For the truly multi-dimensional Willie Nelson (b. 1933) – singer, songwriter, Gypsy jazz guitarist, producer, bandleader, family man, perennially touring musician, Hollywood actor, entrepreneur, rancher, golfer, proud Texan, and godfather of music’s Outlaw Country movement – it has really been 'ONE HELL OF A RIDE.'

Shotgun Willie, whose 75th birthday was just celebrated on April 30th, 2008, has been making music over the course of eight distinct decades – from the 1930s to the ’00s – and has been a recording artist for more than five of those decades.

For the first time, in honor of his big seven-five, the appropriately titled box-set 'ONE HELL OF A RIDE' draws together the entire span of Willie’s recording career, with tracks representing a dozen different record labels. To underscore the scope of this unprecedented project, the box set opens with Willie’s first single recording under his own name, “When I’ve Sang My Last Hillbilly Song” (cut in 1954 or ’55 for a small Texas label, but not released by the owner for another two decades) – and closes with a brand new version of the song recorded by Willie in 2007.

The largest U.S. box set compendium of his work to date weighs in with 100 of Willie’s personal favorite tracks –– and a magnificent 100-page full-color book with dozens of never-before seen photographs, and full discographical information. Liner notes include an introduction by long-time harmonica player Mickey Raphael and an 8,000-word liner notes essay by Texas musician and music journalist Joe Nick Patoski (author of the upcoming biography Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, Little, Brown & Co., April 2008).

'ONE HELL OF A RIDE' was released this past April 1st on Columbia/ Legacy, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

So, if you would like to win one of these remarkable new 4-disc box-sets, just answer this easy question: A cornerstone of Willie lore has him ‘giving away’ rights to one of his songs for $100 to Claude Gray, which established his career as a Top 10 country hit. What was the name of that song though?!

Send us your answers and if you're correct you'll be in the running to win one of these new box-sets! Just send us an e:mail here before September 1st with your answer and the subject title CONTEST: WILLIE NELSON BOX SETs to: exclusivemagazine@flash.net