(From Yahoo! Music) In his 75 creative, prolific years, Willie Nelson has released hundreds of albums and recorded thousands of songs, delivered with a simplicity and sincerity that few artists can achieve. He's logged countless miles on the road, yet he still finds time to campaign for family farms and biofuel, and speak out for causes he holds dear, like peace, pot, and politics. He writes books, hawks his own brand of bourbon, and makes acting appearances -- all without taking himself too seriously. It's hard to imagine an artist who better epitomizes American music, or America itself: idealistic, hard-working, sincere, scarred, and uniquely beautiful. At the risk of belaboring a sappy metaphor, Willie's music does have a certain melting-pot quality. From his country roots in Abbott, Texas, Willie's sound has evolved to include blues, pop standards, reggae, jazz, and rock. He's covered dozens of artists' songs, from Elvis to Dave Matthews to Cyndi Lauper to The Muppets. But it's Willie's many, many duets that delight us the most. He's worked with countless country greats, from Waylon Jennings to Kris Kristofferson to Johnny Cash -- including moments of divine cheesiness with Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers -- and younger stars like Shania Twain and Toby Keith. He's crooned with Sinatra, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, and Sinead O'Connor, and gotten bluesy with Ray Charles and Eric Clapton. He embraced his folk side with Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, and Paul Simon, and felt some Latin love with Julio Iglesias. And he's rocked out with Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Steven Tyler, ZZ Top, Keith Richards, and Bon Jovi. Just last week, Willie appeared with his latest genre-bending collaborator: Snoop Dogg (in Amsterdam, naturally). We can't wait to see what Willie will do next. Suggested Sites... Willie Nelson - official site of the prolific artist, actor, and activist. Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute - featuring many artists' versions of Willie's pro-peace song, "A Peaceful Solution." BioWillie - Willie's own biofuel. Farm Aid - 20+ years of support for America's family farms.

Directory categories: Willie Nelson, Country Music Lyrics, Songwriters, Biodiesel, Country Music

Archived under: Counterculture, Country Music, Energy, Environment, Music, Songs, Willie Nelson, Writers

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