Editing Willie Nelson (section)

==Early life and education==
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   | footer    = Nelson as a junior at [[Abbott High School]] (top, pictured in 1949). Nelson's high school football portrait, (bottom, {{circa}} 1950)
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   | image2    = Willie-Nelson-Highschool.jpg
   | alt2      = =A man with a leather helmet and a white football jersey
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Nelson was born in [[Abbott, Texas]], on April 29, 1933,{{sfn|Patoski|2008|p=13}} the son of Ira Doyle Nelson and Myrle Marie (''née'' Greenhaw).{{sfn|Scobey|1982|p=58}} His birthday was incorrectly recorded by Dr. F. D. Sims as April 30.{{sfn|Patoski|2008|p=13}} He was named Willie by his cousin Mildred, who also chose Hugh as his middle name, in honor of her recently deceased younger brother.{{sfn|Patoski|p=13|2008}} Nelson traces his genealogy to the [[American Revolutionary War]], in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.{{sfn|Hunt|2009}} His parents moved to Texas from [[Arkansas]] in 1929 to look for work. His grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic.{{sfn|Nelson|2007a|p=29}} His mother left soon after he was born,{{sfn|Laufenberg|p=473|2005}} and his father remarried and also moved away, leaving Nelson and his sister [[Bobbie Nelson|Bobbie]] to be raised by their grandparents, who taught singing back in Arkansas and started their grandchildren in music.{{sfn|Patoski|p=6|2008}}{{sfn|Reid|2004|p=[{{google books |plainurl=y |id=qCDF5fFuBT8C|page=218}} 218]}} Nelson's grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few [[Guitar chord|chords]],{{sfn|Nelson|2007a|p=29}} and Nelson sang gospel songs in the local church alongside Bobbie.{{sfn|Malone|2002|p=303}} He wrote his first song at age seven,{{sfn|Patoski|2008}} and when he was nine, he played guitar for local band Bohemian Polka.{{sfn|Kienzle|p=236|2003}} During the summer, the family [[Cotton picking|picked cotton]] alongside other Abbott residents.{{sfn|Richmond|2000|pp=[{{google books|plainurl=y|ZqZ4PgAACAAJ|page=7}} 7, 8, 23]}} Nelson disliked picking cotton, so he earned money by singing in dance halls, taverns, and [[Honky-tonk|honky tonks]] from age 13, which he continued through high school.{{sfn|Scobey|1982|p=47}} His musical influences were [[Jimmie Rodgers]],  [[Hank Williams]], [[Bob Wills]], [[Lefty Frizzell]], [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]], [[Ernest Tubb]], [[Hank Snow]], [[Django Reinhardt]], [[Frank Sinatra]], and [[Louis Armstrong]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nashvillemusicguide.com/willie-nelson-and-merle-haggard-sing-about-influences-and-friendship-on-django-and-jimmie-cd/ | title=Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Sing About Influences and Friendship on "Django and Jimmie" CD | date=July 12, 2015 }}</ref>{{sfn|Richmond|2000|p=[{{google books|plainurl=y|id=ZqZ4PgAACAAJ|page=17}} 17]}}{{sfn|Hann|2012}}

Nelson attended [[Abbott High School]], where he was a halfback on the [[American football|football]] team, guard on the [[basketball]] team, and [[shortstop]] in [[baseball]]. He also raised [[pig]]s with the [[National FFA Organization|Future Farmers of America]].{{sfn|Scobey|1982|p=58}} While still at school, he sang and played guitar in The Texans, a band formed by his sister's husband, Bud Fletcher.{{sfn|Kienzle|p=236|2003}} The band played in [[honky-tonk]]s, and also had a Sunday morning spot at [[KHBR (AM)|KHBR]] in [[Hillsboro, Texas]]. Meanwhile, Nelson had a short stint as a relief phone operator in Abbott, followed by a job as a [[tree care|tree trimmer]] for the local electric company, as well as a [[pawn shop]] employee.{{sfn|Myers|1969|p=4}} After leaving school in 1950, he joined the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]; he served for eight months before being medically discharged because of issues with his back.{{sfn|Chapman|2010|p=392}}{{sfn|Thomson|2012|p=30}} Upon his return, he married Martha Matthews in 1952, and from 1954 to 1956 studied agriculture at [[Baylor University]], where he joined the [[Tau Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity, until dropping out to pursue a career in music.{{sfn|Richmond|2000|p=24}} He worked as a nightclub bouncer, autohouse partsman, saddle maker, and tree trimmer again. He later joined [[Johnny Bush]]'s band.

Nelson moved with his family to [[Pleasanton, Texas]], where he auditioned for a job as a DJ at [[KWMF|KBOP]]. The owner of the station, Dr. Ben Parker, gave Nelson the job despite his lack of experience working on radio.{{sfn|Myers|1969|p=4}} With the equipment of the station, Nelson made his first two recordings in 1955: "[[The Storm Has Just Begun]]" and "When I've Sung My Last Hillbilly Song". He recorded the tracks on used tapes, and sent the demos to the local label SARG Records, which rejected them.{{sfn|Thomson|p=24|2012}} He then had stints working for KDNT in [[Denton, Texas|Denton]], [[KAMM (AM)|KCUL]], and [[KFJZ|KCNC]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], where he hosted ''[[The Western Express]]'', taught Sunday school, and played in nightclubs. He then decided to move to [[San Diego]] but, when he was unable to find a job there, he hitchhiked to [[Portland, Oregon]], where his mother lived.{{sfn|Myers|1969|p=4}} When nobody picked him up, he ended up sleeping in a ditch{{sfn|Nelson|Ritz|2015|p=92}} before hopping a [[Rail freight transport|freight train]] bound for [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]]. A truck driver drove him to a bus station and loaned him $10 for a ticket to reach [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]].{{sfn|Nelson|Ritz|2015|p=93}}