson, Missouri 219–221
Bretzing, Richard T. 198
‘Bring Me Sunshine’ 99
Brown, Charlie 41
Browne, Jackson 198
Bruce, Jimmy 257
Bush, George W. 242–243
Bush, Johnny 21, 28–29, 30, 32, 59–60, 61, 72–73, 77, 78, 101, 163, 210, 214, 217, 232, 242, 248
Buskirk, Paul 42, 43, 44, 58, 229, 250
Butler, Larry 42, 168
Byrds, The 98
Cannon, Dyan 174
Can’t Get The Hell Out Of Texas 233
‘Can’t Let You Say Goodbye’ 237
Capitol records 107
Carter, Fred Jr 132, 133
Carter, Jimmy 155–156, 184
Cash, Johnny 98, 106, 142, 188, 190–191, 200, 228, 231, 244, 250
Chapman, Beth Nielsen 196
Charles, Ray 227, 246, 250
Cherokee Cowboys 53–54, 57
Christopher, Johnny 180
Classic And Unreleased 228, 232
Clements, Jack 22, 257
Cline, Patsy 49, 51, 59
Clinton, Bill 238
Cobb, ‘Tex’ 239
Cochran, Hank 49, 51, 56, 57, 59, 88, 174, 250
Collie, Biff 57, 58
Collie, Shirley see Nelson, Shirley
Colter, Jessi 107, 143–144, 191, 231
Columbia records (CBS) 106, 136, 138–140, 145, 161, 178, 228
Coming Out Of The Ice (film) 176
‘Congratulations’ 50
Cooper, Billy 120–121, 170
Country Favourites: Willie Nelson Style 67, 69
Country Music Hall of Fame 228
Country Willie: His Own Songs 66–67
Countryman 232
Cowboy Television Network (CTN) 201–203
Craig, Hank 40
‘Crazy’ 36, 41, 44, 48, 51, 56, 59, 67, 197, 246
Crosby, David 226
Crowe, Dave 211
Crowell, Rodney 116, 150, 153, 156, 160
‘D’ records 40–41, 43, 44
Daily, H.W. ‘Pappy’ 40, 44
‘Darkness On The Face Of The Earth’ 56
Day, Jimmy 47, 54, 58, 59, 73, 77, 78, 83, 84, 88, 89, 90, 100, 123, 136, 228, 232–233, 250
‘December Day’ 81, 101–102
‘Devil In The Sleeping Bag’ 125
Dick, Charlie 51
‘Don’t Give Up’ 224, 225
Doors, The 99
Dowd, Tom 133
Drake, Pete 66, 90
Dripping Springs, Texas 115, 120
drugs 55, 70–71, 78–80, 114, 115, 116, 151–152, 159, 192, 194, 229–231, 253
Dukes of Hazzard, The (film) 252
Dylan, Bob 98, 186, 187, 224–225, 226, 227, 236, 238, 251–252, 255
Earle, Steve 120, 235
Electric Horseman, The (film) 173–174
Emmons, Bobby 191
‘End Of Understanding’ 50
English, Billy 88, 254
English, Carlene 125–126, 145
English, Oliver 74
English, Paul 13–14, 73–75, 76, 80–81, 84, 90–91, 97, 102, 104, 113, 117, 123, 125–126, 138, 144, 145, 150–151, 162, 167, 169, 188, 190, 194, 209, 218, 220–221, 235, 253–254
Ertegun, Ahmet 122
Essential Willie Nelson, The 246
Ethridge, Chris 162
‘Everywhere I Go’ 236
‘Face Of A Fighter’ 50
Family Band 34, 75, 97, 98, 123, 136–137, 162, 164–165, 174, 201, 227
‘Family Bible’ 10, 40, 42–43, 102
Farm Aid 186–190, 202, 212, 219, 251, 256
film roles 172–176, 190–191, 231, 236, 238–239, 252
Fischer, Jody 170
Fitch, Charlie 31
Fletcher, Bud 15–16, 23
Fletcher, Freddy 212
Flippo, Chet 141, 143
Fonda, Jane 173
‘Forgiving You Was Easy’ 182, 196
Fort Worth, Texas 5, 32–33
Foster, Fred 63–65, 196
Fourth of July picnics 116, 120, 149–150, 154, 207
Franklin, Jim 115
Frizell, Lefty 145
‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ 41, 44, 49, 51, 56, 59, 197
Future Farmers for America 12
Geldof, Bob 186, 256
‘Georg
ia On My Mind’ 161, 163
Gimble, Johnny 123, 132, 174, 227, 233
Glaser, Tompall 142, 143
‘Goin’ Home’ 101
Goldberg, Jay 208
golf 96
Gone Fishin’ (film) 231
‘Good Hearted Woman’ 143, 144
Good Times 81
Gorham, Larry 195
gospel music 124
‘Graceland’ 226
Gracey, Joe 114, 117, 120, 233
Grammy awards 144, 163, 180, 245, 246
Grand Ole Opry 14, 45, 47, 67, 68, 98
Gray, Claude 43
Great Divide, The 245, 246–248
‘Great Divide, The’ 248
Haggard, Merle 14, 31, 67, 107, 113, 178, 179, 188, 193–194, 215, 228, 244, 248, 251
Hammond, Albert 181
Harris, Emmylou 150, 159–160, 161, 174, 178, 228, 237, 245
Harwell, Jack 230
Hawkins, Tom 254
‘Healing Hands of Time, The’ 58
Healing Hands Of Time, The 229
‘Heartland’ 226
‘Hello Walls’ 49–51, 53, 54, 66, 73
Hendrix, Jimi 99
Here’s Willie Nelson 61–62, 63
Hicks, Bill 219
Hicks, Joe 151
Highwaymen, The 190–191, 199–200, 227, 231
‘Highwayman, The’ 191, 199
Highwaymen, The 190–191
Highwaymen 2 199–200
Hillburn, Red 30
Holland, Cosett 21–22, 28
‘Home Is Where You’re Happy’ 50
‘Home Motel’ 57, 63, 237
Honeysuckle Rose (film) 174–176, 233
Honeysuckle Rose (tour bus) 195, 238, 254
Hood, David 131
Hopper, Dennis 119
Horse Called Music, A 193, 196
‘How Long Is Forever’ 56
Howard, Harlan 49, 50, 55, 122
Hubbard, Matt 249
Hughes, George 68
Hughey, John 132
Hungry Years, The 214, 233
Hunley, Jerry ‘Cootie’ 101
Hunter, Nick 127, 130, 134, 138, 139, 142
‘I Gotta Get Drunk’ 89
‘I Guess I’ve Come To Live Here In Your Eyes’ 233
‘(I Just Dropped In) To See What Condition My Condition Was In’ 82, 248
‘I Love You All Over The World’ 236
‘I Never Cared For You’ 64, 83, 196, 197, 236, 237, 248
‘I Still Can’t Believe That You’re Gone’ 127, 131, 133
‘I Thought About You, Lord’ 234
‘If You Could Only See’ 214
‘If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time’ 145
Iglesias, Julio 181, 196, 198
‘I’m Not Trying To Forget You’ 233
‘In God’s Eyes’ 101
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 205–216, 220
Irving, Amy 174–175
‘Is The Better Part Over?’ 193, 196
Isbell, David 21, 22
Island In The Sea 195–196
Island Records 232, 235, 244
It Always Will Be 247, 248–249
‘It Always Will Be’ 248–249
‘It Should Be Easier Now’ 67
‘It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way’ 131, 217
‘I’ve Just Destroyed The World’ 237, 246
Jamail, Randall 229
Jarvis, Felton 73, 76, 89
Jean, Wyclef 245–246
Jennings, Waylon 9, 95–96, 103–104, 107–108, 115, 118, 119, 123, 128, 139, 142, 143–144, 146, 150, 154–155, 173, 187, 190–191, 200, 228, 231, 235, 250
‘Jimmy’s Road’ 99, 203
Johnston, Bob 135
Jones, Booker T. 160–162, 168, 180, 181, 196
Jones, Hayes 72
Jones, Norah 249
Justice Records 229
Keith, Toby 246
Kennedy Center Honors award 238
King, B.B. 227
Koepke, Constance see Nelson, Connie
Kristofferson, Kris 115, 126, 142, 146, 172, 190–191, 198, 200, 211, 218–219, 224, 228, 236, 238, 260
Kucinich, Dennis 184
Lanois, Daniel 224–225, 236–238
Las Vegas 59–60
‘Last Stand In Open Country’ 247
Laying My Burdens Down 91
Liberty Records 56, 61
Light, Don 55
‘Little Old-Fashioned Karma, A’ 178
‘Little Things’ 81–82
Live Aid 186
Live Country Music Concert 5, 73, 118
‘Living In The Promiseland’ 195, 252
‘Local Memory’ 125
Locke, ‘Poodie’ 170, 171, 213, 254
Loftis, Jack 26–27
Lone Star Records 168
Long, Mack 201
Los Angeles Times 197
Lost Highway Records 244
‘Love Gets Lost In The Big House’ 258
Lovett, Lyle 226, 238
Ludwig, Rex 162
Lundvall, Bruce 136, 139–140, 162, 163, 168
Lynne, Shelby 238
‘Man With The Blues’ 40
Mardin, Arif 124
marijuana 2, 34, 70–71, 78, 94, 95, 100, 104–105, 151, 159, 171, 194, 229–231, 253
Martin, Grady 197, 250
Maslin, Janet 175
‘Matador’ 234
Matthews, Martha Jewel see Nelson, Martha
‘Me And Paul’ 91, 102, 221
Me And The Drummer 233
Meldhau, Brad 237
Mellencamp, John Cougar 187, 188, 195
‘Mendocino County Line’ 246
Milk Cow Blues 244
Miller, Roger 55, 66, 88, 106, 194
‘Misery Mansion’ 41
Mission City Playboys 21–22, 28, 30
Mitchell, Joni 198
Moeller, Lucky 93, 107
Moeller Talent Agency 93–94, 107–108
Moman, Chips 179, 180, 191, 196, 199
‘Moment Isn’t Very Long, A’ 50
Monument Records 63–65
Moonlight Becomes You 228, 229
‘Moonlight In Vermont’ 161, 162
Moore, Gator 170, 254
‘Mountain Dew’ 104
‘Mr Record Man’ 41, 42, 56, 66, 196
Mugar, Carolyn 189
‘My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys’ 176
My Own Peculiar Way 88
Nashville 44–48, 55, 103–108, 111
Nashville Songwriters’ Association Hall of Fame 127
Neil, Vince 189
Nelson, Annie (wife) 18–19, 192–194, 199, 200, 209, 243, 251
Nelson, Amy (daughter) 117, 249
Nelson, Billy (son) 39, 62, 87, 117, 157, 199, 216–218
Nelson, Bobbie Lee (sister) 6, 12–13, 15, 16, 76, 123, 170, 197, 216, 218, 233, 237, 249, 257–258
Nelson, Connie (wife) 5, 9, 83–88, 89, 94, 97–98, 108, 111, 117, 126, 135, 152, 157–159, 174, 175, 181, 182, 192–194, 207–208, 210, 213, 215, 216, 217, 249, 260
Nelson, Ira Doyle (father) 6, 7, 75, 111, 167, 171
Nelson, Lana (daughter) 25, 28, 60, 82, 87, 169, 188, 208, 210, 216, 228, 249
Nelson, Lukas (son) 192, 199, 200, 209, 249–250, 251
Nelson, Martha (wife) 9, 23–25, 28–29, 32–33, 35, 39, 47, 48–49, 54, 57, 58, 59, 62–63, 75, 87, 216
Nelson, Micah (son) 192, 209, 228, 250, 251
Nelson, Myrle (mother) 6–7, 8, 25, 35, 61, 75, 111, 171
Nelson, Nancy (grandmother) 7, 9
Nelson, Paula Carlene 83, 86, 87, 94, 117, 126, 152, 192, 193, 249
Nelson, Shirley (wife) 57–60, 62–63, 67, 72, 81–83, 84, 86–87, 97, 216
Nelson, Susie (daughter) 35, 82, 86, 87, 95, 117, 131, 157, 217, 249
Nelson, Tracey 134–135
Nelson, William (grandfather) 6, 9
Nelson, Willie Hugh
Air Force service 23
character 1–3, 22, 49, 60�
�61, 79, 85, 97–99, 153–157, 160, 167, 193, 217–218, 240–241, 242–243, 255–256, 259, 260
childhood 5–15
DJ work 27, 29–32, 35, 40, 42
finances 166–167, 182–183, 205–216
generosity 167–170, 193, 206, 209
girlfriends 17
marriages 18–19, 24, 57, 58, 60, 72, 97–98, 192–194
musical influences 12–14, 160
politics 155, 184–185, 186–190, 198–199, 221, 242–243
Ridgetop ranch 62–63, 67–68, 75–76, 87–88, 92–95, 102, 111, 121
schooling 11–12
songwriting 10, 17, 30–31, 36–37, 38–39, 41–44, 49–51, 67, 77–78, 101–102, 135, 146, 176–178, 182, 227, 233–234
spirituality 2, 10, 40, 100–101
temper 10–11, 33, 79
New York Times 134, 141, 175
Newbury, Mickey 82, 87
Newsday 197
Newsweek magazine 163
Night And Day 243–244
‘Night Life’ 36, 38, 41, 43, 44, 48, 49, 63, 66, 197
Nite Owl Club, Abbott 5, 15–16, 39
‘No Place For Me’ 39
‘No Tomorrow In Sight’ 50
‘Nothing I Can Do About It Now’ 196
‘Nowhere Road’ 235
Oakley, Jeanne 212
O’Connor, Sinead 224, 226
O’Connor, Tim 121, 168, 170, 211
Offenders, The 59–60, 61, 232–233
‘On The Road Again’ 176–177, 188
‘Once More With Feeling’ 89
‘One Day At A Time’ 61, 67, 73
One For The Road 172
‘One In A Row’ 76
Orbison, Roy 63
Outlaw For Peace radio channel 202, 258
Outlaw Justice (film) 236
‘outlaw music’ 142–143, 149–150
Outlaw Music Channel 201–203, 206
Owens, Buck 107
‘Pages’ 81
Pamper Music Company 49–50, 55, 62
‘Pancho And Lefty’ 178–179, 216
Panther Hall Ballroom TV Show 81
Parker, Dr Ben 29, 30, 31, 168
‘Part Where I Cry, The’ 56
‘Party’s Over, The’ 76
Party’s Over, The 77
Payne, Jody 136–137, 197, 233
Peace In The Valley 216
Pedernales Country Club 169–171, 205–206, 210, 212, 216
Peebles, Harry 90, 91
Willie Nelson Page 38
