Who Is Willie Nelson?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by David Stabler, Who HQ, Tim Foley (illustrator)

Learn how a boy from Texas with an early talent for music grew up to become one of the most legendary country artists of our time in this addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Willie Nelson showed interest and promise in music at a young age. After being gifted a guitar by his grandpa at age six, Willie wrote his first song at age seven. He continued to be involved in music throughout his youth, singing in dance halls and honky-tonks to earn money.

Though talented and hardworking, Willie had trouble finding success at first as a recording artist. But Willie persisted as a songwriter. His popularity soared when he moved to Austin, Texas, in the 1970s and played his own style of country music known as outlaw country. He released iconic albums like Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger, and Stardust, and became known for hit singles including "Crazy," "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," and "On the Road Again."

Since then, Willie has released countless more popular albums and singles, solidifying him as a country legend. Not only that, he is a businessman, author, and activist—showing support to American farmers through his farm aid fundraising concerts.

Learn the fascinating story of how Willie Nelson has become a beloved American songwriter, well-known activist, and the country superstar we all know and love today.

Genres: Nonfiction

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 27, 2025

Reviews

[Amanda up North · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my 86th read from the Who/What/Where series. Of these historical figure boographies, the musicians and artists are always must-reads for me.
There are an array of great musicians in the series and Willie Nelson was added this year. I learned a few things about Willie that I hadn't known, like the fact that his parents both left him shortly after he was born, and how long he persevered before finding musical success. I was reminded of a few things I'd maybe known but forgotten, like Willie's IRS issues, and that he wrote Patsy Cline's hit song, Crazy. (I knew that didn't I?)

I've always maintained that these books pack in all the interesting and important stuff without having to read a 600 page tome, and I've credited my ability to answer trivia questions to these condensed biographies. Not long ago, I was telling someone just that when they said, "Oh, yeah! The biggest winner in Jeopardy history - that's how he studied! He read children's nonfiction." I feel validated!

When it comes to this series, I rate the books, not the people who are the subject of the books, and the more of them I read, the more I rate the books against eachother. Some make me feel a lot, some don't. This one didn't.
This was pretty average/good.. It was fair to Willie, while also being honest. It was informative, but didn't wow me or make me feel much. I'm not sure how I feel about the marijuana references in an adolescent book, other than- can you have an honest biography about Willie Nelson without mentioning marijuana? Still, I don't know about the way it's done.

Not a favorite. Not up there with the Who books about Galileo, Temple Grandin, and Milton Hershey.
But no bones to pick either, like with the ones done on Bob Dylan and Queen Elizabeth!
I liked it just fine.

"One thing is for sure: There will never be another Willie Nelson."

[Susan's Sweat Smells Like Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This was a good one in this series. My only quibble is that I would have liked to see a brief discussion of how Willie developed his singing style.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and age appropriate.