Willie Nelson came to musical fame relatively late in life, but grabbed it and followed it with a successful film career.

Nelson first became known in Nashville for writing hit songs for established country artists such as Patsy Cline. 'Crazy', was Cline's biggest hit in 1961 although her version is very different from the original. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993 and received Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. When he turned 80 in mid 2013, four generations of his family played together at New York City's Hard Rock Café to raise money for his animal rights and biodiesel ventures.

His career may have been slow starting, but Willie Nelson's musical legacy is huge. The tracks here showcase just how good he was back in the long-ago pre-fame days.