Who was Bobbie Nelson?
Bobbie Nelson (January 1, 1931 – March 10, 2022) was an American pianist and singer, the older sister of Willie Nelson, and a member of his band, Willie Nelson and Family.
Her grandmother taught her to play keyboards at age five with a pump organ, and after successful appearances at gospel conventions held in Hillsboro, Texas, her grandfather bought her a piano.
Bobbie Nelson, sister and band member of country music legend Willie Nelson, dies at 91

Bobbie Nelson, the older sister of country music legend Willie Nelson and longtime pianist in his band, has died, her family said. She was 91.
An original member of the Willie Nelson and Family Band, Bobbie Nelson played piano for more than 50 years with her brother. She died Thursday “peacefully and surrounded by family,” the Nelson family said in a statement. The cause and location of her death were not released.
“Her elegance, grace, beauty, and talent made this world a better place,” the Nelson family said. “She was the first member of Willie’s band, as his pianist and singer. Our hearts are broken and she will be deeply missed.”
Raised in Abbott, Texas, Bobbie Nelson played honky-tonks alongside her brother but gave up playing music to attend business college after her husband, Bud Fletcher, died. Her first job out of college was at the Hammond Organ Company where she worked in the music library and demonstrated the company’s organs, the Nelson family said.
“That was a good experience for me, too, because I had so much music at my fingertips,” Bobbie Nelson told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview. “I was like a little child in a candy store.”
In 1972, she joined her brother’s backing band and played with him for decades.
“Our whole life has been one song after another,” she said, “learning to play music and his beautiful ability to write songs. I love to play his music. It’s actually my favorite thing in the world to play with Willie.”
Texas-born singer-songwriter and fiddle player Amanda Shires wrote on Twitter that Nelson was an inspiration for her at a young age. “Bobbie Nelson was one of the first women musicians that I ever saw on stage. She was the first example I had of a woman playing music while also having a family,” she wrote. “I’m honored to have known her. My deepest sympathies to the Nelson family.”
Bobbie Nelson Biography, Wiki
Bobbie was born on 1 January 1931 in Abbott, Texas, U.S. She was an American pianist and singer. She is famous for being the sister of Willie Nelson.
Bobbie started her career in a school with his brother, She started singing with her brother in school plays and at church. She married Bud Fletcher, who had founded his own band, The Texans when she was sixteen years old. She played the piano, and her brother sang and played guitar.
After a nervous breakdown induced by Fletcher’s death and the transfer of custody of their children to his parents in 1961, she went to Fort Worth, Texas, to work for the Hammond Organ Company. She traveled to Austin, Texas, after retrieving her children.
After her third marriage ended the relationship, she went to Nashville, Tennessee in 1965. She sang in restaurants and other venues until her brother from New York summoned her for a session in 1973.
She played piano with Willie Nelson during his Atlantic Records sessions, which produced The Troublemaker, Shotgun Willie, and Phases & Stages. In the same year, she became a full-time member of The Family and began traveling with her brother.
On this page, we are doing our best to provide you with as much information as possible about her amazing facts as well as her personal and professional life.

Real Name | Bobbie Lee Nelson |
Nickname | Bobbie Nelson |
Profession | Pianist and singer |
Ethnicity | Not Known |
Zodiac Sign | Not Known |
Marital Status | Married |
Husband Name | Bud Fletcher |
Children Name | Not Known |
Physical Status | |
Age | 91 Year (Died) |
Death Date | 10 March 2022 |
Height (Approx.) | 5 feet 7 inches |
Weight (Approx.) | 70 kg |
Chest | Not Known |
Waist | Not Known |
Eye Colour | Brown |
Hair Colour | Brown |
Personal Information | |
Date of Birth | 1 January 1931 |
Birth Place | Abbott, Texas, U.S |
Nationality | American |
School Name | Not Known |
College Name | Not Known |
Qualifications | Not Known |
Family Background | |
Father Name | Ira Doyle Nelson |
Mother Name | Myrle Marie Nelson |
Sibling’s Name | Willie Nelson (Brother) |
Career | |
Source Of Income | Pianist and singer |
Net Worth | Not Known |
Favorite | |
Favorite Sports | Not Known |
Favorite Movie | Not Known |
Favorite Colour | Not Known |
Favorite Actor | Not Known |
Favorite Actress | Not Known |
Favorite Food | Pizza, Non-Veg Dishes, Snacks, Fast Foods |
Bobbie Nelson Career
At age sixteen Nelson met Bud Fletcher and they married. Although Fletcher did not have musical abilities, he formed his own band, Bud Fletcher and the Texans, limiting his participation to directing it.[6] She joined on the piano, while her brother sang and played guitar.
The band was disassembled in 1955 when she divorced Bud Fletcher, who was sick. She lost custody of her sons Randy, Michael, and Freddy for playing in honky-tonks, and custody was given to her ex-husband’s parents. When Fletcher died in a car accident in 1961, Nelson suffered a breakdown and was admitted to a hospital in Fort Worth.
To retrieve custody of their children, she married again and started working in a television repair shop in town. The owner of the store rented a piano to comfort her as she recovered. She began working for the Hammond organ Company, demonstrating and selling their products.
She retrieved the custody of her sons and moved to Austin, Texas. In 1965, after her third marriage failed, she visited Nashville, where her brother was working in his music career. She played in different restaurants and other venues until her brother called her from New York in 1973, where he was recording with Atlantic Records.
She joined Willie on piano for the recordings, which eventually included the albums The Troublemaker, Shotgun Willie, and Phases and Stages. She joined Willie Nelson’s newly formed band, The Family, full-time and started touring with him. In 2008, she released her solo debut album, Audiobiography.
In 2017, she was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Two days after induction she was (again) in concert with her brother Willie Nelson at The Greek Theater in Berkeley, California. Willie always refers to her as “little sister” even though she is the older of the two.
Some Amazing Facts about Bobbie Nelson
- She was born on 1 January 1931 in Abbott, Texas, U.S
- She was an American pianist and singer and famous for being the sister of Willie Nelson
- Bobbie’s father and mother’s names are Ira Doyle Nelson and Myrle Marie Nelson.
- Her current marital status is married(Divorced)
- Her graduation information is not available. We will update you soon.
- Bobbie Nelson’s Sibling is Willie Nelson (Brother).
- After her third marriage ended the relationship, she went to Nashville, Tennessee in 1965.
- Bobbie started her career in a school with his brother.
- Nelson died at the age of 91 on March 10, 2022.
Bobbie Nelson FAQ’s
Who was Bobbie Nelson?
Bobbie Lee Nelson (January 1, 1931 – March 10, 2022) was an American pianist and singer, the older sister of Willie Nelson, and a member of his band, Willie Nelson and Family.
How did Bobbie Nelson die?
She died Thursday “peacefully and surrounded by family,” the Nelson family said in a statement. The cause and location of her death were not released.
How old was Bobbie Nelson?
Bobbie Nelson died at 91.
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