Willie Nelson is known for being one of the pioneers of “outlaw” country music. Many musicians out there tend to embody a tough, strong exterior exclusively on stage or in their music. Willie Nelson, on the other hand, really is a badass outlaw. Let’s dive into four times he proved it!
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He Survived a Plane Crash
According to Willie Nelson’s late friend Larry Trader, Willie Nelson once survived a plane crash; and we can’t think of anything more badass than that.
“Willie was flying in to the landing strip near Happy Shahan’s Western town that they used for the Alamo movie set,” Trader said of the incident. “The plane hits a big chughole in the strip and flips over on its side and crashes. [But] here comes Willie and his pilot, limping up the road. The media people were arriving by then. They started firing questions at Willie. How did he survive? Was he dying? Was he even hurt? Willie smiles and says, ‘Why, this was a perfect landing. I walked away from it, didn’t I?’”
We can almost hear Willie Nelson’s voice saying those words.
He Survived Not One, But TWO Shootouts
After playing a show in Alabama in the late 1970s, Nelson and his band were caught in a shootout in a parking garage. His stage manager, Poodie Locke, said that most of the band members carried pistols for their safety. When the shootout (involving the police and a party unrelated to Nelson) occurred, Nelson apparently calmed the situation down.
“He walks off the bus wearing cutoffs and tennis shoes, and he’s got two huge Colt .45 revolvers stuck in his waist,” said Locke. “[…] Willie just walks over and says, ‘What’s the trouble?’ Well he’s got some kind of aura to him that just cools everything out. The cops put up their guns, the people climb off the concrete, and pretty soon Willie is signing autographs.”
We also can’t forget the time Nelson got his nickname, “Shotgun Willie”. In the late 1960s, Nelson was told that his oldest daughter, Lana, was being abused by her husband, Steve. Nelson said that he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I ran for my truck and drove to the place where Steve and Lana lived and slapped Steve around,” Nelson said of the incident. “[…] I told him if he ever laid a hand on Lana again, I would come back and drown his ass. No sooner did I get back to Ridgetop than here came Steve in his car, shooting at the house with a .22 rifle. I was standing in the door of the barn and a bullet tore up the wood two feet from my head. I grabbed an M-1 rifle and shot at Steve’s car. Steve made one pass and took off.”
[See Willie Nelson Live On Tour In 2024]
He Became a 5th-Degree Black Belt
Even hardcore fans may not know that Willie Nelson is a 5th-degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, a Korean martial art similar to Tae Kwon Do. It’s not an easy martial art, either. It involves precise kicks, strikes, and throwing techniques that can be used in real-life situations. Imagine getting your butt kicked by Willie Nelson!
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives
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