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. 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.
She started singing in school acts and in church with her brother. At age sixteen she married Bud Fletcher, who formed his own band, The Texans. She joined on the piano, while her brother joined on vocals and guitar. The band was disassembled in 1955 after she divorced Fletcher. In 1961, after suffering a breakdown caused by Fletcher’s death and the custody of their children being given to his parents, she moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where she worked for the Hammond Organ Company. After recovering her children, she moved to Austin, Texas.
In 1965 she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, after her third marriage failed. She played in restaurants and different venues until she was called by her brother from New York in 1973 for a session. She joined Willie Nelson on the piano during his sessions with Atlantic Records, that produced The Troublemaker, Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. The same year she joined The Family full-time and began touring with her brother.
Nelson died on March 10, 2022, at the age of 91.
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