1962 Clip Of Willie Nelson Without His Iconic Braids And Beard

A clip of a performance that took place more than 60 years ago shows the legendary country performer Willie Nelson with a much different, more clean-cut look.

Nearly everything entertainers do is calculated and preplanned. From the sound of their music, the look of their stage and the clothes they wear while performing, it’s all intended to cultivate a brand and project an image. 

What would KISS be without their black-and-white makeup? What about Elton John without a flashy, over-the-top outfit? Over time, musicians become associated with their looks as much as for their music. That is certainly true of musician Willie Nelson.

A clip posted on YouTube shows the “On the Road Again” singer performing in 1962. The black and white video shows the iconic musician with a much different look than the one people have grown accustomed to over the decades of his career. 

Willie, while also wearing a suit and tie, is clean-shaven and has a short, well-maintained head of hair. Of course, this is a startling departure from his usual look of long, braided hair and a scraggly, unkempt beard. 

In the nearly 5-minute-long clip, Willie performs several songs, showing off his stunning vocal abilities. Willie starts things off by singing a few lines from “Hello Walls.” After a healthy round of applause from the studio audience, Willie goes right into the next song.

Then he announces he’ll be singing a tune that his “good friend Billy Walker'' performed at the Grand Ole Opry, “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Once again, after he finished singing a few lines from the song, the audience erupted with applause. 

The clip concludes with Willie singing a track made famous by Patsy Cline, whom Willie calls “one of the greatest entertainers of our time.” That song, of course, is “Crazy.”

Despite Willie’s shockingly different look, it’s still that same iconic and recognizable voice. It’s amazing how his voice has held up throughout the years. 

Psalm 104:33 “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”