Had to do a double take… I was almost positive this wasn’t the Red Headed Stranger.
Most of us know Willie Nelson as the bearded, long haired, headband-wearing (joint in hand?) country music icon. Believe it or not, it actually took a while for him to rock his now iconic look. In fact, it took Nelson quite a long time to break through into the country music industry. Willie moved around the country and took odd jobs all over the place (dishwasher, bouncer, door-to-door vacuum salesman) just to try and keep his dreams of a music career alive.
Once he moved to Nashville in 1960, things started to fall in place for Nelson, who suddenly started making all kinds of connections (Hank Cochran, Patsy Cline, etc.). Willie’s songwriting made him stand out, and before too long, he signed on with Liberty Records in 1961. It was a whirlwind after that for Willie, who was finally able to shine through in his own right and make a name for himself.
That was all but confirmed when he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1965, which brings us to the video below. The black and white footage shows a 32-year-old, clean-cut Willie Nelson gracing the Grand Ole Opry stage, which in 1965 was located at the “Mother Church,” A.K.A. Ryman Auditorium. The young country star was there to perform some of his hits from his 1962 album And Then I Wrote.
The medley he performed on the stage of the Mother Church included “Hello Walls,” “Funny How Time Slips Away,” and “Crazy.” There’s also a snippet of the song “Night Life,” and though Willie wrote the song, it was Ray Price that bought and recorded it as a cover in 1963. Nelson even shouts him out right before he goes into what he describes as “his rendition.”
All in all, it’s great that we can appreciate Willie as the outlaw country icon that he became in the late 1960s (and stuck with the rest of the way), but it’s also intriguing to see him in his early years, such as this time that he stopped by the Grand Ole Opry stage to grace those in attendance with his lovely and instantly recognizable country stylings. He may look a little different in this clip, but he sounds just like the classic Willie Nelson that every country music fan can appreciate.
Take a look:
And here’s a fun fact for you before you go… Willie Nelson is no longer a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was for a number of years while he lived in Nashville, but when it came time for him to move back to Austin, Texas (after his house burnt down), the country music star just didn’t think it made sense for him to still fulfill the requirement of being a member at the Grand Ole Opry (a certain number of performances and other commitments each year).
That being said, there’s no hard feelings between the Red Headed Stranger and the Grand Ole Opry. In fact, Willie has played at the country music institution a number of times after he rescinded his membership in 1972… just not as a member.
