This Page Is Dedicated To One Of My Favorite
Country Performers.
My tears fall for the loss every Waylon Jennings fan has suffered from his untimely passing. God Bless.
Waylon
Jennings
Autobiography
Waylon Jennings is the only person in history to have ushered
two musical revolutions into mainstream popular culture; first with Rock-n-roll,
as a protege of Buddy Holly and a bass player in his band, and later as
one of the original outlaws of country music. He built his reputation on
strong performances night after night, records that sold in the millions,
and an uncompromising style that welded several classes of society together.
Waylon Jennings was not an overnight success. Time and talent helped him
earn the status of "Living Legend."
He has contributed to popular music since the age of
12 when he became a deejay on his local radio station. Today "Waylon"
has become a household name. In over 35 years of recording, he has been
responsible for incredible changes in, not just country music, but music.
His uncompromising style created a whole new genre of music. He welded
several classes of society together through music. Talk about being "right
for the time."
As a leader of the "outlaw" movement he helped
turn Country music around from the pop direction it was heading toward,
and created a harder edge brand of country. Waylon's music has become the
stimulus for a whole new generation of "outlaw country."
Early on in Waylon's career, he befriended a few luminaries
that would end up as American music icons, and their influence provided
a chemistry that helped create Waylon's unique style. The first being Buddy
Holly. Waylon played bass in Holly's band, and in 1958 he financed Waylon's
first single "Jole Blon". Waylon's relationship to Holly carries
a very spiritual foundation, as he was scheduled to travel on that ill-fated
flight that took the lives of Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens.
He moved back to Lubbock to contemplate his future in music. Shortly thereafter,
he moved to Phoenix and formed his own band, The Waylors. It was in Phoenix
that his recording career began to take shape. He recorded and released
material in Phoenix for five years. In 1965 he signed to RCA and moved
to Nashville.
In Nashville, Waylon befriended another of those would-be
icons, Johnny Cash. They became roommates, and it was during this time
that Waylon began to enjoy his first taste of recording artist success.
He had his first charted single, "That's The Chance I'll Have To Take",
which reached the Top 50. He followed up with a Top 20 hit, "Stop
The World (And Let Me Off)." The next five years found Waylon chalking
up a series of major hits that turned him into an internationally acknowledged
leader of the "folk-country" style.
The '70s were the years that Waylon took complete control
of his career, resulting in important moves and a movement. He became disillusioned
with the Nashville bureaucracy, and the "outlaw movement" began
to take shape. He enjoyed several Top 20 hits and reached the Top 25 with
the duet with Jessi, "Suspicious Minds". Ironically, it was at
this time that Waylon considered quitting the business due to lack of production
control.
In 1972, Waylon took that control. This move could be
credited as the beginning of Waylon's "outlaw" sound. On one
occassion, he took a gun into the studio and threatened to shoot the fingers
off any player that read from their charts rather than playing by feeling.
He then began using his road band in the studio, rather than session players.
His next three singles ("Good Hearted Woman", "Sweet Dream
Woman", and "Pretend I Never Happened") all made the Top
10.
The seventies continued to bring much success to Waylon.
In 1975 alone, he released many Top 10 hits, won CMA's "Single Of
The Year" (a re-recording of "Good Hearted Woman"), and
CMA's "Male Vocalist Of The Year". 1976 brought him a Top 3 hit
with the re-release of "Suspicious Minds" with Jessi, and an
appearance in a movie. The major milestone of that year was the release
of Wanted! The Outlaws, with Jessi, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser. The
album would go double platinum and was named CMA's "Album Of The Year"
and Waylon and Willie became CMA's "Duo Of The Year".
Through 1983 his singles and albums only bore the name
"Waylon." Both of his hits in 1977 went to No. 1. The first was
"Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Life)" which became
a Top 25 Pop hit. The other was "The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want
To Get Over You)." 1978 brought "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies
Grow Up To Be Cowboys", which made it three No. 1's in a row and a
Grammy for "Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group." He closed
the year out with a Top 3 duet with Johnny Cash, "There Ain't No Good
Chain Gang", a Top 5 hit "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done
Got Out Of Hand", and the No. 1 hit "I've Always Been Crazy."
The decade ended with a bang. Gold and Platinum records including a Platinum
certification for Waylon's Greatest Hits and two more No. 1's with "Amanda"
and "Come With Me."
In the 1990s, Jennings retained his superstar status and his concerts continued to draw large crowds and positive reviews. In 1996, Jennings signed with Justice Records and released his latest album, Right for the Time.
During the early part of December, 2001, Waylon underwent surgery to amputate his left foot. Infection in the foot, caused by diabetes, made the surgery important. In recent months he was seen in public using a walker and in a wheel chair. "I spent two years stumbling and now I can walk!" he said in a press release.
Waylon passed away, peacefully in his sleep, February 13th, 2002. The loss to his fans and country music is irreplaceable.
The Taker Performed By: Waylon Jennings
Just To Satisfy You Performed By: Waylon Jennings
Storms Never Last Performed By: Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter
Waylon
Jennings
