Waylon Jennings

Waylon Arnold Jennings was born on June 15, 1937, on the J. W. Bittner farm near Littlefield, Texas, the oldest of four children born to Lorene Beatrice Shipley and William Albert Jennings. His birth certificate recorded the name Wayland, which his mother later changed to Waylon after a Baptist preacher mistakenly assumed the name honored Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, Texas. The family descended from Irish, Black-Dutch, Cherokee, and Comanche lines. After working the Bittner farm, his father relocated the family to Littlefield and opened a retail creamery. Jennings went on to become a country music singer, songwriter, musician, and actor, and is recognized as a pioneer of the outlaw movement in country music.

His mother taught him guitar at age eight, beginning with the tune "Thirty Pieces of Silver," and his early musical influences included Bob Wills, Floyd Tillman, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley. At fourteen, Jennings auditioned for a spot on KVOW radio in Littlefield, where owner J. B. McShan hired him for a weekly thirty-minute program. He subsequently assembled a band called the Texas Longhorns, which mixed country, western, and bluegrass styles. At sixteen, following disciplinary infractions, he was persuaded by his school superintendent to leave Littlefield High School. He worked in his father's store, drove trucks for local lumber companies, and continued performing. He and the Texas Longhorns recorded demo versions of "Stranger in My Home" and "There'll Be a New Day" at KFYO radio in Lubbock during this period.

Jennings began working as a DJ in 1956, moving to Lubbock and broadcasting a program that ran from four in the afternoon to ten in the evening. He was fired after playing two Little Richard records in succession. He later took a position at KLVT in Levelland after DJ Sky Corbin heard him sing a jingle and was impressed by his voice. When the Corbin family purchased KLLL in Lubbock and converted it to a country format, they hired Jennings as the station's first DJ, where he produced commercials, created jingles, and made public appearances. It was through this connection that Buddy Holly's father approached the station, leading Holly to take Jennings on as his first artist. Holly arranged a recording session for Jennings at Norman Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico, and in 1958 produced a cover of "Jole Blon" as Jennings's first recording. Holly also hired Jennings to play bass. In February 1959, Jennings gave up his seat on the flight that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. Richardson, and Ritchie Valens.

After the crash, Jennings returned to Texas and took several years away from music before relocating to Arizona, where he formed a rockabilly club band called the Waylors. The group became the house band at JD's, a club in Tempe, Arizona. He recorded for Trend Records and A&M Records without significant commercial success before signing with RCA Victor in 1965. In 1972, manager Neil Reshen negotiated improved touring and recording contracts on his behalf. Once Jennings secured creative control from RCA, he released the critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by the hit albums Dreaming My Dreams and Are You Ready for the Country.

Throughout the 1970s, Jennings was a central figure in outlaw country. Alongside Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, he recorded Wanted! The Outlaws, which became country music's first platinum album. His solo album Ol' Waylon became the first platinum album by a solo artist in country music and included the hit "Luckenbach, Texas." In 1978, he appeared on White Mansions, a various-artists album documenting Confederate lives during the Civil War. He also worked in television, including an appearance on Sesame Street and a recurring role as the Balladeer on The Dukes of Hazzard, for which he composed and sang the theme song and served as narrator.

Jennings overcame a cocaine addiction in 1984. He subsequently joined the Highwaymen, a country supergroup also comprising Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. During that same period he released the album Will the Wolf Survive. After 1997, he reduced his touring schedule to spend more time with his family, and health problems curtailed his appearances between 1999 and 2001. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Following his death on February 13, 2002, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music in 2007.

Among his stage credits, Jennings appeared on Broadway in 1979 in Broadway Opry '79, bringing his country music presence to the New York stage.