Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings was one of the principal architects of the outlaw country movement, an artist who broke from Nashville's studio-system formula to record on his own terms. His gravelly baritone, driving sound, and landmark collaborations made him one of the most influential country figures of the 1970s and beyond.
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- Born June 15, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas; died February 13, 2002, in Chandler, Arizona.
- Played bass in Buddy Holly's band and gave up his seat on the plane that crashed in February 1959.
- Honky Tonk Heroes (1973, RCA) became a landmark outlaw-country album, built largely on Billy Joe Shaver songs.
- Wanted! The Outlaws (1976), with Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, was the first country album certified platinum.
- Won a 1979 Grammy with Willie Nelson for “Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
- A charter member of the Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson.
- Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
