Waylon Jennings
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| Waylon Jennings | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wayland Arnold Jennings |
| Born | June 15, 1937 Littlefield, Texas, United States |
| Died | February 13, 2002 (aged 64) Chandler, Arizona, United States |
| Genres | Country, outlaw country, country rock, progressive country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, mandolin |
| Years active | 1958–2002 |
| Labels | RCA Victor, MCA, Epic |
| Associated acts | Jessi Colter, Willie Nelson, The Highwaymen, Buddy Holly, Andy Griggs |
| Website | www.waylonjennings.com |
| Notable instruments | |
Fender Telecaster Signature of Waylon Jennings |
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During the 1970s, Jennings joined the Outlaw movement. He released critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by hit albums Dreaming My Dreams and Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976 he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. The success of the album was followed by Ol' Waylon, and the hit song “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love).” By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which he quit in 1984. Later he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen with Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive. He toured less after 1997, to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.
Jennings also appeared in movies and television series. He was the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard; he also composed and sang the show's theme song. In 2001 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend until later on. In 2007 he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.
Contents
Early life
Waylon Arnold Jennings was born in Littlefield, Texas, the seat of Lamb County, the son of Lorene Beatrice (née Shipley) and William Albert Jennings.[1] His original birth name was Wayland, meaning land by the highway, but it was changed after a Baptist preacher visited Jennings's parents and congratulated his mother for naming him after the Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. Lorene Jennings, who had been unaware of the college, changed the spelling to Waylon. Jennings later expressed in his autobiography, “I didn't like Waylon. It sounded corny and hillbilly, but it's been good to me, and I'm pretty well at peace with it right now.”[2] When Jennings was 8, his mother taught him to play guitar with the tune "Thirty Pieces of Silver". Jennings used to practice with the guitars of his relatives, until his mother bought him a used Stella, and later ordered a Harmony Patrician.[3] Jennings never learned to read music, but he practiced in pursuit of a career in music and to avoid a possible future picking cotton and other temporary jobs.[4][5]Music career
Beginnings in music
While working in KLLL, Jennings met Buddy Holly during the broadcasts of Sunday Party. Holly, who wanted to start in record production, arranged a session for Jennings. On September 10 Jennings recorded the songs “Jole Blon” and “When Sin Stops (Love Begins)” with Holly and Tommy Allsup on guitars with saxophonist King Curtis. The single was released on Brunswick in 1959 with limited success. Holly then hired Jennings to play electric bass for him during his “Winter Dance Party Tour.”[7]
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During his first
recording session in 1958, Jennings was accompanied by Buddy Holly on
the guitar and King Curtis on the saxophone
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He later returned to KLLL and performed regionally, but eventually was fired by Sky Corbin. Subsequently, Jennings worked briefly for KDAV.[8] He released recordings under Trend Records and experienced moderate success with his single, “Another Blue Day.”[16]
Phoenix and the Nashville Sound
His records had little success, because A&M's main releases were folk music rather than country.[18] He had a few hits on local radio in Phoenix, including Ian Tyson's “Four Strong Winds” and “Just To Satisfy You” (co-written with Don Bowman). He also recorded an album on BAT called JD's. After 500 copies were sold at the club, another 500 copies were pressed by the Sounds label.[19] He also played lead guitar for Patsy Montana on a 1964 album.[20] Alpert tried to shift Jennings's style from country to pop, but Jennings refused. After his only single, “Sing the Girl a Song, Bill,” Alpert released Jennings.[17]
Singer Bobby Bare, who covered Jennings's songs “Four Strong Winds” and “Just To Satisfy You,” recommended him to producer Chet Atkins, who signed Jennings to RCA Victor in 1965.[18] On August 21, Jennings made his first appearance on the Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart with “That's the Chance I'll Have to Take.”[21] The same year he met and became friends with Willie Nelson, who went to see one of his shows in Phoenix, Arizona.[22]
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From the album of the same name, the song was a local radio hit for Jennings in Nashville
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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.[27] Jennings was accustomed to performing and recording with his own band, The Waylors, a practice that was not encouraged by powerful Nashville producers. Over time, however, Jennings felt limited by the Nashville sound's lack of artistic freedom.[28] The music style publicized as “Countrypolitan” was characterized by orchestral arrangements, and the absence of traditional country music instruments. The producers did not let Jennings play his own guitar or select material to record.[16]
Outlaw Country
In an interview, Jennings recalled the restrictions of the Nashville establishment: “They wouldn't let you do anything. You had to dress a certain way: you had to do everything a certain way.... They kept trying to destroy me.... I just went about my business and did things my way.... You start messing with my music, I get mean”[29] In 1972 his recording contract was nearing an end. Hepatitis-afflicted Jennings accepted an offer from Neil Reshen to renegotiate his 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 manager to both singers. Jennings's new deal gained him a $75,000 advance and artistic control.[30][31] Reshen advised Jennings to keep the beard that he had grown in the hospital, in order to match the image of outlaw country.[32][33][34]
In 1973, Jennings released Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, the first albums recorded and released under his creative control. The release of these albums heralded a major turning point for Jennings, kicking off the most critically and commercially successful years of his career. More hit albums followed with This Time and The Ramblin' Man, both released in 1974. The title tracks of both albums topped the Billboard country singles chart, with the self-penned "This Time" becoming Jennings' first #1 single. Dreaming My Dreams, released in 1975, included the #1 single "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" and was his first album to be certified gold by the RIAA; it was also the first of his next six consecutive, solo studio albums to be certified gold or higher.[38][39] In 1976, Jennings released Are You Ready for the Country, Jennings wanted the record to be produced by Los Angeles producer Ken Mansfield. Although RCA denied the request, Jennings and The Waylors went to Los Angeles and recorded with Mansfield at his expense. After a month, Jennings presented the master tape to Chet Atkins, who decided to release it. The album hit 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 it was certified gold by the RIAA.[40]
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A hit for Jennings, the song was released in the album Ol' Waylon
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Later years
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Fragment of the song Highwayman, sung by Jennings with the country supergroup The Highwaymen
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Also in 1985, Waylon Jennings 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 that 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.”[53]
Despite low record sales, Jennings attracted large audiences in live appearances.[17] In 1997, after the Lollapalooza tour, he decreased his tour schedule and became centered on his family.[54]
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 penned entirely by Shel Silverstein.[55] 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 a limited number of concerts from 1999 to 2001.[56] In January 2000, Jennings recorded what would become his final album at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, Never Say Die: Live.[57]
Music style and image
Jennings was characterized by his “powerful” singing voice, noted by his “rough-edged quality,” as well as his phrasing and texture.[58][59] Accompanying his vocals, he played guitar. He was recognized for his “spanky-twang” playing. To create his sound, he used 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.[60] Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar purchased as a gift to him by The Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work.[61][62] Jennings did further customizing work on the guitar, by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound.[63][64] Among the other guitars he owned, Jennings used as a backup a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it as a gift to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993.[65] The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.[66]His signature image was characterized by his long hair and beard, as well as his black hat and the black leather vest he wore during his appearances.[67][68]
Personal life
In 1997, he stopped touring to be close to his family. To set an example about the importance of education to his son Waylon Albright, Jennings earned a GED at age 52.[69][70]Addiction and recovery
Jennings started to consume amphetamines at the time he lived with Johnny Cash during the mid-1960s. Jennings later stated, “Pills were the artificial energy on which Nashville ran around the clock.”[8] In 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 the package sent to Jennings by a New York colleague that contained 27 grams of cocaine. The DEA and the police went to Jennings's recording studio. They found no evidence, because while they were waiting for a search warrant, Jennings flushed the cocaine. The charges were later dropped and Jennings was released.[71] The episode was recounted in Jennings's song “Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Outta Hand?”[72]During the early 1980s, his cocaine addiction intensified. Jennings claimed to have spent $1,500 daily to satisfy his addiction, draining his personal finances and leaving him bankrupt with debt of up to $2.5 million.[73][74] Though he insisted on repaying the debt and did additional tours to earn the funds, his work became less focused and his tours deteriorated.[72] Jennings decided to quit his addictions, leased a home in the Phoenix, Arizona, area and spent a month detoxing himself, intending to start using cocaine again in a more controlled fashion afterward. In 1984 he quit cocaine. By Jennings's own admission in interviews, his son, Shooter Jennings, was the main inspiration to quit permanently.[73]
Illness and death
Jennings's health had been deteriorating for years before his death. Jennings quit cocaine in 1984 and his habit of smoking six packs of cigarettes daily in 1988.[75] The same year he underwent heart bypass surgery.[76] By 2000 his diabetes worsened, and the pain reduced his mobility, forcing Jennings to end most touring.[69] Later the same year he underwent surgery to improve his leg circulation.[8] In December 2001 his left foot was amputated at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died in his sleep of diabetic complications in Chandler, Arizona. He was buried in the Mesa City Cemetery, in Mesa, Arizona. At the funeral ceremony, on February 15, Jessi Colter sang “Storms Never Last” for the attendees, who included Jennings's close friends and fellow musicians.[69]Legacy
On July 6, 2006, Jennings was inducted to Hollywood's Rock Wall in Hollywood, California.[78] On June 20, 2007, Jennings was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.[79] Jennings's music had a major influence on several neotraditionalist and alternative country artists,[17] including Hank Williams Jr.,[80] The Marshall Tucker Band,[81] Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson,[82] his son, Shooter Jennings and Hank Williams III.[83]
In 2008, the first posthumous album by Jennings, Waylon Forever, was released. The album consisted of songs recorded with his son Shooter when he was 16. In 2012, Waylon: The Music Inside a three-volume project, consisting in covers of Jennings's songs by different artists was released. The same year, it was announced for September the release of Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and bassist Robby Turner before his death in 2002. Jennings's family was reluctant to release any new material because they did not feel comfortable at the time. The songs only featured Jennings and Turner on the bass, while further accompaniment would be added later. Ten years after, Turner completed the recordings with the help of former Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release despite the launch of a new business focused on his state. Shooter Jennings arranged deals for a clothing line, while also launching a renewed website, and started talks with different producers about the making of a biopic.[84]
The Wailin' Jennys, a Canadian music group founded in 2002, is a pun on the name Waylon Jennings.
Discography
Main article: Waylon Jennings discography
Awards
See also
- Jerry "Bo" Coleman
- Outlaw country
- Academy of Country Music
- List of country musicians
- Country Music Association
- List of best-selling music artists
- Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame
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