After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player.

Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten.

Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.

The critical success of his album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country singer, guitarist and songwriter.