As Willie Nelson plays a concert on his 90th birthday, here’s what to know about the music legend
Willie Nelson #WillieNelson
Willie Nelson performs for participants as they rally at the Texas State Capitol in Austin to advocate for voting rights on the final day of a 27-mile, four-day voting rights march to the Capitol on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
One in a series of stories about the career and life of Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson turns 90 years old on April 29, and the Lone Star legend is celebrating with two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. He will celebrate with all manner of admirers including George Strait, Emmylou Harris, Beck, Miranda Lambert, the Dave Matthews Band and a couple dozen others. Also on the bill will be Kris Kristofferson, one of Nelson’s few remaining peers.
The reason for the celebration is an American original who defies easy categorization. Nelson was born in Abbott in 1933 and was drawn to the radio as a kid. His success in making music has been a testament to persistence as well as a resolve to be himself. Nelson worked as a DJ on the Pacific Coast before moving to Houston in the late 1950s where he wrote and played his songs for sparse crowds at the Esquire Ballroom. He took his tunes to Nashville, which tried and failed to turn him into a boilerplate honky tonk star. So Nelson returned to Texas and reinvented himself as a country-hippie icon. By age 40, Nelson was making music his way — and he found an audience in the process. A star became an icon: a bearded, braided, pot-smoking, tour bus-dwelling performer who cut his own path.
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Is Willie Nelson still alive?
Six years after releasing “Still Not Dead,” Willie Nelson is still alive. After a news report suggested he’d checked out several years ago, Nelson wrote the line “I woke up still not dead again today.” In fact, he has awakened more than 2,000 times not dead since the song’s release.
How old is Willie Nelson?
Today, April 29, 2023, Willie Nelson is 90. His birth certificate would tell a different story: That Nelson is 89.999 years old. He was born so late on the 29th that the incorrect date was put on the official paperwork. Rather than quibble, it’s easier to just celebrate over two days.
Who is playing with Willie Nelson?
Trigger will be played by Willie Nelson. That’s his weathered Martin N-20 guitar, which he’s played since 1969. Special guests at the show include George Strait, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Booker T. Young, Lyle Lovett, Gary Clark Jr., Beck, Chris Stapleton, the Chicks, the Dave Matthews Band and dozens of others. Also on the bill will be Mickey Raphael, who has played harmonica with Willie for 50 years. Mickey is the last living member of Willie’s classic 1970s Family band.
Where is Willie Nelson from?
Willie Nelson is from everywhere. He was born in Abbott, Texas, but he’s traveled the world making music with his friends. After years of touring tirelessly, he’s circulated so much as to transcend time and place. Tonight and tomorrow he’s from Hollywood, where he’ll play two birthday shows. Then he’ll get on the bus and be from somewhere else. Then he’ll get on the bus and be from somewhere else. But what direction does the bus head when he says he’s going home? Probably toward Spicewood, Texas. Or he catches a flight to his home in Maui.