Willie Nelson would go on to be one of the most successful songwriters and recording artists of the 20th century, having sold nearly 40 million records as of 2023 and penned songs that have provided countless hits for other artists. As of this writing, he has a fortune of around $25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
But Nelson's background was exceptionally poor. He was born to Myrle and Ira Nelson, both teenagers, in the midst of the Great Depression that made life a misery for everyday working Americans. Willie was their second child, and to support the family Ira would travel around Texas searching for work as a mechanic. According to "Willie: An Unauthorized Biography of Willie Nelson" by Michael Bane, those early years took their toll on Myrle, who was often left in isolation while Ira hunted for work. When there was none for a mechanic, the alternative was picking cotton, though Willie himself would later see music as a way out of poverty-stricken Abbott.
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