It’s been a rough couple of years for us country music fans. We lost iconic authentic legends that paved the way for so many. With the passing of Kris Kristofferson, arguably one of the very best songwriters to grace planet earth, It made me think how truly blessed we are to still have Willie walking among us at the young age of 92!
Willie has topped the Billboard charts an unprecedented fifty five times across multiple genres! Some of the notable genres include country, bluegrass, blues, folk and wait for it.. Reggae! Lol, I know some of you are saying that the latter makes sense given one of his favorite pastimes in ganja.. But I was personally impressed with his chart topping status in Jazz as I was unaware of it.. Mr. Nelson has topped the Jazz charts in both Traditional Jazz and the main Jazz chart seven times, wow!
But if you’ve been truly listening to Willie’s music across the years, then you know that Willie has always blended influences, and notes, the end result being music that is memorable and heartfelt. Crazy and Night Life are two songs that come to mind that showcase Willie’s eclectic sojourns. The latter also comes with a heartbreaking story of the early lean years The Redheaded Stranger endured with much sacrifice.
In the late 1950’s Willie was a struggling artist and a new dad, and his career was not immediately taking off. Pappy Daily signed him to his label. His Starday imprint also housed the greatest country singer of all time, which is my and Frank Sinatra’s opinion George Jones. Willie wanted to record a new song he had written, but Pappy didn’t think it was country. Sound familiar? A bit later, around 1959, he sold the song to a local guitar teacher for $150.00 which is about $1600 today.
Willie believed in the song, and recorded it under the pseudonym Hugh Nelson in order to avoid legal hassles with Pappy. Night Life is the song in question, and has been covered over 100 times by everyone from Aretha Franklin to David Lee Roth. Ray Price’s signature version is one of the most successful to date here in the U.S. becoming a top 30 hit.
The song was also recut by Willie on one of his chart topping Jazz albums Two Men With The Blues w/ a little help from Jazz virtuoso Wyntom Marsalis.
Willie has also charted 14 songs on the Adult Contemporary charts including this one that climbed all the way to number two.
You’ll be glad to know that Willie’s 4th of July Picnic is back in Austin this year. Willie has been putting on this community festival since 1973. He said, if he’s going to be there at 92 years of age, you should too! Here are the deets:
What: Willie Nelson’s Annual 4th of July Picnic
Where: Germania Insurance Arena
When: July 4, 2025.
Interesting factoid. Did you know that in 1974, Willie Nelson appeared on the inaugural episode of Austin City Limits ? ACL recently celebrated 50 years of amazing live shows. If you are able to make it to the picnic this year, your ears will be treated to Bob Dylan. Maybe he’ll sing Tangled Up In Blue. :)
Back to our original question, is Willie Nelson a jazz singer? Well, Mr. Nelson is among a handful of artists that has been successful across decades, genres, and audiences. When I was conducting the research for this piece I was dumbfounded by the fact that Willie has never topped the Billboard Hot 100. As a matter of fact, his highest charting solo single reached #5! I would love to see Willie hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Much of Mr. Nelson's success comes from crafting enduring heartfelt songs that have become part of the country music canon. His very authentic larger than life persona and empathy towards the plight of humans as noted by founding Farm Aid and supporting over 20 causes including Feeding America, and the United Way.
I've read so many criticisms of Willie's voice: nasally, off pitch, behind the beat. I've even read harsh remarks about Sinatra, unbelievably.
The music is made for the fans, and some fans like myself are also musicians, bloggers, columnists and in other areas of the media. Our opinions sometimes reflect the general consensus, and sometimes it does not, and that's ok. Is Willie Nelson a jazz singer? No, he's not, but he does have one of the most iconic and unique voices I've ever heard across all of his musical journeys. I cannot imagine music without Willie Nelson.
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