A professional musician since the 1950s, Waylon Jennings is known for his contribution to the country and western "Outlaw Movement" of the 1970s. Along with Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Kris Kristofferson, Tompall Glaser, and wife Jessi Colter, Jennings bucked the Nashville system in a big way. His 1973 release Honky Tonk Heroes, with all but one song penned by Shaver, defined the movement and the era. Recorded with his road band and not the slick studio musicians that most Nashville labels preferred, Jennings created a sound that was edgy and most certainly of the traditional honky tonk variety.

Waylon Jennings

Born Waylon Arnold Jennings in Littlefield, Texas, he learned to play guitar, formed his own band, and was a DJ on a local radio station by the time he was 12. Leaving school several years later, he ended up in Lubbock where he became friends...