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Willie: An Autobiography
The songwriter and country singer who has transcended his background to become an American folk hero describes his poor childhood, his stormy marriages, and his wild experiences with drugs and alcohol
419 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
23 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Willie Nelson
130 books331 followersWillie Hugh Nelson is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and notorious country music singers. He reached his greatest fame during the so-called "outlaw country" movement of the 1970s, but remains iconic, especially in American popular culture. In recent years he has continued to tour, record, and perform, and this, combined with activities in advocacy of cannabis, as well as a well-publicized 2006 arrest for cannabis possession, have made him the subject of renewed media attention.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 14, 2012
"Willie" is in a more "stories about Willie and what he thinks" form than an actual narrative of his life ala Bob Dylan's Chronicle Vol. 1. There are other books that give the cohesive timeline and life stories, but this one offers some great tales from the mouth of Willie and his peers. The focus of the book seems to be off many times, going into subjects like golf or astrology that are off topic to the reader. Of course it's very out of date, with 24 years having past since the release of the book. It's a page turner, but a more recent book such as "Willie Nelson: An Epic Life" would be more beneficial for knowing his life story.
June 12, 2020
So many of Willie Nelson's songs are on the soundtrack of our lives. My personal soundtrack includes Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (played constantly at the cottage), The Red-Headed Stranger album, Willie's cover of Stardust, and Patsy Cline's cover of Crazy. His autobiography tells the story of a rollicking life of concert dates, golf games and women (not necessarily in that order). But there is also a deeply still, spiritual side to Willie that is the source of his creativity and energy. He is a very intuitive person, and talks about training yourself to trust your intuition. He is in touch with himself and with the world around him, and when you read the book, you can feel the circular flow of energy between himself and his world.
There were parts of the book that were foreign to me - the wildness of the days on the road, and the drug life- but ultimately, I enjoyed the book, and ended with a different kind of respect for Willie. I always respected his songwriting talent, and now I respect him as a good citizen of the planet.
There were parts of the book that were foreign to me - the wildness of the days on the road, and the drug life- but ultimately, I enjoyed the book, and ended with a different kind of respect for Willie. I always respected his songwriting talent, and now I respect him as a good citizen of the planet.
June 3, 2020
A fascinating look at the man at a point in time when his star was at its peak. Published in 1988, 32 years later Willie Nelson is still as relevant today as he was then, perhaps even more so. This autobiography gives an insight into the legend who rose up out of a dirt shack, was raised by his grandparents, and became one of the most recognizable Americans of his time. There's lots of wisdom, lots of poetry, lots of advice, and lots, and lots of references to weed, including the infamous White House roof incident chronicled here for the first time.
May 30, 2019
I have never been a big Willie fan but do like a lot of his music and songs. His history is very interesting. I like his spiritual nature and his loyalty to his friends. He definitely sounds like an old soul. Any Willie fan would be interested in this book.
January 31, 2020
Willie an Autobiography by Willie Nelson With Bud Shrake by Simon and Schruster is a book about Willie Nelson and how he is going through the steps of becoming who he is now today. This book was not rated 5 stars because of how it has not been updated for almost 30 years and lot more has occured since then. Willie Nelson in his book talks about the tradgedies about how the persute for love could not side with him. And that is very different from today he is now married to Annie D'angelo and they have been married +25 years now happily together. In this book it talks about how his daughter Lana has helped him keep going and his mother as well. He vividly talked about how the audience when he was on stage would put him on a whole new level of a high. This autobiography is very well done and it also gives others testimonials in this book of an event they went through.
September 2, 2024
I think this book started off OK with interesting tidbits about growing up in Texas. It was interesting to envision some of the cities in Texas I’ve been in and how they would have looked duringWillie’s time. However, I don’t know a lot about country music and the big wigs in the field around that time, so the names and the places, and the bands mentioned did not mean much to me over time, and I lost interest in this book. I could not finish it. My husband had told me how much he enjoyed reading this book which is why I tried it. I actually lost interest mostly when he started extolling the virtues of weed, and the most important day of his life was when his friend introduced him to weed. Just a bit much.
October 26, 2019
Very interesting learning of all things Willie Nelson.
January 15, 2020
Seems like a good bloke
February 17, 2020
Waste of money
The self-belief that if you don’t follow the rules will make you successful and well-loved is certainly narcissistic. Too preachy.
The self-belief that if you don’t follow the rules will make you successful and well-loved is certainly narcissistic. Too preachy.
March 17, 2025
Damn, cowboys have always been and always will be lesbian and bisexual ❤️
September 26, 2007
I just dig Willie Nelson. I don’t have a lot of his records and I’m no expert on the man but he always struck me as an alright guy. The kind of guy it would be a real pleasure to hang out with. He’s always stood out in my mind as a truly great lyricist. “Time Of The Preacher” comes to mind right away as a set of lyrics that hit me hard and really stayed with me. The man was friendly with two of my other heroes, Roger Miller and Johnny Cash. His support of and open use of marijuana is something I respect. He’s just a character and a character I’ve always found interest in.
When I found Willie’s autobiography Wilmot’s Books in Alameda for less than half the cover price, I snatched it up immediately. This is Willie’s story told in Willie’s words, aided and abetted by family members, friends, band mates, road crew, ex-wives, acquaintances and business associates. Coauthor Bud Shrake has been a writer and a co-conspirator on several of Willie’s films and has obviously known Nelson for years. This book reads like a real honest, intimate, inside look at Nelson as a man, musician, songwriter and human being.
Willie: An Autobiography chronicles Nelson’s life from childhood (growing up hard, picking cotton to contribute to the family income and getting his first guitar, a Stella, at age six) to his early struggles as a songwriter through his success and fame as a performer and actor not to mention business owner and entrepreneur. You get an inside look at how he wrote killer songs like “Crazy”, “Hello Walls”, "On The Road Again” and “Red Headed Stranger”. The Farm Aids, the 4th Of July Picnics, the marriages, the tours, the fist fights; it’s all here.
Nelson spends an entire chapter discussing his spiritual and religious views. There’s even a chapter on Neloson's astrological chart. Certainly many readers would find this fascinating reading but I had a hard time getting through it.
He talks about his weed consumption and tells a great story about smoking a joint with a friend on the roof of The White House. His thoughts on legalization: “I would be in favor of legalizing marijuana entirely, but I don’t like to think of a government having the power to legalize something like an herb. An herb belongs to us people to use as we need and it is no government’s business.” He talks about how he used grass to quit smoking cigarettes, which is pretty smart if you think about it.
Nelson’s stories about country stars like Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and more are fabulous. The no nonsense way he talks about these people gives a unique insight into their personalities. His story of how he passed on doing The Gambler because he was busy with Red Headed Stranger is as interesting and telling as is his tale of selling the rights to “Night Life”, one of the most recorded songs in history, for a mere $150.
Willie and company tell it pretty straight and pull no punches. You’re left with the feeling you got to know Willie and would like to be part of his world, hang out with his gang. Willie is a good read and an insightful look at one of the great songsters of our time.
When I found Willie’s autobiography Wilmot’s Books in Alameda for less than half the cover price, I snatched it up immediately. This is Willie’s story told in Willie’s words, aided and abetted by family members, friends, band mates, road crew, ex-wives, acquaintances and business associates. Coauthor Bud Shrake has been a writer and a co-conspirator on several of Willie’s films and has obviously known Nelson for years. This book reads like a real honest, intimate, inside look at Nelson as a man, musician, songwriter and human being.
Willie: An Autobiography chronicles Nelson’s life from childhood (growing up hard, picking cotton to contribute to the family income and getting his first guitar, a Stella, at age six) to his early struggles as a songwriter through his success and fame as a performer and actor not to mention business owner and entrepreneur. You get an inside look at how he wrote killer songs like “Crazy”, “Hello Walls”, "On The Road Again” and “Red Headed Stranger”. The Farm Aids, the 4th Of July Picnics, the marriages, the tours, the fist fights; it’s all here.
Nelson spends an entire chapter discussing his spiritual and religious views. There’s even a chapter on Neloson's astrological chart. Certainly many readers would find this fascinating reading but I had a hard time getting through it.
He talks about his weed consumption and tells a great story about smoking a joint with a friend on the roof of The White House. His thoughts on legalization: “I would be in favor of legalizing marijuana entirely, but I don’t like to think of a government having the power to legalize something like an herb. An herb belongs to us people to use as we need and it is no government’s business.” He talks about how he used grass to quit smoking cigarettes, which is pretty smart if you think about it.
Nelson’s stories about country stars like Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and more are fabulous. The no nonsense way he talks about these people gives a unique insight into their personalities. His story of how he passed on doing The Gambler because he was busy with Red Headed Stranger is as interesting and telling as is his tale of selling the rights to “Night Life”, one of the most recorded songs in history, for a mere $150.
Willie and company tell it pretty straight and pull no punches. You’re left with the feeling you got to know Willie and would like to be part of his world, hang out with his gang. Willie is a good read and an insightful look at one of the great songsters of our time.
May 21, 2025
A gem. Willie tells it like it is, and then a little more. And we see his story from the perspectives of many in his circle as well, as each chapter written from Willie's perspective is paired with a chapter written by his relatives and crew. This book had me checking the publishing date several times to confirm that it was actually from 1988 and not from the past five years or so - there's just so much of Willie's long career that still seems relevant. He shares his perspective on growing up in Central Texas, on life on the road, on becoming famous, on the music industry, on love and marriage, as well as his beliefs and spiritual insights. I have to say I really enjoyed this book!
January 28, 2009
I have always been a fan of Willie's music. Now I am a huge fan of Willie himself :) An easy read & incredibly entertaining. You don't have to be a fan of Willie's music or even country music to enjoy this book.
September 6, 2007
Great autobiography told from a good hearted person.
February 12, 2008
This is on my to-read list and I don't even own a copy, but I'm giving it 5 stars. Because it is Willie Nelson's autobiography and it has to be better than The Tao of Willie.
October 21, 2010
A lot of great stories. Willie tells it like it is and doesn't pull his punches.
May 20, 2011
Willie seems to always play the straight man, but his sense of humor is immense.Kind of rambling,like Willie.I rate him up with people like Strummer and Cash.
December 10, 2011
Good book. I know now why my brother in law (RIP) loved him so much! CRAZY!
August 17, 2012
great insight to Willie, but only if you're a true fan.
September 18, 2015
I liked this old autobiography.
December 21, 2015
Willie Nelson seems like both a larger than life figure and the most down-to-earth guy in the world.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews