Tour Jacket, worn by Willie Nelson

Born in Abbott, Texas, in 1933, by the 1980s Willie Nelson had become one of the most consequential songwriters and country music singers of the twentieth century. Raised by his grandparents with his sister, the pianist Bobbie Nelson, Nelson began writing songs at an early age, and soon started playing dancehalls throughout Texas. After relocating to Nashville in 1960, his singing career languished while his songwriting skills gained immediate notoriety: songs such as his bluesy ode to bright lights and barstools, “Nightlife”, and his brokenhearted lament, “Crazy,” became immediate timeless standards as recorded by Ray Price, Patsy Cline and others.

By the early 1970s he bristled at the conformity required to succeed in Nashville and soon returned to Texas, where he developed his own scene in Austin. Growing out his hair and famously leaving alcohol behind for cannabis, Nelson developed a cult following that included hippies, honky tonk two-steppers, bikers, and college students. After becoming the face of the “outlaw” country scene, Nelson soon gained global success through chart-topping albums that ranged from the sparse Western concept album, Red Headed Stranger, to the Booker T-produced tribute to the classic American songbook, Stardust.

In the 1980s he used his platform as one of the country’s most familiar and beloved artists to organize support for family farmers who were losing their land and tragically suffering from dire economic conditions. Inspired by Live Aid, the international benefit concert for Ethiopian famine victims, in 1985 he along with many fellow musical artists rallied national attention to their plight through the first of his since annual benefit concerts, Farm Aid.

Black polyester and cotton jacket with red polyester lining. Size Medium. With white piped trim at shoulders. Knit cuffs, neck, and waist. Zipper front. Two open front pockets and one zipped sleeve pocket. Hot pink thread lettering on front left side, "Willie". And white thread lettering, "Willie and Family on the Road Again", and red and green rose on back. Made by Gary Mandel, Beverly Hills, California. Tour jacket worn by country singer, Willie Nelson, c. 1980.