Author(s): Willie Nelson

Biographies & Memoirs

Nashville 1971. As the year drew to a close, Willie Nelson wasn't exactly feeling the spirit of the season. A stalled career, music executives hounding him for a formulaic Nashville Sound hit, and, consequently, an unsettled personal life all contributed to his holiday blues. One day, he wrote, "What Can You Do to Me Now?" The next day, his house burned down. Willie saw it as a sign that things had to change, and from that moment on, he vowed he would blaze his own path, with his music and his life- no matter if any one else understood or approved. After that life-changing period, Willie began making music his own way. Heading back to his native Texas, he reinvented himself and resurrected his career, got back on the road, and penned songs that miraculously brought hippies, bikers, and rednecks together in one audience for the first time. That success would propel him to the top of the outlaw movement - an authentic rebel sound and attitude that defied Nashville's traditional law-and-order authoritarianism - and seal his status as a beloved American folk hero. As they say, the rest is history - or as Willie says, If you fail at something long enough, you become a legend. "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" recounts that special holiday season and the inspiring results that followed that watershed moment. But unlike other seasonal tales, it features wild, colorful tales of Willie's hijinks, told in his unique voice. A story of thanks, faith, and staying true to your deepest beliefs, "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" offers hope and inspiration for us all.