Country Music Legend of the Week, Waylon Jennings [VIDEOS]

Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings' mother purchased him his first guitar at the age of eight, and taught him basic chords.

At the age of twelve, he received a thirty-minute spot on KVOW radio in Littlefield, Texas after an audition. Jennings formed his own band The Texas Longhorns, and started to perform locally.

Jennings later received as well a spot as a D.J on KVOW, he later moved to Lubbock, Texas where he worked for KDAV, and KLLL, where his shows were successful. In 1958, Buddy Holly, who met Jennings during his time in KDAV, arranged him his first recording session. The songs recorded were "Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)".

Holly hired Jennings to play bass for him during his "Winter Dance Party Tour". After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly chartered a plane for travel to his next performance, Jennings ceded his seat to J. P. Richardson, who was suffering from a cold. Previous to the take off responding to a joke by Holly about the bus trip, Jennings replied him that he hoped his plane crashed. During the early hours of February 3, 1959, the plane crashed, killing all the passengers.

During the 1970s, Jennings joined the Outlaw movement, He released the critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by the hit albums Dreaming My Dreams, Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976 he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser and Jessie Colter, the first country music album certified platinum.

The success of the album was followed by Ol' Waylon, and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)".

Waylon Jennings - Luckenback, Texas

Jennings never liked the song, and later commented: "It's not the type of song I'd do. But I learned a lesson from that, I turned around and told Richie (his drummer), I said, Next time when I record a song, you remind me I have to sing that sumbitch the rest of my life".