One of the more storied country singers of all time will be gracing a Jacksonville stage with his presence in February. Willie Nelson is, unarguably, a country music legend. He first became prominent in 1973 and has managed to rise beyond mere music and become simply an entertainment legend. 1973 was the year that Nelson rose to prominence, but it he was well-known even before that.

Nelson began his musical career at the age of seven when he wrote his first song, and from that point proceeded to build a unique sound that blended blues, rock, jazz and traditional country. Nelson, essentially, invented his own sub-genre of country music. Not only is he renowned as a performer, he has written some of the most well-known and well-loved songs in all of modern music history, including Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and Ray Price’s “Night Life”. He has also recorded albums with a number of other bona fide country music legends like Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. He has seven Grammy Awards, recorded several dozen gold platinum and multi-platinum albums. Nelson is possibly the most widely accepted country music legend when it comes to being loved across generational and cultural lines.

In the 1980s, Nelson would not only take on several acting roles, he would also continue recording legendary hit songs like a cover of “Always on My Mind”, originally sung by Elvis Presley and his own “On the Road Again”. He would also join up with The Highwaymen, which featured Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Despite various run-ins with the law, Nelson continue recording and touring throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s.

Those who attend the February 8 show at the Florida Theater on East Forsyth Street should expect all the trappings that come with a show put on by a legend who is still recording music. There will be lots of the faithful fans of all ages and lots of his more recent recordings in addition to the old standards.