Although Willie Nelson didn’t become a star until the mid-’70s, Nelson spent the ’60s releasing a series of records that earned him a small but devoted cult following. During the early ’70s, Willie aligned himself with Waylon Jennings and the burgeoning outlaw country movement, which eventually turned him into a star in 1975. Following the crossover success of that year’s Red Headed Stranger, which included the classic song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” Nelson became a genuine star, as recognizable in pop circles as he was to the country audience. In addition to recording, he also launched an acting career in the early ’80s. Even as a star, Willie never played it safe musically. Instead, he borrowed from a wide variety of styles. During the ’90s and into the 2000s, Nelson remains a vital icon in country music, having greatly influenced the new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the ’80s and ’90s, as well as leaving behind a legacy of classic songs and recordings. And he’s still recording. He released the album God’s Problem Child in 2017. Willie Nelson remains a big draw at venues across the country.
