Willie Nelson's Net Worth Affords A Lot of Country
The world of country music has had a very winding and unique path, from the early days when folk sings like The Carter Family combined gospel music with traditional melodies to create a bold and innovative new style. However, it's hard to imagine country possessing its amazing current level of popularity without the restless genius and bold innovation of Willie Nelson.
But what exactly is Willie Nelson's net worth late in life? Is he a millionaire after releasing nearly 150 albums (!) or is he struggling to stay afloat? Well, Nelson's life hasn't always been a complete success and there are some low points. Is this legend a genius financially as well as musically?
Let's take a deep dive into Willie's life to learn more about his financial situation. Doing so might teach you a few important life lessons, just like one of Nelson's many masterpiece songs.
A Brief Look At Willie Nelson's Amazing Career
Before discussing his net worth, let's take a deep look at Willie's long and eventful life. Like many of the best musicians, Willie has gone through many changes that have influenced his songwriting and its progression. Known for his intelligent songwriting, amazing musicianship, soulfully nasal voice, and his love of a specific herb, Nelson took country music by the throat in the late 60s and pushed it into bold and exciting new realms. When other singers sought corporate songwriters, Nelson and his friends Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings created Outlaw Country as a viable alternative to mainstream country.
Nelson also brought a higher level of musicianship and arranging intelligence to the genre. Nelson's guitar playing is subtly beautiful, his songs often surprisingly complex, and his lyrics fiercely intelligent. From his early days providing songs like “Crazy” to soulful belters like Patsy Cline to his minimal “Red Headed Stranger” album, to his embrace of standards late in his career, Nelson has remained one step ahead of his peers. Before all that, Willie was just a young man with a guitar.
Willie's Early Life
Born in Abbott, Texas, on April 29, 1933, Willie's father was a mechanic who later moved to Arkansas to look for work. Abandoned by Willie's mother after his birth, Willie's father Ira remarried and provided the young and precocious Willie with a happy life. Nelson learned music early after his grandfather, a blacksmith, bought him a guitar and taught him a few chords.
Willie and his sister, Bobbie, also sang regularly with their parents and in their church choir. Nelson showed a surprising skill at music quite early, writing his first song at the age of seven and playing in the local band, Bohemian Polka, at nine. As he matured, Willie continued to write songs and even remained a popular and active young man after his father relocated back to Abbott, Texas later in life.
Willie was a varsity athlete in football, basketball, and baseball and a member of the Future Farmers of America group at Abbott High. He also played in The Texans with Bud Fletcher, his future brother-in-law. They played a rough country style that was very popular throughout the area. After graduating and leaving the Air Force, he stayed two years at Baylor University before dropping out to become a musician.
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The Long and Winding Road
Willie's eventual success was not at all assured early in his career. While he was already a skilled musician and songwriter, he was also homely, and his voice lacked the smooth style common in many country singers. As a result, Willie worked many short-term jobs, such as saddle maker, tree trimmer, bouncer, and mechanic before moving to Pleasanton, Texas to take a radio DJ job.
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For several years, Willie worked as a radio DJ and continued to write songs. As his skill increased, he started selling songs, including the smash hit “Crazy” to Patsy Cline. Eventually, he moved to Nashville and got a recording contract in 1962. His first few albums were pleasant albums of contemporary country that displayed Willie's songwriting but not his risk-taking and wild side.
Needless to say, Willie's continued persistence and growth helped him become a superstar.
While a full and detailed examination of Willie's successful career would be a fascinating read, it's not the main focus of this article. We don't have time to talk about The Highwaymen supergroup or Willie's many movie roles or books. Instead, let's focus on his current net worth and how it got to that point.
Willie Nelson's Net Worth Is Not As Big As You Might Think
Before revealing his net worth, it is worth discussing just how big Willie was in his prime.
Nelson has made almost 150 albums, including studio, live, compilation, and band recordings.
During his career, he has sold 40 million albums in the United States alone, with a further 10 million worldwide.
He's earned 25 number one singles, written best-selling books, and appeared in many films.
As a result, it might seem fair to estimate that he might be worth at least $50 million or so. After all, musicians earn anywhere from $1-6 per album sale, depending on their contract, and Nelson has been selling albums for many years. However, Nelson is not worth $50 million or even $40.
Current estimates state that Nelson is worth probably $25 to $30 million or so.
Now, $30 million is nothing to sneeze about, obviously. As the title of this article says, you could buy a lot of country with that kind of money. Nelson is definitely well off and, as he gets into his ninth decade on the planet, he's not likely to need to earn much more cash to stay solvent.
But how does a man who's sold 50 million albums, millions of books, and made millions in movies have such a “low” net worth?
Like many celebrities, Willie wasn't always so careful with his money. His well-known love of marijuana has caused him some challenges and has even gotten him into legal trouble. Nelson has also made some unwise investments and other career moves that impacted his bottom line. However, there's one major situation that not only robbed Willie of a fortune but literally cut his net worth in half.
This story is a perfect example of why celebrities and those with huge wealth need to be very careful with their financial situation. It shows that a few simple mistakes and errors can compound quickly and cost a person nearly everything. While Nelson has thankfully rebounded from these struggles, there was a time when he nearly could have been homeless without his celebrity status to save him.
Why Willie Isn't Worth More?
When examining Willie's financial woes throughout his life, we split them up into three major categories: legal problems, wife issues, and tax problems. Examining each of these concerns can give you an idea of what Willie did wrong throughout his life. It's also a powerful motivational story: if this man can dig himself out of debt and still have a fortune, you can reach your dreams too.
Legal Problems
Nelson has long been a major proponent for marijuana and most of his obvious legal problems center on it. The first time he was arrested was in Dallas in 1974. This arrest was a major news item because, at the time, many in the nation viewed marijuana as being a dangerous drug, like cocaine or heroin. As a result, some fans abandoned him and his sales dipped during this time.
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Nelson still sold plenty of albums, and after paying his legal fees, continued to tour regularly. He particularly loved playing in the Bahamas and had a large fan base there. Unfortunately, he was arrested for marijuana possession here in 1977 and, while the charges were dropped, he was banned from the nation. As a result, he lost a profitable touring destination.
Nelson was arrested in 1994 in Waco, Texas, in 2006 while traveling to a funeral in Louisiana, and in 2010 while traveling from Los Angels to Texas. While he earned no jail time during these periods, each arrest cost him fines and court payments. Though these costs weren't heavy, they continued to affect his image and popularity. However, the increasing acceptance of marijuana has removed much of this stigma.
For example, Nelson has appeared in movies like “Half Baked” as himself, making light of his legendary pot habit and his legal troubles. Having embraced his image as a stoned country hippie, Nelson appealed to counterculture individuals who otherwise may not enjoy country music. In this way, he is like Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, two other well-known troublemakers.
Marriage Woes
Willie Nelson has had many difficulties in his life love and has been married four times, with seven children between them. His first wife, Martha Matthews, bore him three children and became violent toward Nelson many times. For example, she beat him with a broomstick more than once and sewed him into their bedsheets. Their divorce in 1962 hit him hard financially, as was in the early stages of his career. Though no financial information has been released, he likely had to pay child support.
Nelson then married Shirley Collie from 1963 to 1971 and had another costly divorce when she discovered he had a baby with another woman. Willie then married that woman, Connie Koepeke, and had two daughters with her before divorcing in 1988. This divorce likely cost him the most money and led to him starring in several questionable movies and releasing albums that were not of his high quality.
Finally, Willie married Annie D'Angelo and had two sons with her, including country artist Lukas Nelson, with whom his dad has occasionally toured. All of these marriages may have been the fuel to beautiful country songs, but they likely cost Willie millions. It's another one of the many examples of artists finding love and then watching their money disappear in major divorce settlements.
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The 1990 Tax Problem
If you know anything about Willie Nelson's financial woes, you probably know about his 1990 IRS tax case. It was one of the biggest pieces of celebrity news of the time and came as a shock to many fans. Those who don't know about this or who forget the details deserve to know how it seriously affected Nelson's finances and impacted his long-term financial future.
In 1990, the IRS hit Willie with a staggering $32 million bill for back taxes and promptly seized all of his assets.
Part of this problem was caused by the fact that his manager had been filing tax extensions for years and not paying Willie's expenses. His manager had also tried investing Nelson's money into various tax shelters that didn't work and Willie was stuck with an incredibly large bill.
However, his lawyer negotiated the bill to $16 million and then later down to $6 million. Nelson's surprisingly well-received double album, “The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?” was released with all proceeds going to his tax woes. After a lawsuit against his former managing company, he eventually settled his debts in 1993. The total cost of this settlement was staggering and put Willie in dire financial straits for many years.
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Willie's Life Is One Long Country Song
As you can see, Willie Nelson's financial path and career are a lot like the songs he sings. There are a lot of highs, some painful lows, and lots of things to cry about throughout his life. However, Nelson has continually forged an intelligent career filled with unique diversions that have helped expand Willie Nelson's net worth beyond that initial hit that he took in the early 1990s.
Will Willie's value skyrocket in the future or has he made all the money he's likely to earn? Well, as he gets into his ninth decade of album making and a series of acclaimed releases in the last few years, it's not likely that he's going to slow down. This legend will likely play, sing, and write as long as he can. Who knows? Maybe Nelson's next masterpiece is just a song away?