Heartbreaking: Willie Nelson American singer and guitarist Just Passed Away At The Aged of 91…see..more…

Heartbreaking: Willie Nelson American singer and guitarist Just Passed Away At The Aged of 91…see..more…Willie Nelson in concert

Willie Nelson performs in concert during Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022 in Luck, Texas. Gary Miller / Getty Images for Shock Ink

Willie Nelson’s unofficial theme song, “On the Road Again,” remains accurate as he turns 90. The country music legend, who celebrated his birthday this past Saturday, is on tour, with dates scheduled into October.

 

Assessing Nelson’s legacy is challenging, because there are so many Willies to assess. There is historical Willie Nelson, child of the Depression. There is iconic Willie Nelson, near-embodiment of Texas myth. There is outlaw Willie Nelson, revolutionizing the country music industry. There is activist Willie Nelson, Farm Aid’s co-founder and biofuel pioneer. There is Willie Nelson the songwriter of rare and poignant gifts, and more Willie Nelsons yet to be named.

 

 

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As a Texas music historian, I find that Nelson’s legacy also challenges appraisal because the concept assumes closure, a pastness, while the man at 90 still seems to be active everywhere. The LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas recently announced the Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities. Nelson headlined a star-studded tribute concert weekend in honor of his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29 and 30. And the country outlaw is a current nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

 

While Nelson’s story is vast, it can be distilled down to this: He sprang from the Texas cotton fields and earned his spurs in the state’s dance halls before becoming one of Nashville’s signature songwriters in the 1960s. He then returned to Texas a prodigal son, fostering Austin’s musical ascent and, as the story goes, brokering a peace between the warring rednecks and hippies. He redefined country music’s image and industry through the outlaw revolt of the 1970s. He catapulted to pop stardom in the 1980s but always went