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Waylon Jennings: 1937-2002
When I heard the news about Waylon Jennings’ death, I was surprised at how hard it hit me. Then I remembered the first time I saw him perform and how he changed my life forever.
Now some of you may think, "but this is BlueSpeak. Waylon Jennings is country." There is no denying that, but Waylon Jennings, whose career spanned 5 decades, was much more than just a country musician. He was also deeply rooted in blues and rock ‘n’ roll and was a pioneer in blending musical styles. He did it all his own way, beginning when he played with Buddy Holly in the 50’s and was still doing it some 70 recordings later.
In 1971, I was just a youngster, dabbling around in the psychedelic music of the times. I was watching the TV show Hee-Haw with my father and on comes this really lean, clean-shaven, sinister-looking guy, dressed in black, named Waylon Jennings. Then he launched into "Me and Bobby McGee." I’d never heard anyone sing with that type of passion, play guitar with such controlled fury, and with his black garb and personal style he embodied a "cool" I’d never before seen. He played a blend of blues and country and rock and roll that I did not know was out there. Suddenly, I was hooked. I became a devoted fan of Waylon and as a result my mind and my musical repertoire opened up and I learned to not be so quick in stereotyping music and musicians.
After I became a music critic, I reviewed his albums whenever I got a chance and the more I read and heard about him, the more I liked him. A rebel, an outlaw and a man who wouldn’t compromise his music.
James Dickerson, the author and music writer who now lives in Jackson, MS., tells this story.
"Once I was in the studio with Waylon while he was laying down vocals. It was just Waylon, the producer and me," Dickerson said.
"It would have made a lot of singers
uncomfortable to have a writer in the room while they were tackling vocals, but not Waylon.
"Musically, he may have been an outlaw, but personally he was friendly and good-natured, the type of guy you'd take on a road trip.
"Of course, he did resemble a big old buffalo the way he lumbered up to the microphone to sing. You wouldn't ever want to get between him and that
microphone."
I think I’m gonna kick back, think about Waylon’s voice, his wonderful outlaw attitude and remember how I felt when I first heard him. And right now, while I’m listening to The Essential Waylon Jennings, ("Waymore’s Blues" in particular) his voice still sends chills up my spine and makes me smile real big. Waylon’s not gone. It’s like he never left.
- Brown Burnett
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