Trivia

On the last night of his first marriage with Martha, Willie came home drunk and passed out on the bed. Willie's wife sewed him up in a sheet and then beat him with a broom and then getting away in the car with the kids, her clothes, and his clothes. Willie said there was no way he could follow her naked so that was kind of the end of it.

When the IRS seized his possessions to sell at auction to try and collect money to pay his tax debt, many of Willie's fans bought his stuff and then gave it back to him. (It's been said that the fans did this as a way of saying thank you for all the free concerts Nelson performed in support of Farm Aid). The only major possessions not seized by the IRS was Willie's guitar and his tour bus so he could earn a living.

Because Willie's favorite Martin classical acoustic guitar never had a scratch plate, his persistent use of a pick for over 30 years has worn a gaping hole through his instrument's body. Further defacement of the wooden body was caused by Willie's insistence that friends and associates inscribe their autographs on his guitar using a ball-point pen. Some of the numerous signatures collected over the years include, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Gene Autry Leon Russell, Roger Miller, along with various football coaches and lawyers, etc.

Owns a selection of about 15 guitars, but the one he plays mostly on tour, is his Martin acoustic which he refers to as "Trigger", named after Roy Rogers's horse.

Willie's eco-friendly tour bus is called the "Honeysuckle Rose IV" and runs on a variety of biofuels.

Toby Keith asked if he wanted to record a duet with him. Willie agreed after simply hearing the title of the song without even reading the lyrics: "Whiskey for My Men, Beer for My Horses".

Is one of the three "outlaws" of country music, named because of their wild personalities, free spirits and liberal politics. The other two are Merle Haggard and the late Waylon Jennings.

Willie and his nephew, Freddy Fletcher, became co-owners of the Austin City Limits (1975) studio and nightclub. (December 2006)

Has studied martial arts for over 20 years, first in Tae Kwon Do under Sam Um, then studying Gongkwon Yusul under Um. Nelson holds a 5th-degree black belt in the art, having received it in 2014.

Performed at the 1994 wedding reception of Microsoft's Bill Gates and Melinda Gates in Lanai, Hawaii.

He was raised by his paternal grandparents: William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth Smothers, after his parents got divorced.

Claims to have smoked pot on the roof of the White House with James Carter III, son of then President and dear old family friend Jimmy Carter.

In addition to being a successful country singer, he is also a songwriter and wrote hits for many other singers, including "Crazy" for Patsy Cline.

In 1985, Willie had done a duet with Ray Charles called "Seven Spanish Angels". It was on the Billboard Country Hit Chart for twelve weeks, with one week as No. 1.

His company, Willie Nelson Biodiesel, markets biodiesel biofuel to truck stops.

Counts Frank Sinatra among his all-time favorite singers.

Formed the 1980s country music supergroup "The Highwaymen" with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

He was the subject of the Toby Keith song "I'll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again".

He was a member of Ray Price's Cherokee Cowboys during the 1950s.

Attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas for one year.

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001.

Willie's favorite guitar player is Django Reinhardt and he chose his 1969 Martin N-20 acoustic based on its tonal similarities to Reinhardt's guitar. Willie purchased his instrument unseen for $750 and due to its ascendancy into legendary status over the years, the Martin company issued a special limited edition line of Willie Nelson signature models in 1999.

Sister Bobbie Nelson is a pianist.

Children: Lana Nelson (born November 11, 1953), Susie (born May 23, 1956) and Billy (born September 16, 1958 who died in 1991), with Martha Matthews; Paula Nelson (Paula Carlene) (born October 27, 1969) and Amy Nelson (Amy Lee) (born July 6, 1973), with Connie Nelson; Lukas Nelson (Lukas Autry) (born December 25, 1988) and Micah Nelson (Jacob Micah) (born May 24, 1990), with Annie D'Angelo.

He has been a passionate martial arts practitioner since childhood. He first began practicing with Judo and Jiujitsu self-defense manuals he ordered from Batman and Superman comics and later began practicing Kung Fu when he moved to Nashville. He currently holds a second-level black belt in Taekwondo and a fifth-level black belt in the hybrid martial art GongKwon Yusul.

Is one of the Four Horsemen of the Country Music Apocalypse along with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

His ex wife Martha Matthews once sewed him up in a bed sheet and beat him with a broomstick.

Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin, Texas in March 2002.

Was considered for the role of Red Webster in Road House (1989), which went to Red West.

There is a guest character named after him in an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000) (titled "The Shaving").

His character Billy "Catch" Pooler in the comedy movie Gone Fishin' (1997) was inspired by a real person, Loren "Totch" Brown of Chokoloskee, Florida. "Totch" had a small role in the movie Wind Across the Everglades (1958), portraying "One-Note" and acting under the name Totch Brown.

Father of Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson from his marriage to Annie D'Angelo.

Mentioned in the song "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" by Big & Rich.