Posted by Kevin Neilson on 9/8/2011

Willie Nelson is one of the most acclaimed country singers in the history of Texas. More than just a singer, he has written over 2,500 songs. He has also released more albums than most songwriters ever come close to, authoring almost 300 throughout his career.

Born to Myrle and Ira Nelson in 1933, Willie lived his early life during the Great Depression. He and his sister Bobbie learned their love of music from their small-town Methodist church growing up. He received his first guitar when he was just six years old. Willie did not just want to learn to play the guitar, as most people do. He started writing songs on his guitar very early on. He also began performing with local bands while he was still a child.

Willie joined the Air Force after high school, but soon had to leave due to back problems. He decided to try selling encyclopedias door to door so he could attend college. But college just wasn’t working out for him either, so he left to work as a disc jockey on the radio for several years.

While he worked as a DJ, Willie continued writing songs and performing on the side. Once he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, he began getting into the big leagues of country music, as a songwriter for other artists like Patsy Cline and Ray Price.

After his home in Tennessee burned down, Willie returned to his roots in Texas, but did not give up writing and singing. He sang, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Fred Rose which hit the number one spot on the country charts and earned him his first Grammy. Since then, Willie has been unstoppable, winning numerous awards and selling millions of albums throughout his full and lengthy career.

Most recently Willie contributed a cover of the Coldplay song "The Scientist" to the Chipotle Food with Integrity campaign in support of local and sustainable farming. The song is the soundtrack to a video created to raise awareness. Willie has long been a supporter of local and family farming.