Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.
Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar" and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s".
In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their "Prismatone" pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid off in 1993.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.
On the Sunny Side of the Street
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over
If I never have a cent
I'll be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street
I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over
If I never have a cent
I'll be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street
Willie Nelson's "On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a buoyant and optimistic song that encourages listeners to leave their worries behind and focus on the brighter side of life. The song's narrator urges the listener to put on their coat and hat and step outside into the sunshine, where they will find happiness waiting for them. Even the sound of raindrops becomes a joyful tune to dance along to, and life becomes a truly sweet experience. The singer admits to having once walked in the shade, wearing the "blues on parade", but that time has passed, and now they are unafraid to live on the sunny side.
The song's protagonist speaks to the idea that money is not everything; they can be as rich as Rockefeller without a penny to their name. The idea of gold dust at their feet speaks to the wealth of joy and positivity that comes from living on the sunny side of the street. The song is a reminder that choosing to focus on the good things in life, regardless of the circumstances, can bring happiness and a sense of wealth that cannot be measured in dollars and cents.
The song was originally written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields in 1930 and has been covered by numerous artists, including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. It was also featured in several films, including the 1951 musical film "Royal Wedding," starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. The song's upbeat and infectious melody has made it a classic of the American songbook, a song that always brings a smile to the listener's face.
Line by Line Meaning
Grab your coat and get your hat
Get ready and leave all your worries behind
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Forget about your troubles before you leave
Just direct your feet
Just walk towards a happier place
To the sunny side of the street
To a more positive part of life
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Can't you feel the rhythm of life's joys?
And that happy tune is your step
When you're happy, it's reflected in your walk
Life can be so sweet
Life can be really enjoyable
On the sunny side of the street
If you stay positive, life will be more enjoyable
I used to walk in the shade
I used to dwell on negative thoughts
With those blues on parade
With sadness and despair reflecting in my life
But I'm not afraid
But now I'm no longer scared
This Rover crossed over
I have chosen to change my attitude
If I never have a cent
Even if I don't have much money
I'll be rich as Rockefeller
I'll feel rich because of my perspective on life
Gold dust at my feet
I'll have happiness and joy in abundance
On the sunny side of the street
Because I choose to see the positive side of life
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sherry hoskins
I bought this album when it first came out. It never gets old!
patrizia iusco
Lo posseggo anch'io ed e' un vero piccolo tesoro,ogni brano e' bello.
bobvocal
The one and only Willie Nelson that voice is unmistakable!!
helterskelter24
In my opinion his best album
Donna L. Carl Kuchinski
Willie IS the sunshine!!! We love you!
Anupama Keats
Best of Willie.Very eclectic!
Tony DiMaggio
Happy Birthday Willie, thanks for all the great music.
Mr. Harker
Great music to destress with.
Joyce Hebert
THANK YOU WILLIE FOR 50+YEARS OF BEING MY GO TOO FOR THE CRAPPIEST OF TIMES
Carl-LaFong
Just wait until April of 2020. It's a little crappier.