Indeed, to this day most people (including many serious fans) think Willie Nelson wrote Fred Rose's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," so completely does he inhabit the song on this watershed release. 3.

3. Red Headed Stranger, 1975 We can’t have a list of essential Willie Nelson albums without mentioning Red Headed Stranger. This album put Nelson on the map, and for good reason.

The biggest schedule of releases comes from Sony Legacy, who recently came out with The Essential Willie Nelson, a double-CD package that contains most of Willie's hits, some written by him, some not.

The album is proof that no matter how far Nelson may stray musically, or cater to outside expectations, he remains a master songwriter, and a true American original. The Essential Willie Nelson ...

1. “December Day” This track from the 1971 album Yesterday’s Wine has so much good material in it. It’s a nostalgic, sweet-and-sad sort of album that is quintessentially Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson, who is 91, released “Last Leaf on the Tree" on Friday, his second studio album this year. It's also his 76th solo studio album and 153rd album overall. Asked how many more he has ...

Nonagenarian Willie Nelson has announced his next album. Oh What A Beautiful World — his 77th solo studio album and his 154th album overall — is out in April. Today the redheaded stranger has ...