Bobbie Nelson
Nelson performing in 2012
Background information
Born	Bobbie Lee Nelson (1931-01-01)January 1, 1931 Abbott, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 10, 2022(2022-03-10) (aged 91) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Keyboards
Years active	1953–2022

Bobbie Lee Nelson (January 1, 1931 – March 10, 2022) was an American pianist and singer, the elder sister ofWillie Nelson, and a member of his band, Willie Nelson and Family. When she was five, her grandmother taught her to playkeyboards with apump organ, and after successful appearances at gospel conventions held inHillsboro, Texas, her grandfather bought her a piano.

Nelson married Bud Fletcher when she was sixteen. He established a band calledThe Texans, which she and her brother joined. The group later dissolved in 1955 after she divorced Fletcher. His death six years later resulted in her suffering a breakdown and briefly losing custody of their children. In 1965 she moved toNashville, Tennessee, after her third marriage failed. She played in restaurants and different venues until she was called by her brother from New York in 1973 for a session. She joined Willie Nelson on the piano during his sessions withAtlantic Records, that producedThe Troublemaker,Shotgun Willie andPhases and Stages. The same year she joinedThe Family full-time and began touring with her brother.

Nelson was born inAbbott, Texas, on January 1, 1931, to Ira Doyle Nelson and Myrle Marie (née Greenhaw).^[1] Her mother moved toPortland, Oregon, soon after her brotherWillie was born in 1933 (Willie later relocated their mother when he reached adulthood).^[2] Her father remarried and also moved away, leaving them to be raised by their paternal grandparents. The Nelsons, who taught singing back inArkansas, started their grandchildren in music.^[3][4]

Nelson's grandmother started instructing her to playpiano on apump organ when Nelson was five. Her grandfather took her to singinggospel conventions that were held on thecourthouse inHillsboro, Texas, where she performed for the first time—in front of about a thousand people. When she was six, her grandfather, impressed by her potential talent, bought her a piano for $35^[5] (equivalent to $766 in 2024^[6]). Three years later, she started playing with Willie and singing with her grandmother around the house. She began playing in functions at Abbott High School and in church with her brother. When she was fourteen, she began traveling withevangelists aroundAustin and throughout Texas.^[5]

At age sixteen, Nelson met Bud Fletcher and they married. Although Fletcher did not have musical abilities, he formed his own band, Bud Fletcher and the Texans, limiting his participation to directing it.^[7] She joined on the piano, while her brother sang and played guitar.^[7] The band was dissolved in 1955 when she divorced Bud Fletcher, who was sick. She lost custody of her sons Randy, Michael, and Freddy for playing in honky-tonks and custody was given to her ex-husband's parents. When Fletcher died in a car accident in 1961, Nelson suffered a breakdown and was admitted to a hospital inFort Worth.^[5] To retrieve custody of their children, she married again and started working in a television repair shop in town. The owner of the store rented a piano to comfort her as she recovered. She began working for theHammond Organ Company, demonstrating and selling their products. She retrieved custody of her sons and moved to Austin, Texas. In 1965, after her third marriage failed, she visitedNashville, where her brother was working in his music career. She played in different restaurants and other venues until her brother called her from New York in 1973, where he was recording withAtlantic Records. She joined Willie on piano for the recordings, which eventually included the albumsThe Troublemaker,Shotgun Willie andPhases and Stages. She joined Willie Nelson's newly formed band,The Family, full-time and started touring with him.^[5]

Nelson released her solo debut album,Audiobiography, in 2008^[5] Nine years later, she was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.^[8] In 2020, Nelson co-authored with her brother and writerDavid Ritz the autobiographyMe and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band.^[9] Nelson played her last show with her brother on October 9, 2021 inNew Braunfels, Texas.^[10]

Nelson died inAustin, Texas, on March 10, 2022, at the age of 91.^[11][12]

• Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band (2020,ISBN 978-1-984-85413-1)

• Kienzle, Richard (2003).Southwest Shuffle: Pioneers of Honky-Tonk, Western Swing, and Country Jazz. Routledge.ISBN 978-0-415-94103-7.
• Laufenberg, Norbert (2005).Entertainment Celebrities. Trafford Publishing. p. 473.ISBN 978-1-4120-5335-8.^{[self-published source]}
• Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake (2000).Willie: An Autobiography. Cooper Square Press.ISBN 978-0815410805.
• Patoski, Joe Nick (2008).Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Hachette Digital.ISBN 978-0-316-01778-7.
• Reid, Jan (2004).The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock: New Edition. University of Texas Press.ISBN 978-0-292-70197-7.

• Bobbie Nelson discography atDiscogs
• Bobbie Nelson atIMDb

• 1931 births
• 2022 deaths
• 20th-century American pianists
• 20th-century American women pianists
• 21st-century American pianists
• 21st-century American women pianists
• People from Hill County, Texas
• Country musicians from Texas
• Family of Willie Nelson

• Use mdy dates from March 2022
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts
• All articles with self-published sources
• Articles with self-published sources from January 2018