Overview

Journey through Willie Nelson's rebellious, prolific, and enduring career with this richly illustrated tour of the beloved singer-songwriter's 100-plus albums. Few musicians or celebrities are as widely adored as Willie Nelson. The legendary Texas singer-songwriter is still recording and performing music well into his nineties. In this photo-filled coffee-table gift book, noted country/roots/Americana music writer Geoffrey Himes traces Nelson's entire career through the lens of his albums, examining: Nelson's influences and early career as a songwriterThe circumstances of each album's writing and recordingStudio musicians and personnelHow each album fit into Nelson's career arc and the evolution of his craft In addition, Himes offers a sidebar for each album that includes: An image of the album sleeveRecording and release datesSingle releasesChart positions for singles and albums Along the way, read about Nelson's film roles, notable collaborators, famous Fourth of July picnics, iconic Martin guitar ""Trigger,"" and involvement in causes like Farm Aid, biodiesel fuels, and marijuana legalization.  The text, together with more than 250 images of Nelson on- and offstage, make for a unique and visually entertaining celebration of an American treasure who has transcended America's increasing polarization to become a national treasure.

Full Product Details

Author:   Geoffrey Himes
Publisher:   Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Imprint:   Motorbooks
Edition:   New Edition
Dimensions:   Width: 20.30cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.980kg
ISBN:  

9780760395844

ISBN 10:   0760395845
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   09 October 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE: AND THEN I WROTE SIDEMAN AND SONGWRITER, 1933–1963 One Hell of a Ride Willie Nelson A Classic & Unreleased Collection Crazy: The Demo Sessions The Early Years And Then I Wrote . . .  Here’s Willie Nelson The Early Years: The Complete Liberty Recordings Plus More CHAPTER TWO: MY OWN PECULIAR WAY IN PURGATORY WITH RCA, 1965–1972 The Winning Hand (Monument, 1982) Country Willie—His Own Songs (RCA, 1965) Country Favorites—Willie Nelson Style (RCA, 1966) Country Music Concert (RCA, 1966) Make Way for Willie Nelson (RCA, 1967) “The Party’s Over” and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs (RCA, 1967) Texas in My Soul (RCA, 1968) Good Times (RCA, 1968) My Own Peculiar Way (RCA, 1969) Both Sides Now (RCA, 1970) Laying My Burden Down (RCA, 1970) Willie Nelson and Family (RCA, 1971) The Words Don’t Fit the Pictures (RCA, 1972) The Willie Way (RCA, 1972) Naked Willie (RCA/Legacy, 2009/1972) CHAPTER THREE: RED HEADED STRANGER CONCEPT ALBUMS AND STARDOM, 1973–1978 Yesterday’s Wine (RCA, 1971) Shotgun Willie (Atlantic, 1973)                       Phases and Stages (Atlantic, 1974) The Complete Atlantic Sessions (Atlantic, 2006/1974) Red Headed Stranger (Columbia, 1975) Willie Nelson Live (RCA, 1975) Wanted! The Outlaws (RCA, 1976) The Sound in Your Mind (Columbia, 1976) The Troublemaker (Columbia, 1976) To Lefty from Willie (Columbia, 1977) Waylon & Willie (RCA, 1978) Stardust (Columbia, 1978) Willie and Family Live (Columbia, 1978) CHAPTER FOUR: OLD FRIENDS TRIBUTES, DUETS, AND SOUNDTRACKS, 1979–1982 One for the Road (Columbia, 1979) Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson (Columbia, 1979) Pretty Paper (Columbia, 1979) Sweet Memories (Columbia, 1979) The Electric Horseman (Columbia, 1979) San Antonio Rose (Columbia, 1980) Honeysuckle Rose (Columbia, 1980) Family Bible (Songbird, 1980) Willie Nelson and Dany Davis & the Nashville Brass (RCA, 1980) Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Columbia, 1981) Greatest Hits (& Some That Will Be) (Columbia, 1981) Always on My Mind (Columbia, 1982) In the Jailhouse Now (Columbia, 1982) WWII (RCA, 1982) Old Friends (Columbia, 1982) CHAPTER FIVE: TOUGHER THAN LEATHER A NEW LEASE ON LIFE, 1983–1992 Pancho & Lefty (Epic, 1983) Tougher than Leather (Columbia, 1983) Take It to the Limit (Columbia, 1983) Without a Song (Columbia, 1983) Angel Eyes (Columbia, 1984) City of New Orleans (Columbia, 1984) Music from Songwriter (Columbia, 1984) Me and Paul (Columbia, 1985) Funny How Time Slips Away (Columbia, 1985) Brand on My Heart (Columbia, 1985) Highwayman (Columbia, 1985) Half Nelson (Columbia, 1985) The Promiseland (Columbia, 1986) Partners (Columbia, 1986) Walking the Line (Epic, 1987) Island in the Sea (Columbia, 1987) Seashores of Old Mexico (Epic, 1987) What a Wonderful World (Columbia, 1988) A Horse Called Music (Columbia, 1989) Highwayman 2 (Columbia, 1990) Live from Austin TX (New West, 2006/1990) Born for Trouble (Columbia, 1990) Clean Shirt (Epic, 1991) Revolutions of Time . . . the Journey: 1975–1993 (Columbia, 1995/1992) CHAPTER SIX: SPIRIT FOLLOWING HIS MUSE, 1993–2000 Across the Borderline (Columbia, 1993) Nacogdoches Waltz (Justice, 1993) Super Hits (Legacy, 1994) Six Hours at Pedernales (Step One, 1994)  The Road Goes on Forever (Liberty, 1995) Spirit (Island, 1995) Just One Love (Justice, 1995) Augusta (Sundown, 1995) How Great Thou Art (Finer Arts, 1996) VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson (American, 1998) Teatro (Island, 1998) Night and Day (Free Falls, 1999) Me and the Drummer (Luck, 2000) Milk Cow Blues (Island, 2000) CHAPTER SEVEN: YOU DON’T KNOW ME IN THE WILDERNESS, 2001–2012 Rainbow Connection (Island, 2001) Joy (Free Falls, 2001) The Gypsy (Indigo Moon, 2001) The Great Divide (Lost Highway, 2002) All of Me—Live in Concert (BCI, 2002) Willie Nelson & Friends--Stars & Guitars (Lost Highway, 2002) The Essential Willie Nelson (Legacy, 2003) Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90—Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Legacy, 2023) Live and Kickin’ (Lost Highway, 2003) Run That by Me One More Time (Lost Highway, 2003) Live at Billy Bob’s (Smith Music 2004) Outlaws and Angels (Lost Highway, 2004) It Will Always Be (Lost Highway, 2004) Songs for Tsunami Relief: Austin to South Asia (Lost Highway, 2005) Countryman (Lost Highway, 2005) You Don’t Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker (Lost Highway, 2006) Songbird (Lost Highway, 2006) Last of the Breed (Lost Highway, 2007) It’s Magic (Diamonddisc, 2007) Moment of Forever (Lost Highway, 2008) Two Men with the Blues (Blue Note, 2008) Willie and the Wheel (Bismeaux, 2009) Lost Highway (Lost Highway, 2009) American Classic (Blue Note, 2009) Here We Go Again: Celebrating the Genius of Ray Charles (Blue Note, 2011) Remember Me, Vol. 1 (R&J, 2011) Heroes (Legacy, 2012) CHAPTER EIGHT: BAND OF BROTHERS THE COMEBACK, 2013–2024 Let’s Face the Music and Dance (Legacy, 2013) To All the Girls . . . (Legacy, 2013) Band of Brothers (Legacy, 2014) December Day . . . Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 (Legacy, 2014) Django & Jimmie (Legacy, 2015) Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin (Legacy, 2016) For the Good Times: A Tribute to Ray Price (Legacy, 2016) God’s Problem Child (Legacy, 2017) Willie and the Boys: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 (Legacy, 2017) Last Man Standing (Legacy, 2018) My Way (Legacy, 2018) Ride Me Back Home (Legacy, 2019) First Rose of Spring (Legacy, 2020) American Outlaw (Blackbird, 2020) That’s Life (Legacy, 2021) Willie Nelson Family (Legacy, 2021) A Beautiful Time (Legacy, 2022) Live at Budokan (Legacy, 2022) Bluegrass (Legacy, 2024) The Border (Legacy, 2024) Last Leaf on the Tree (Legacy, 2024) EPILOGUE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PHOTO CREDITS INDEX

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Author Information

Geoffrey Himes has written about music in the Washington Post on a weekly basis since 1977. During that time, he has also written about music for Rolling Stone, Paste, The New York Times, Jazz Times, Nashville Scene, Oxford American, DownBeat, Smithsonian, Texas Music Magazine, and other outlets. He won ASCAP/Deems Taylor Awards for Music Feature Writing in 2002 and 2005. 

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