Nelson was born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas, just north of Waco. However, as he has already stated, he also celebrates his birthday on the 30th.
Nelson revealed to listeners during one of his SiriusXM radio shows in 2018 that he was really born on April 29, albeit very late at night.
"But it didn't get registered in the county courthouse until the next day, the 30th," he said. "So, it went out officially as the 30th. So I just do both days."
Nelson released his 17th album, "A Beautiful Time," on April 29 to commemorate his real birthday. It includes collaborations with longtime collaborator and friend Buddy Cannon on five tracks, as well as covers of Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song" and The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends."
Nelson's third studio album in just over a year. Nelson released two albums in 2021 (in February and November), with one of them - "That's Life," a tribute to Frank Sinatra - receiving a Grammy Award nomination for 2022. Additionally, "That's Life" debuted at the top of Billboard's jazz charts.
Nelson will join thousands of others in Austin to celebrate. He'll perform alongside fellow Texan George Strait at the Moody Center's grand opening event. Strait and Nelson will join the stage for the second time in their careers at this event.
"I'm so glad I'll get to 'sing one with Willie,' and I can't think of a better place to do it than Austin, Texas," Strait said in a release at the time of the announcement.
Nelson will conclude his birthday weekend with his own party - not on April 29 or 30, but on May 1 - at his ranch outside Austin.
One may not know Nelson is even grieving, given how busy he is.
Nelson lamented the death of his older sister, Bobbie, in March. Bobbie's prowess as a pianist fueled his band. She was 91 years old. Nelson expressed his admiration for his older sister - whom he always referred to as "little sister" - and the contribution she made to his one-of-a-kind sound in an interview with Austin music writer Michael Corcoran: "There's just no way to explain how lucky I am to have a good musician in the family. Whenever I've needed a piano player, she's been right there. Whenever our band plays, Sister Bobbie is the best musician on the stage."
Nelson paid tribute to his sister last month at a Luck Ranch performance, performing with his Family Band, which included sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson.
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