Waylon Jennings

Biography

Waylon Arnold Jennings (born Wayland Arnold Jennings, June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at age eight and performed at 14 on KVOW radio, after which he formed his first band, the Texas Longhorns. Jennings left high school at age 16, determined to become a musician, and worked as a performer and DJ on KVOW, KDAV, KYTI, KLLL, in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings's first recording session, a cover of "Jole Blon×Jole Blon1959 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAJole Blon1:50BWhen Sin Stops2:04", and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated airplane flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens.
Jennings then returned to Texas, taking several years off from music before eventually moving to Arizona and forming a rockabilly club band, the Waylors, which became the house band at JD's, a club in Tempe, Arizona. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records, but did not achieve success until moving to RCA Victor in 1965. In 1972 he hired Neil Reshen as his manager, who negotiated significantly better touring and recording contracts. After Jennings gained creative control from RCA Records, he released the critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes×Honky Tonk HeroesJuly 1973 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Honky Tonk Heroes3:39A2Old Five and Dimers (Like Me)3:08A3Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me3:04A4Low Down Freedom2:22A5Omaha2:39B1You Ask Me To2:32B2Ride Me Down Easy2:39B3Ain’t No God in Mexico2:01B4Black Rose2:30B5We Had It All2:47, followed by the hit albums Dreaming My Dreams×Dreaming My DreamsJune 1975 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:53A2Waymore’s Blues2:38A3I Recall a Gypsy Woman2:55A4High Time (You Quit You’re Low Down Ways)2:40A5I’ve Been a Long Time Leaving (But I’ll Be a long Time Gone)2:39B1Let’s All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues)3:12B2The Door Is Always Open2:37B3Let’s Turn Back the Years2:26B4She’s Looking Good2:29B5Dreaming My Dreams With You2:24B6Bob Wills Is Still the King3:18 featuring number-one hit "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way×Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way1992 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1I’ve Always Been Crazy4:082Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand2:543Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:514House of the Rising Sun3:445I’ll Go Back to Her3:066Old Friend3:177Belle of the Ball3:208Shine2:48" and Are You Ready for the Country.
During the 1970s, Jennings drove outlaw country. With Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter he recorded country music's first platinum album, Wanted! The Outlaws. It was followed by another platinum album, a first for any solo artist in country×Country2012 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)3:232Rainy Day Woman2:333Good Hearted Woman2:584I'm a Ramblin' Man2:495Lonesome, on'Ry and Mean3:416Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:577I've Always Been Crazy4:148Can't You See3:479Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)2:0910Wild Ones3:39 music, Ol' Waylon, and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". He was featured on the 1978 album White Mansions, performed by various artists documenting the lives of Confederate Southerners during the Civil War. He appeared in films and television series, including Sesame Street and a stint as the Balladeer on The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing its theme song and narrating the show.
Jennings struggled with cocaine addiction, which he overcame in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup the Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive×Will the Wolf Survive1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Will the Wolf Survive3:07A2They Ain’t Got ’em All2:43A3Working Without a Net2:40A4Where Does Love Go2:15A5That Dog Won’t Hunt2:55B1What You’ll Do When I’m Gone2:55B2Suddenly Single2:44B3The Shadow of Your Distant Friend4:01B4I’ve Got Me a Woman2:44B5The Devil’s Right Hand3:28. He has been named as one of the innovators of progressive country.
Jennings toured less after 1997 to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, health problems limited his appearances. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music presented by Weylon Hofacket.

Early life

Jennings was born on June 15, 1937, on the J. W. Bittner farm near Littlefield, Texas. He was the son of Lorene Beatrice (née Shipley, 1919–2006) and William Albert Jennings (1911–1968). The Jennings family line descended from Irish and Black-Dutch. He was the oldest of four sons, followed by Tommy Jennings (1941–2019), James Jennings, and Bo Jennings (1950–2018). The Shipley line descended from his great-grandfather, a farmer and lawman from Tennessee, with Jennings adding that "along the way, a lot of Indian blood mixed in," including Cherokee and Comanche families.
The name on Jennings's birth certificate was Wayland. It was changed after a Baptist preacher visited his parents and congratulated his mother for naming him after the Wayland Baptist College, in Plainview, Texas. Lorene Jennings, who was Church of Christ and had been unaware of the college, changed the spelling to Waylon. Jennings later expressed in his autobiography, "I didn't like Waylon. It sounded so corny and hillbilly, but it's been good to me, and I'm pretty well at peace with it now." After working as a laborer on the Bittner farm, Jennings's father moved the family to Littlefield and established a retail creamery.

Beginnings in music

When Jennings was 8, his mother taught him to play guitar with the tune "Thirty Pieces of Silver". Jennings used to practice with his relatives' instruments until his mother bought him a used Stella guitar, and later ordered a Harmony Patrician. Early influences included Bob Wills, Floyd Tillman, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley.
Beginning with performing at family gatherings, Jennings played his first public concert at the Youth Center with Anthony Bonanno, followed by appearances at the local Jaycees and Lions Clubs. He won a talent show at Channel 13, in Lubbock, singing "Hey Joe". He later made frequent performances at the Palace Theater in Littlefield, during local talent night.

At age 14, Jennings auditioned for a spot on KVOW in Littlefield, Texas. Owner J. B. McShan, along with Emil Macha, recorded Jennings's performance. McShan liked his style and hired him for a weekly 30-minute program. Following his performance on the show, Jennings formed his own band. He asked Macha to play bass for him and gathered other friends and acquaintances to form the Texas Longhorns. The style of the band—a mixture of country and western and bluegrass music—was often not well received.

After several disciplinary infractions, 16-year-old Jennings was convinced to drop out of Littlefield High School by the superintendent. Upon leaving school, he worked for his father in the family store and also took temporary jobs. Jennings felt that music would turn into his career. The next year he, along with the Texas Longhorns, recorded demo versions of the songs "Stranger in My Home" and "There'll Be a New Day" at KFYO radio in Lubbock. Meanwhile, he drove a truck for the Thomas Land Lumber Company, and a cement truck for the Roberts Lumber Company. Tired of the owner, Jennings quit after a minor driving accident. Jennings, and other local musicians, often performed at country radio station KDAV. During this time he met Buddy Holly at a Lubbock restaurant. The two often met during local shows, and Jennings began to attend Holly's performances on KDAV's Sunday Party.
In addition to performing on air for KVOW, Jennings started to work as a DJ in 1956 and moved to Lubbock. His program ran from 4:00 in the afternoon to 10:00 in the evening, filled with two hours of country classics, two of current country, and two of mixed recordings. The latter included early rock-and-roll stars such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The owner reprimanded Jennings for his selection, and after playing two Little Richard records in a row Jennings was fired.
During his time at KVOW Jennings was visited by DJ Sky Corbin of KLVT in Levelland. Corbin was impressed with his voice, and decided to visit Jennings at the station after hearing him sing a jingle to the tune of Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On". Jennings expressed his struggle to live on a $50-a-week salary. Corbin invited Jennings to visit KLVT, where he eventually took Corbin's position when it opened. The Corbin family later purchased KLLL, in Lubbock. They changed the format of the station to country, becoming the main competition of KDAV. The Corbins hired Jennings as the station's first DJ.

Jennings produced commercials and created jingles with the rest of the DJs. As their popularity increased, the DJs made public appearances, and Jennings's events included live performances. During one performance, Holly's father, L. O. Holley, approached them with his son's latest record and asked them to play it at the station. Holley mentioned his son's intention to start producing artists himself, and Corbin recommended Jennings. After returning from his tour of England, Buddy Holly visited KLLL.
Holly took Jennings as his first artist. He outfitted him with new clothes, and worked with him to improve his image. He arranged a session for Jennings at Norman Petty's recording studios in Clovis, New Mexico. On September 10, Jennings recorded the songs "Jole Blon×Jole Blon1959 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAJole Blon1:50BWhen Sin Stops2:04" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)" with Holly and Tommy Allsup on guitars and saxophonist King Curtis. Holly then hired Jennings to play bass for him during his "Winter Dance Party Tour".

Winter Dance Party tour

Before the tour, Holly vacationed with his wife in Lubbock and visited Jennings's radio station in December 1958. Jennings and Sky Corbin performed the hand-claps to Holly's tune "You're the One". Jennings and Holly soon left for New York City, arriving on January 15, 1959. Jennings stayed at Holly's apartment by Washington Square Park prior to a meeting scheduled at the headquarters of the General Artists Corporation, which organized the tour. They later took a train to Chicago to join the band.

The Winter Dance Party tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 23, 1959. The amount of travel created logistical problems, as the distance between venues had not been considered when scheduling each performance. Adding to the problem, the unheated tour buses twice broke down in freezing weather, leading to drummer Carl Bunch being hospitalized for frostbite on his toes. Holly made the decision to find another means of transportation.
Before their performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane from Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa, for himself, Jennings, and Tommy Allsup, to avoid the long bus trip to their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota. Following the Clear Lake show (which ended around midnight), Allsup lost a coin toss and gave up his seat on the charter plane to Ritchie Valens, while Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to J. P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper, who was suffering from the flu and complaining about how cold and uncomfortable the tour bus was for a man of his size.
When Holly learned that his bandmates had given up their seats on the plane and had chosen to take the bus rather than fly, a friendly banter between Holly and Jennings ensued, and it would come back to haunt Jennings for decades to follow: Holly jokingly told Jennings, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Jennings jokingly replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" Under 90 minutes later, shortly after 1:00 am on February 3, 1959, Holly's charter plane crashed into a cornfield outside Mason City, instantly killing all on board.
Later that morning, Jennings's family heard on the radio that "Buddy Holly and his band had been killed." After calling his family, Jennings called Sky Corbin at KLLL from Fargo to confirm that he had not been aboard the plane. The General Artists Corporation promised to pay for first-class tickets for Jennings and the band to attend Holly's funeral in Lubbock in exchange for them playing that night in Moorhead. After the first show, they were initially denied their payment by the venue, but after Jennings's persistence, they were paid. The flights were never paid for, and Jennings and Allsup continued the tour for two more weeks, featuring Jennings as the lead singer. They were paid less than half of the original agreed salary, and upon returning to New York, Jennings put Holly's guitar and amplifier in a locker in Grand Central Terminal and mailed the keys to Maria Elena Holly. Then he returned to Lubbock.
In the early 1960s, Jennings wrote and recorded "The Stage (Stars in Heaven)", a tribute to Valens, the Big Bopper, and Holly, as well as fellow musician Eddie Cochran, who had died in a road accident a year after the plane crash.
For decades afterward, Jennings repeatedly stated that he felt responsible for the crash that killed Holly. This sense of guilt precipitated bouts of substance abuse through much of his career.
"Jole Blon×Jole Blon1959 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAJole Blon1:50BWhen Sin Stops2:04" was released on Brunswick in March 1959 with limited success. Now unemployed, Jennings returned to KLLL. Deeply affected by Holly's death, Jennings's performance at the station worsened. He left the station after he was denied a raise, and later worked briefly for the competition, KDAV.

Phoenix

Due to his father-in-law's illness, Jennings had to shuttle between Arizona and Texas. While his family lived back in Littlefield, Jennings found a job briefly at KOYL in Odessa, Texas. He moved with his family to Coolidge, Arizona, where his wife Maxine's sister lived. He found a job performing at the Galloping Goose bar, where he was heard by Earl Perrin, who offered him a spot on KCKY. Jennings also played during the intermission at drive-in theaters and in bars. After a successful performance at the Cross Keys Club in Phoenix, he was approached by two contractors (Paul Pristo and Dean Coffman) who were building a club in Scottsdale for James (Jimmy) D. Musil, called JD's. Musil engaged Jennings as his main artist and designed the club around his act.
Jennings formed his backing band, the Waylors, with bassist Paul Foster, guitarist Jerry Gropp, and drummer Richie Albright. The band soon earned a strong local fan base at JD's, where Jennings developed his rock-influenced style of country music that defined him in his later career.

In 1961, Jennings signed a recording contract with Trend Records, and experienced moderate success with his single "Another Blue Day". His friend Don Bowman took demos of Jennings to Jerry Moss, who at the time was starting A&M Records with associate Herb Alpert. In July 1963 Jennings signed a contract with A&M that granted him 5% of record sales. At A&M, he recorded "Love Denied" backed with "Rave On×Rave On1978 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1River BoyA2Twelfth or NeverA3The Race Is OnA4Stepping StoneA5The Real House of the Rising SunA6Rave OnB1Just to Satisfy YouB2Kisses Sweeter Than WineB3Unchained MelodyB4I Don’t Believe YouB5Four Strong WindsB6Love Denied", and Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds×Four Strong Winds1964 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAFour Strong Winds2:39BJust to Satisfy You2:10" backed with "Just to Satisfy You×Just to Satisfy YouMarch 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Lonely Weekends2:30A2Sing the Blues to Daddy2:40A3Change My Mind2:28A4Farewell Party2:50A5Rings of Gold2:32A6Alone2:54B1Just to Satisfy You2:15B2I Lost Me2:29B3I've Been Needing Someone Like You2:50B4For the Kids2:39B5I Got You2:36B6Straighten My Mind2:10". He followed up by recording demos of "The Twelfth of Never", "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", and also produced the single "Sing the Girls a Song, Bill", backed with "The Race Is On×The Race Is OnOctober 1964 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThe Race is On2:14BSing the Girls a Song, Bill2:14". The singles were released between April and October 1964.
Jennings's records found little success at A&M, because the label was releasing mostly folk music rather than country at the time. He had a few regional hits around Phoenix, due to local radio airplay with "Four Strong Winds" and "Just To Satisfy You", which was co-written with Bowman. Meanwhile, he recorded an album on BAT records produced by James Musil and engineered by Jack Miller, called "JD's Waylon Jennings" on the front of the album, and "Waylon Jennings at JD's" on the back side. After 500 copies were sold at the club another 500 were pressed by the Sounds label. He also played lead guitar for Patsy Montana on a 1964 album.
Singer Bobby Bare heard Jennings's "Just to Satisfy You" on his car radio while passing through Phoenix, and recorded it and "Four Strong Winds". After stopping in Phoenix to attend a Jennings performance at JD's, Bare called Chet Atkins, head of the RCA Victor studios in Nashville, and suggested he sign Jennings. Unsure after being offered a deal with RCA if he should quit his gig at JD's and relocate to Nashville, he sought the advice of RCA artist and friend Willie Nelson, who had attended one of Jennings's shows. Upon hearing how well financially Jennings was doing at JD's Nelson suggested he stay in Phoenix.
Jennings then asked Herb Alpert to release him from his contract with A&M, which Alpert did. Later, after Jennings became successful, A&M compiled all of his singles and unreleased recordings and issued them as an album, Don't Think Twice. Atkins formally signed Jennings to RCA Victor in 1965. In August Jennings made his first appearance on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart with "That's the Chance I'll Have to Take".

The Nashville Sound

In 1966, Jennings released his debut RCA Victor album Folk-Country×Country2012 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)3:232Rainy Day Woman2:333Good Hearted Woman2:584I'm a Ramblin' Man2:495Lonesome, on'Ry and Mean3:416Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:577I've Always Been Crazy4:148Can't You See3:479Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)2:0910Wild Ones3:39, followed by Leavin' Town and Nashville Rebel×Nashville RebelDecember 1966 · Album · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Silver Ribbons2:20A2Nashville Bum1:45A3Green River2:25A4Nashville Rebel1:50A5I’m a Long Way From Home3:29A6Tennessee2:12B1Norwegian Wood2:00B2Hoodlum (Instrumental)2:45B3Spanish Penthouse (Instrumental)2:42B4Lang’s Theme (Instrumental)1:27B5Rush Street Blues (Instrumental)2:17B6Lang’s Mansion (Instrumental)2:53. Leavin' Town resulted in significant chart success as the first two singles "Anita, You're Dreaming" and "Time to Bum Again" both peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album's third single, a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me", peaked at No. 9, Jennings's first top 10 single. Nashville Rebel was the soundtrack to an independent film, The Nashville Rebel, starring Jennings. The single "Green River" charted on Billboard country singles at No. 11.

In 1967, Jennings released a hit single, "Just to Satisfy You×Just to Satisfy YouMarch 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Lonely Weekends2:30A2Sing the Blues to Daddy2:40A3Change My Mind2:28A4Farewell Party2:50A5Rings of Gold2:32A6Alone2:54B1Just to Satisfy You2:15B2I Lost Me2:29B3I've Been Needing Someone Like You2:50B4For the Kids2:39B5I Got You2:36B6Straighten My Mind2:10". During an interview, Jennings remarked that the song was a "pretty good example" of the influence of his work with Buddy Holly and rockabilly music. Jennings produced mid-chart albums that sold well, including 1967's Just to Satisfy You, which included the hit single. Jennings's singles enjoyed success. "The Chokin' Kind" peaked at number eight on Billboard's Hot Country Singles in 1967, while "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line×Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAOnly Daddy That'll Walk the Line2:20BRight Before My Eyes2:00" hit number two the following year. In 1969, his collaboration with the Kimberlys on the single "MacArthur Park" earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. His single "Brown Eyed Handsome Man×Brown Eyed Handsome Man19 April 2005 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1The Chokin' Kind2:292Green River2:303I'm a Ramblin' Man2:474Brown Eyed Handsome Man2:045I Recall a Gypsy Woman2:586I've Always Been Crazy4:117Old Five and Dimers (Like Me)3:078If You See Me Getting Smaller3:399Midnight Rider3:2410Are You Ready for the Country3:11" reached number three at the Hot Country Singles chart by the end of the year.
On December 26, 1968 Jennings returned to JD's in Phoenix for a one-off concert on a stop along his tour. After the completion of the show, 32-year-old James M. Fell, going under the alias Leo Roher, broke into the club and held Jennings and The Waylors at gunpoint, attempting to rob them. Waylon and company would slip away into a dressing room while Fell was distracted by the police. Fell would flee the club and was later shot and left partially paralyzed while evading the police the next morning.
During this time, Jennings rented an apartment in Nashville with Johnny Cash. Jennings and Cash were both managed by "Lucky" Moeller's booking agency Moeller Talent, Inc. The tours organized by the agency were unproductive, with the artists being booked in venues located far from each other on close dates. After paying for the accommodation and travel expenditures, Jennings was frequently forced to request advances from the agency or RCA Victor to make the next venue. While playing 300 days on the road, Jennings's debt increased, and along with it his consumption of amphetamine. He believed himself to be "trapped on the circuit".
In 1972, Jennings released Ladies Love Outlaws. The single that headlined the album became a hit for Jennings, and was his first approach to outlaw country×Outlaw Country7 April 2015 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Crying2:342I’m a Lonesome Fugitive1:363Is There Something on Your Mind2:354A‐112:145Don’t Think Twice2:386Silver Wings2:247Half a Man2:058Almost Persuaded3:079Dream Baby2:2310Momma Tried2:2511Will You Remember Min3:1012Don’t Monkey With Another Monkey’s Monkey2:1813Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line (live)2:1714Working Man Blues2:4315Night Life2:3516The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised3:0517White Lightnin’2:1418Today I Started Loving You Again2:0119Suffering in Silence2:3020Slide Off Your Satin Sheets2:55. Jennings was accustomed to performing and recording with his own band, the Waylors, a practice that was not encouraged by powerful Nashville producers, who favored the Nashville sound produced by a roster of experienced local studio musicians. The music style publicized as "countrypolitan" was characterized by orchestral arrangements and the absence of most traditional country music instruments. The producers did not let Jennings play his own guitar or select material to record. Jennings felt limited by Nashville's lack of artistic freedom.

Outlaw country

By 1972, after the release of Ladies Love Outlaws, his recording contract was nearing an end. Upon contracting hepatitis, Jennings was hospitalized. Sick and frustrated with the Nashville music industry, he was considering retirement. Albright visited him and convinced him to continue, suggesting he hire Neil Reshen as his new manager. Meanwhile, Jennings requested a $25,000 royalty advance from RCA Records to cover his living expenses during his recovery. The same day he met Reshen, RCA sent Jerry Bradley to offer Jennings $5,000 as a bonus for signing a new 5% royalty deal with RCA, the same terms he had accepted in 1965. After reviewing the offer with Reshen, he rejected it and hired Reshen.

Reshen started to renegotiate Jennings's recording and touring contracts. At a meeting in a Nashville airport Jennings introduced Reshen to Willie Nelson. By the end of the meeting Reshen had become Nelson's manager as well. Jennings's new deal included a $75,000 advance and artistic control. Reshen advised Jennings to keep the beard that he had grown in the hospital, to match the image of outlaw country×Outlaw Country7 April 2015 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Crying2:342I’m a Lonesome Fugitive1:363Is There Something on Your Mind2:354A‐112:145Don’t Think Twice2:386Silver Wings2:247Half a Man2:058Almost Persuaded3:079Dream Baby2:2310Momma Tried2:2511Will You Remember Min3:1012Don’t Monkey With Another Monkey’s Monkey2:1813Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line (live)2:1714Working Man Blues2:4315Night Life2:3516The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised3:0517White Lightnin’2:1418Today I Started Loving You Again2:0119Suffering in Silence2:3020Slide Off Your Satin Sheets2:55.
By 1973 Nelson found success with Atlantic Records. Now based in Austin, Texas, he began to attract rock and roll fans to his shows, which gained him notice in its press. Atlantic Records made a bid to sign Jennings, but Nelson's rise to popularity persuaded RCA to renegotiate with him before losing another potential star.
In 1973, Jennings released Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, the first albums recorded and released under his creative control. This heralded a major turning point for Jennings, resulting in his most critically and commercially successful years. More hit albums followed with This Time×This TimeApril 1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1This Time2:26A2Louisiana Women4:03A3Pick Up the Tempo2:33A4Slow Rollin’ Low2:45A5Heaven or Hell1:39B1It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way3:29B2Slow Movin’ Outlaw3:41B3Mona2:48B4Walkin’2:28B5If You Could Touch Her at All3:03 and The Ramblin' Man, both released in 1974. The title tracks of both albums topped the Billboard Country×Country2012 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)3:232Rainy Day Woman2:333Good Hearted Woman2:584I'm a Ramblin' Man2:495Lonesome, on'Ry and Mean3:416Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:577I've Always Been Crazy4:148Can't You See3:479Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)2:0910Wild Ones3:39 singles chart, with the self-penned "This Time" becoming Jennings's first No. 1 single. Dreaming My Dreams, released in 1975, included the No. 1 single "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way×Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way1992 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1I’ve Always Been Crazy4:082Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand2:543Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:514House of the Rising Sun3:445I’ll Go Back to Her3:066Old Friend3:177Belle of the Ball3:208Shine2:48", and became his first album to be certified gold by the RIAA; it was also the first of six consecutive solo studio albums to be certified gold or higher. In 1976 Jennings released Are You Ready for the Country. Jennings wanted Los Angeles producer Ken Mansfield to produce the record, but RCA initially balked. Jennings and the Waylors traveled to Los Angeles and recorded with Mansfield at Jennings's expense. A month later, Jennings returned to Nashville and presented the master tape to Chet Atkins, who, after listening to it, decided to release it. The album reached number one on Billboard's country albums three times the same year, topping the charts for 10 weeks. It was named country album of the year in 1976 by Record World magazine and was certified gold by the RIAA.

In 1976, RCA released the compilation album Wanted! The Outlaws, with Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jennings's wife, Jessi Colter. The album was the first country music album certified platinum. The following year, RCA issued Ol' Waylon, an album that produced a hit duet with Nelson, "Luckenbach, Texas". The album Waylon and Willie followed in 1978, producing the hit single "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys". Jennings released I've Always Been Crazy, also in 1978. The same year, at the peak of his success, Jennings began to feel limited by the outlaw movement. Jennings referred to the overexploitation of the image in the song "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand", claiming that the movement had become a "self-fulfilling prophecy". In 1979, RCA released Jennings first Greatest Hits compilation, which was certified gold the same year, and quintuple platinum in 2002.
Also in 1979, Jennings joined the cast of the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard as the Balladeer, the narrator. The only episode to feature him as an actor was "Welcome, Waylon Jennings", during the seventh season. Jennings played himself, presented as an old friend of the Duke family. For the show he also wrote and sang the theme song "Good Ol' Boys", which became the biggest hit of his career. Released as a single in promotion with the show, it became Jennings's 12th single to reach number one on the Billboard Country Singles chart. It was also a crossover hit, peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Later years

In the mid-1980s, Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, formed a successful group called the Highwaymen. Aside from his work with the Highwaymen, Jennings released a gold album WWII (1982) with Nelson.
In 1985, Jennings joined with USA for Africa to record "We Are the World", but he left the studio because of a dispute over the song's lyrics that were to be sung in Swahili. By this time, his sales had decreased. After the release of Sweet Mother Texas, Jennings signed with MCA Records. His debut release with the label, Will the Wolf Survive (1985), peaked at number one in Billboard's Country albums in 1986. Jennings's initial success tailed off, and in 1990, he signed with Epic Records. His first release, The Eagle, became his final top 10 album.
Also in 1985, he made a cameo appearance in the live-action children's film Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird. In the movie, he plays a turkey farm truck driver who gives Big Bird a lift. He also sings one of the film's songs, entitled "Ain't No Road Too Long". In 1993, in collaboration with Rincom Children's Entertainment, Jennings recorded an album of children's songs, Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt, which included "Shooter's Theme", a tribute to his 14-year-old with the theme of "a friend of mine".
As his record sales and radio play declined through the 1990s, Jennings continued to draw large crowds to his live performances. In 1994 Jennings made a small appearance in the movie Maverick, with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner.
In 1996, Jennings released his album, Right for the Time×Right for the Time21 May 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1WBPT3:062Cactus Texas3:113The Most Sensible Thing4:084The Boxer3:495Hittin' the Bottle Again4:236Wasting Time2:537Kissing You Goodbye2:038Carnival Song3:529Out of Jail3:3510Lines3:0511Deep in the West3:4012Right for the Time3:55. In 1997, after the Lollapalooza tour, he decreased his tour schedule to focus on his family. In 1998, Jennings teamed up with Bare, Jerry Reed, and Mel Tillis to form the Old Dogs. The group recorded a double album of songs by Shel Silverstein.
In mid-1999, Jennings assembled what he referred to as his "hand-picked dream team" and formed Waylon & the Waymore Blues Band. Consisting primarily of former Waylors, the 13-member group performed concerts from 1999 to 2001. As his health declined, Jennings decided to end his touring career. In January 2000, Jennings recorded what became his final album at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Never Say Die: Live×Never Say Die: Live2000 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Closing in on the Fire5:172Waymore’s Blues3:383Never Say Die5:064Amanda / A Couple More Years6:415Drift Away3:546Nothing Catches Jesus by Surprise4:277Good Hearted Woman3:368I’m Not Lisa3:129Storms Never Last3:4010Never Been to Spain5:2911(I’m a) Ramblin’ Man2:5212Goin’ Down Rockin’5:3113I’ve Always Been Crazy4:2014Can’t You See5:19.

Music style and image

Jennings's music was characterized by his powerful rough-edged singing voice, phrasing and texture.
He was also recognized for his "spanky-twang" guitar style. To create his sound, he used a pronounced 'phaser' effect plus a mixture of thumb and fingers during the rhythmic parts, while using picks for the lead runs. He combined hammer-on and pull-off riffs, with eventual upper-fret double stops and modulation effects. Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar that was a gift from the Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work. Jennings further customized it by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound. Among his other guitars, Jennings used a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993. The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.
Jennings's signature image was characterized by his long hair, mustache and beard, and black hat and black leather vest he wore during his appearances.

Personal life

Jennings was married four times and had six children. He married Maxine Caroll Lawrence in 1956 at age 18, with whom he had four children. Jennings married Lynne Jones on December 10, 1962, and they adopted a daughter, but divorced in 1967. He married Barbara Elizabeth Rood the same year. He composed the song "This Time×This TimeApril 1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1This Time2:26A2Louisiana Women4:03A3Pick Up the Tempo2:33A4Slow Rollin’ Low2:45A5Heaven or Hell1:39B1It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way3:29B2Slow Movin’ Outlaw3:41B3Mona2:48B4Walkin’2:28B5If You Could Touch Her at All3:03" about the trials and tribulations of his marriages and divorces, it went on to become his first number 1 chart-topping song upon release in 1974.
Jennings married country singer Jessi Colter in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 26, 1969. The couple had a son in 1979, Waylon Albright, known as Shooter Jennings. In the early 1980s, Colter and Jennings nearly divorced due to his abuse of drugs and alcohol. In 1990, after he stopped touring, Jennings earned a GED to set an example to Shooter about the importance of education. He studied for his GED by watching tapes of GED on TV programs from the Kentucky Educational Television network on his tour bus in 1989.

Addiction and recovery

Jennings started to consume amphetamines while he lived with Johnny Cash during the mid-1960s. Jennings later stated, "Pills were the artificial energy on which Nashville ran around the clock."

On August 23, 1977, Jennings was arrested by federal agents for conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. A private courier warned the Drug Enforcement Administration about a package sent to Jennings by a New York colleague that contained 27 grams of cocaine flown in by Braniff Airlines, Flight 119. The DEA and the police searched Jennings's recording studio but found no evidence because, while they were waiting for a search warrant, longtime drummer and producer of the session, Richie Albright, disposed of the drug. The charges were later dropped and Jennings was released. The episode was recounted in Jennings's song "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand".
During the early 1980s, his cocaine addiction intensified. Jennings claimed to have spent $1,500 (equivalent to $5,300 in 2025) a day on his habit, draining his personal finances and leaving him bankrupt with debt up to $2.5 million. Though he insisted on repaying the debt and did additional tours to do so, his work became less focused and his tours deteriorated. Jennings leased a home in the Phoenix area and spent a month detoxing himself, intending to start using cocaine again in a more controlled fashion afterward. In 1984, he quit cocaine, claiming that his son Shooter was his main inspiration to finally do so.

Illness and death

Decades of smoking and drug use took a large toll on Jennings's health in addition to obesity and a poor diet, which resulted in his developing Type 2 diabetes. In 1988, four years after quitting cocaine, he ended his six-pack-a-day smoking habit. That same year, he underwent heart bypass surgery. By 2000, his diabetes worsened, and the pain reduced his mobility to the point where he was forced to end most touring. That same year, he underwent surgery to improve his left leg's blood circulation. In December 2001, his left foot was amputated at a hospital in Phoenix.
On February 13, 2002, Jennings died in his sleep from complications of diabetes at his home in Chandler, Arizona, aged 64. He was buried in the City of Mesa Cemetery in nearby Mesa.

Legacy

Between 1965 and 1991, ninety-six Jennings singles appeared on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and sixteen topped it. Between 1966 and 1995, fifty-four of his albums charted on Billboard's Top Country×Country2012 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)3:232Rainy Day Woman2:333Good Hearted Woman2:584I'm a Ramblin' Man2:495Lonesome, on'Ry and Mean3:416Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way2:577I've Always Been Crazy4:148Can't You See3:479Theme From the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)2:0910Wild Ones3:39 Albums, with 11 reaching number 1.
In October 2001, Jennings was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but he was unable to attend the ceremony due to the pain caused by his diabetes. On July 6, 2006, Jennings was inducted into Guitar Center's RockWalk in Hollywood, California. Jessi Colter attended the ceremony along with Kris Kristofferson, who was inducted on the same day. On June 20, 2007, Jennings was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music. During the ceremony, Ray Scott sang "Rainy Day Woman" and the award was accepted by Buddy Jennings.
Jennings's music had an influence on numerous artists, including Hank Williams Jr., the Marshall Tucker Band, Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Waylon, Eric Church, Cody Jinks, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson, his son Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson, Charley Crockett and Hank Williams III. George Jones' 1985 single "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" references Waylon Jennings with the line, "Like the outlaw who walks through Jessi's dream".

Littlefield, Texas renamed one of its major roads, Tenth Street, to Waylon Jennings Boulevard.
He was inducted to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

Studio albums

In 2008, the posthumous album Waylon Forever×Waylon Forever21 October 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Jack of Diamonds3:412Outlaw Shit5:303Ain’t Livin Long Like This4:364Are You Ready for the Country?4:025Lonesome On’ry and Mean4:216Waymore’s Blues5:017White Room4:268I Found the Body4:03 was released.
In 2012, Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings was released, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and steel guitarist Robby Turner, before Jennings' death in 2002. The songs initially featured only Jennings's guitar and vocals, with Turner on bass; further accompaniment was intended to be added later. Turner completed the recordings in 2012 with the help of the remaining former members of the Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release. In 2016, Turner would release another project entitled The Lost Nashville Sessions, a series of demo recordings that he and the Waylors had originally done on July 13, 1970 recorded at Scotty Moore's Music City Recorders.
In June of 2024, Shooter revealed that more new Waylon music would be on the way in 2025. On June 15, 2025, it was announced the first of three studio albums would be released on October 3 of that year, with the first being entitled Songbird. The title track was a take on Fleetwood Mac's 1977 hit "Songbird×Songbird3 October 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Songbird3:402The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)2:203I’d Like to Love You Baby2:504I’m Gonna Lay Back With My Woman3:055Wrong Road Ahead2:316I Hate to Go Searchin’ Them Bars Again2:267Brand New Tennessee Waltz4:098(I Don’t Have) Any More Love Songs2:479After the Ball3:1010Dink’s Blues3:43". On August 15, 2025, the album's second single, "The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)", would be released. On September 26, a week before the first album would release, Shooter also revealed that in addition to the three studio albums by Waylon being released, there would be several other projects coming. Shooter would state there would be multiple live albums, side projects with Jessi Colter, as well as a full-length studio album by the Waylors that was set to be released in the 1970s but never saw the light of day. All of these would be spread out over the next five years into 2030.

Physical release only albums

Between 2015 and 2017 two albums were released. The first, Live 55, was a restored recording of Waylon on a radio broadcast at station KZZN where he was a DJ at the time in 1955. Only 1,000 copies of the album would be made. The other was New Stuff containing demos recorded in 1998, of which only 1,500 copies would be made.