Country music legend Willie Nelson is reeling in his 89th birthday with the release of his 72nd solo studio album, A Beautiful Time. Full of new and gorgeous recordings like “Dusty Bottles” as well as covers of classic Beatles and Leonard Cohen songs, the album is a testament to Nelson’s long, wild and prosperous career.
In honor of the album’s arrival on his birthday, we’re taking a look at some of the most iconic moments from Nelson’s 89 trips around the sun. Tune into Audacy's Willie Nelson Radio to celebrate one of the Kings of Country music!
Nelson smoked weed on the roof of the White House with Jimmy Carter’s son in the 80s
Former President Jimmy Carter fostered a strong relationship with musicians throughout his presidency and would often invite artists like Nelson, The Allman Brothers and Bob Dylan to perform at the White House. During a break in Nelsons’ 1980 performance, the singer was invited up to the roof by the President’s son, Chip Carter, where the two smoked a joint together. Nelson recounted the hilarious tale to Conan O’Brien on the Conan Needs a Friend podcast, telling Conan, “we also went down to the basement where they have a bowling alley down there. I didn’t bowl or nothing, but that night I got to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom. That’s a pretty cool place.”
Nelson wrote Patsy Cline’s hit song, “Crazy”
Nelson originally wrote the lyrics for Patsy Cline’s biggest pop hit, “Crazy” on his morning commute to work. In the late 1950s, Nelson was constantly traveling between three different jobs in Houston to make a living and would often spend those bus rides between work writing lyrics. After moving to Nashville in 1960, he met songwriters and performers like Hank Cochran and Billy Walker, the latter of whom went onto record Nelson’s song, “Funny How Time Slips Away.” After gaining some recognition in the Nashville music scene, Nelson's “Crazy” was pitched to Cline who was initially ambivalent towards the track due to Nelson’s choice of chords. Speaking about his unique approach to songwriting, Nelson said, “I enjoyed fooling around with the phrasing, but it made my sound non-commercial for all those Nashville ears who were listening for the same old stuff and misunderstood anything original… I had problems immediately with my song ‘Crazy’ because it had four or five chords in it. Not that ‘Crazy’ is real complicated; it just wasn’t your basic three-chord country hillbilly song.” Luckily Cline eventually agreed to record the song which went on to be her only Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the number nine spot. “Crazy” is now considered to be a Country music staple; you can hear how Nelson originally arranged the song here.
Willie and his sister Bobbie wrote a children’s book about their childhood
In 2021, Willie and his sister Bobbie co-released the children’s book, “Sister, Brother, Family: An American Childhood in Music,” which follows the siblings throughout their turbulent yet inspiring childhood. Raised in rural Texas amidst The Great Depression, the two grew up singing in church and would often perform gigs around Abott, Texas to help put food on the table. Speaking about the relationship between religion and music on Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast, Willie said, “Music brings us all together. I don’t think there’s anybody, any religious organization or whatever out there that someone in there doesn’t like music. Music is what people travel a long way to see… There’s an energy exchange that takes place out there on the stage. I know we get the feedback from the people who like what we do, and they like what we do, or they wouldn’t be there. So there’s a great reaction there that I look forward to at every show.” To Willie, the act of performing itself feels like church, telling Brown, “And it don’t matter if it’s a church or a beer joint. It’s all love.”
Nelson built his own cowboy town in Texas
After the successful release of Nelson’s 1975 concept album, Red Headed Stranger, the singer teamed up with screenwriter William Witliff to write a movie script based on the album. Having been rejected by Universal Studios, the duo decided to finance the film themselves and commissioned architecture students from the University of Texas to build a set for the movie. The fictional town was built across from Pedernales Country Club, a golf course near Austin, Texas that Nelson purchased in 1979, and features old-fashioned, saloon-styled buildings. Per the plot of the film, the “town” was supposed to be burned down, but Nelson grew attached to the set and decided not to burn it down. Instead, he built a home for himself in the town and renamed the set, “Luck, Texas.” Nelson once said in an interview with The Telegraph, “I like being from Texas because in Texas no one is in control, everyone polices their own area and there is a whole lot of area down there to cover.” Enjoying his newfound cowboy town, Nelson turned Luck into a creative hub where he would invite his dear friends Johnny Cash, Neil Young and Billy Joe Shaver to make music. To this day, Nelson continues to host concerts and events in Luck, with a special birthday celebration coming up on the property.
Nelson walked away from a plane crash unscathed
Nelson has often found himself in many dangerous situations, but the one that takes the cake is when he survived a plane crash. Larry Trader, a close friend of Nelson’s, recounted the event in, Willie: An Autobiography, stating, “Willie was flying into the landing strip near Happy Shahan’s Western town that they used for the Alamo movie set. Happy is watching the plane coming in, knowing Willie is on it. The plane hits a big chughole in the strip and flips over on its side and crashes. Happy likes news and publicity, you know, so first thing he does is pick up the phone and call the radio stations, the TV, the newspapers. Happy says, ‘Willie Nelson’s plane just crashed. Y’all better hurry.’ He jumped in a Jeep and drove out to the crash to pick up the remains. And here comes Willie and his pilot, limping up the road. The media people was arriving by then. They started firing questions at Willie. How did he survive? Was he dying? Was he even hurt? Willie smiles and says, ‘Why, this was a perfect landing. I walked away from it, didn’t I?'”
Join us in celebrating the seemingly invincible and endlessly fascinating Willie Nelson by tuning into Audacy's Willie Nelson Radio!
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Check out and favorite even more of our all-new Country stations like Audacy New Country, Tailgate Crashers, Jake Owen's Tiki Tonk, Country Edge, and Katie Neal's Leading Ladies for some of the best from the female side of Country music.
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