Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 30, 1933) is an American country singer-songwriter, author, poet, actor, and activist. Nelson started studying music from mail order material that was given to him by his grandparents. He wrote his first song at the age of seven and joined his first band at nine. During high school, he joined the Bohemian Fiddlers and toured with them locally as their lead voice and guitar player. After his graduation from high school in 1950, he joined the air force. However, he was discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texan radio stations and a singer in honky tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote Family Bible and recorded the song Lumberjack in 1956. In 1960, he signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards (they were recorded by the most prominent artists of the time), including Funny How Time Slips Away, Hello Walls, Pretty Paper, and Crazy. In 1962, he recorded his first album, And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1965 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry..