Willie Nelson
Born on Apr. 30, 1933 in Abbott, Texas, Willie Nelson has been writing songs and performing them with a variety of bands since the mid-'50s. Among his best-known songs are "Crazy," "Funny How Time Slips Away," "Whiskey River" and "On the Road Again."
Nelson has more than 80 albums to his credit. He releases at least one album a year. Nelson latest album, To All the Duets...,featured duets with some of Nelson's favorite female singers.
In addition to his music career, Nelson has appeared as an actor in 35 movies, including The Electric Horseman, Honeysuckle Rose, Barbarosa, Red Headed Stranger, Wag the Dog, Half Baked, The Big Bounce, The Dukes of Hazzard, Beerfest and Surfer, Dude.
He's also the author of seven books. His latest, Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings From the Road, came out in 2012.
Nelson's stoner credentials are impeccable:
• He smoked pot on the roof of the White House when Jimmy Carter was president.
• He's a member of NORML's advisory board.
• He's appeared on cover of High Times four times.
Nelson has also been arrested four times for marijuana possession. During a border checkpoint stop and search of his tour bus on Nov. 26, 2010 in Sierra Blanca, Texas, he was charged with possession of three ounces of marijuana. Following the arrest, Nelson and CelebStoner started the Teapot Party.
He was previoulsy arrested in 2006 in Louisiana when his tour bus was searched and police found more than 1.5 pounds of pot and three ounces of psychedelic mushrooms aboard. His other arrests occurred in 1974 and 1994, both also in Texas.
He sings about nearly getting "busted in Laredo for reasons that I'd rather not disclose" on his song "Me and Paul," which was featured on the Hempilation 2 CD in 1998.
His 2005 album Countryman - which blends country music and reggae - sports a big pot leaf on the cover.
Nelson has long championed the plight of family farms. He headlines the annual Farm Aid concert. He also favors family farmers growing hemp.
Despite advancing age, Nelson continues to tour with his "Family" band that includes his older sister Bobbie on keyboards.
His latest theme song is titled, "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me (Before I Die)."
Nelson has been married four times and has six children. Several of his children - Paula, Lukas and Mica - are musicians as well. Nelson and his current wife Annie wed in 1991. They live in Maui when he's not "On the Road Again."
