The 2013 Berklee Commencement Ceremony is coming up at Agganis Stadium at Boston University May 11, and will bring with it a triple threat of honorary doctorate recipients. Carole King, Annie Lennox, and Willie Nelson will be attending the Berklee Commencement this year to receive their doctorates, joining an impressive group of past recipients including Duke Ellington, Sting, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, and many more. Needless to say, members of this year’s graduating class have a very special night to look forward to.
Willie Nelson, the singer-songwriter, philanthropist, activist, and actor, has been capturing audiences’ imaginations for the past 50 years. He has changed the face of country music by challenging the norms of Nashville country’s sound since the ’60s; because of his influence, his unique style of singing and songwriting was dubbed “Outlaw” country.
Nelson, born 1933 in Texas, began writing his own music when he was given his first guitar at the age of six. After graduating high school, Willie Nelson joined the US Air Force and attended Baylor University for a short time. Nelson dropped out of both his college program and the service and began writing some of his biggest hits in the late ’50s, including “Crazy” and “Night Life.”
Nelson moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1960 and got a job as a songwriter, making $50 a week. Nelson’s first break as a songwriter was when his early tune “Crazy” was recorded by Patsy Cline and became a huge country hit. After a few of his other tunes were recorded by other successful artists, it became clear that his unique sound did not fit with the conservative Nashville sound of the time; he didn’t enjoy much success by performing his own work. In 1970, he moved back to Texas and continued to perform and record. In 1975, Willie finally gained his own success for his album Red Headed Stranger, which went to No.1 on the rock and country charts. This album began a streak of success for Willie Nelson through the 1980s with chart toppers and several Grammys.
Willie continued to record throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He has been more successful than ever with his recent work, performing up to 200 dates a year, recording, acting, and writing for others. Nelson continues to push his own boundaries, just as he has always done.
To date Willie Nelson has recorded up to 3,000 songs, just under 300 albums, recorded and written countless hits for himself and others, as well as scored a long list of Grammys. He has earned his title as a country legend along with others like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, and we are thrilled to host him at our college this May.
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