He was known as the “Nashville Rebel” and “The Outlaw” because of his unwillingness to be dictated to by the country music establishment in Nashville, Tenn. For 30 years, Waylon Jennings was country music’s outlaw. On Feb. 13, 2002, Jennings, 64, died in his sleep. He had suffered from diabetes and other related illnesses. Earlier this year, surgeons amputated his left foot. In spite of this, Waylon had concert dates booked for the coming months.
Jennings’ music career began when he was only twelve at a local radio station in his hometown of Littlefield, Tex. He started his first band at 14.
By the time he was 18 he was playing bass on tour with Buddy Holly. The night of Holly’s death, Jennings gave up his seat on a charter jet to The Big Bopper, who had become ill with the flu. Once Jennings and the rest of the band arrived in Fargo, North Dakota by bus, they learned of the plane crash that killed Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens.
Jennings returned to home to Texas, but the search for work in the music business took him to Phoenix where Chet Atkins, a powerful country music producer of the time, discovered him. Also during his time in Arizona, Jennings was given his distinctive black ’53 Fender telecaster with white leather tooling.
Jennings was signed to RCA records in 1965. By ’68 he had hit the country billboard top five with “Only Daddy That’ll Walk That Line.” He was awarded a Grammy the next year.
In the ’70s, Jennings collaborated with the likes of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and his future wife Jessi Colter. These collaborations produced great success, including the first country album to go platinum, “Wanted: The Outlaws.”
In the late ’70s and early ’80s Jennings was the narrator of the hit show, “The Dukes of Hazard.” The show’s theme song, “Just a Good Ol’ Boy,” became one of the best-selling country singles of all time.
Jennings recorded 60 albums, had 16 number-one singles and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Oct. He will be missed by country music fans everywhere.