“Red Headed Stranger,” a story that comes from Willie Nelson's own country opera, is an Encore Presentation of a Hallmark Channel Premiere, and airs Thursday, November 9 (9/8 c).
    Nelson plays a preacher in a small town trying to make things right.  But, at times it seems like he is in over his "red-head."  Even his wife is being naughty.  The preacher takes on a family of marauders that have been terrorizing the townspeople of his new parish.
    Willie Nelson was born on April 30, 1933 in Abbott, Texas.  Nelson and his sister, Bobbie Nelson, were raised by their grandparents after their parents divorced.  His grandparents gave him mail-order music lessons starting at age six.  Willie played the guitar, while Bobbie played the piano.  She met Bud Fletcher, a fiddler, and both siblings joined his band Bohemian Fiddlers while Willie was in high school.
    After graduation, Nelson joined the Air Force, but left due to back problems.  He also attended Baylor University for one year.  Eventually, he became a DJ at a country radio station in Fort Worth, Texas, while singing locally in honky tonk bars.  In 1956, Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington to begin a musical career by recording "Lumberjack" by Leon Payne.  The single sold respectably but did not establish a career.  Nelson continued to DJ in Vancouver and sing in clubs.  He sold a song called "Family Bible” for $50; the song was a hit for Claude Gray in 1960, has been covered widely, and is often considered a gospel music classic.
    Nelson moved to Nashville, Tennessee but was unable to land a record label contract.  He did, however, receive a publishing contract at Pamper Music.  After Ray Price recorded Nelson's "Night Life" (reputedly the most covered country song of all time), Nelson joined Price's touring band as a bassist.  While playing with Ray Price & the Cherokee Cowboys, many of Nelson's songs became hits.  "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Billy Walker), "Hello Walls" (Faron Young), "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison) and, most famously, "Crazy" (Patsy Cline) became popular songs in the 1960s.  Nelson signed with Liberty Records in 1961 and released several singles, including the hits "Willingly" (with his wife, Shirley Collie) and "Touch Me."  Willie Nelson’s fan-base has continued through the years and the singers philanthropic efforts – especially with helping America’s famers – has made him a national treasure.
    Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 75 million subscribers.  The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.  Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Total Day and Prime Time household ratings.  Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.

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