Shirley Collie Nelson is known by many to be the second wife of country icon Willie Nelson. They were married from 1963 to 1971. However, Nelson is known for so much more than her high-profile marriage. Nelson was a country and rockabilly singer, a talented one that also knew how to yodel, play the guitar, and write some seriously underrated songs. She passed on this very day in 2010 at the age of 78. And I think she deserves to be honored with a look back at her storied career.
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The Legacy of Shirley Collie Nelson
Shirley Collie Nelson was born Shirley Angelina Simpson on March 16, 1931, in Chillicothe, Missouri. As a child during World War II, she often sang during war bond rallies. She even made an appearance on KFEQ-AM in St. Joseph, Missouri. She would continue her radio music career as a teenager. Nelson had a tough adolescence, as she was married to a man at only 15 years old, which lasted until she was 19.
In 1950, Nelson moved to Texas to work on music with the likes of Bob Wills and Johnnie Lee Wills. After settling in Corpus Christi, she performed locally and was later offered a regular role on the television program Ozark Jubilee in Missouri. She signed a recording contract and released her first songs, including “I Think You’re Lying” and “Where Did The Sunshine Go?”
Nelson continued her lucrative music career throughout the 1960s. She debuted on the charts with the song “Dime A Dozen”. That song peaked at No. 25 on the US Country chart. She also reached No. 23 on the charts with “Why Baby Why”, a duet with Warren Smith.
Nelson would meet Willie Nelson later in the 1960s and duetted with him in 1962 for the song “Willingly”. That song was a No. 10 hit for Willie Nelson, but didn’t quite establish him as a country superstar.
The pair were wed in 1963. They ultimately divorced in 1971 after Shirley Nelson discovered her husband had fathered a child with another woman, who would become his third wife. In the years following their breakup, the pair remained friendly and even performed (and yodeled) together. Her ex-husband also collaborated with her on her 2009 memoir.
By the 1980s, Nelson had taken a break from music and worked with the disabled. Though, she would often perform in Missouri for the rest of her life. She would pass on in 2010 at 78, following an extended illness.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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