#1 Nashville Outlaw

Performer: Waylon Jennings
Producer: James Musil; Buddy Holly
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Waylon Jennings (vocals, guitar); Buddy Holly (guitar); Bob "Crow" Clarke (drums). Recording information: Audio Recorders, Phoenix, AZ (09/??/1958-12/03/1964); Petty Studio, Clovis, NM (09/??/1958-12/03/1964). This selection of Waylon Jennings tracks from between the late 1950s and the mid-'60s reveals that the future outlaw country star spent his early years in the music business in search of a style. It includes his innovative version of the Cajun classic "Jole Blon," produced by Buddy Holly, for whom Jennings played bass before Holly's tragic death in 1958, as well as the Roy Orbison-like "Crying." His version of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" conjures George Jones, an impression that's reinforced with his cover of "White Lightnin'." "It's So Easy" evokes Buddy Holly with its "Peggy Sue" drumming, and the singer of the staid pop song "Abilene" is a world away from the hell-raiser who spearheaded the outlaw country movement in the early 1970s.

Texan country singer Waylon Jennings was always a bit of a rocker. Early on, he played bass with Buddy Holly, and his first solo records included Beatles covers, highly unusual for a country artist at the time. Jennings was one of the key figures of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, rejecting the lush countrypolitan sound in favor of a raw, electrified approach that owed more to the Rolling Stones than to Billy Sherrill. With a small band and simple arrangements, Jennings introduced contemporary rock-oriented grooves into his hard-hitting country sound, adding some funky grit to common-man poetics on tunes about the tougher side of life. He inspired a subsequent generation of country iconoclasts, and spurred on contemporaries like Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25