A FEW DAYS BEFORE WAYLON JENNINGS WAS GONE, THE OUTLAW WHO SPENT HIS LIFE SOUNDING UNBREAKABLE HAD BECOME QUIET BESIDE THE WOMAN WHO KNEW EVERY SCAR. The room was still. No stage lights. No roaring crowd. No black hat pulled low under a spotlight. Just Waylon near the end of the road, with Jessi Colter … Đọc tiếp
HE WROTE FOR ELVIS, WON THREE GRAMMYS, AND BUILT A GUITAR STYLE MOST PLAYERS STILL CAN’T TOUCH — BUT THE WORLD REMEMBERED THE TRUCK. Jerry Reed played guitar on Elvis Presley’s “Guitar Man.” He wrote songs Elvis recorded. Even Chet Atkins studied what Reed was doing. Brad Paisley later praised his total musicianship. But say … Đọc tiếp
FOR FORTY YEARS, JOHNNY CASH AND WAYLON JENNINGS WERE THE KIND OF FRIENDS WHO KNEW EACH OTHER’S WORST SECRETS BEFORE EITHER OF THEM HAD CHILDREN. They met in the late 1950s in Phoenix, two young men who could already sing better than most people would in a lifetime. They became brothers somewhere along the way … Đọc tiếp
TWO OUTLAWS LOST A POKER GAME IN A FORT WORTH MOTEL — 1969. BUT BETWEEN HANDS, THEY WROTE A SONG FROM A TINA TURNER NEWSPAPER AD. 7 years later, it hit #1 — and made Wanted! The Outlaws the first platinum country album in history. Willie Nelson only wrote one line. Waylon Jennings gave him … Đọc tiếp
THEY SAID HE DESTROYED COUNTRY MUSIC… In the 1970s, Nashville turned its back on Waylon Jennings. Radio stations refused his records. Producers called him “difficult.” The industry whispered: “He’ll never work in this town again.” He grew his hair long. Wore leather instead of rhinestones. Told Nashville’s executives exactly where they could put their polished … Đọc tiếp
WAYLON JENNINGS CARRIED THE SAME GUITAR PICK IN HIS POCKET FOR OVER 20 YEARS — BUT HE NEVER USED IT TO PLAY Waylon Jennings was known for doing things his own way. The outlaw. The rebel. But backstage, before every show, he had one quiet ritual no one could explain. He would reach into his … Đọc tiếp
“SHE CHANGED JUST ONE WORD — AND 2 MILLION COPIES LATER, IT BECAME COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY.” Kris Kristofferson was staying at Dottie West’s house in Nashville when he wrote this song. The idea came from a Frank Sinatra interview — Sinatra said something like “whatever helps me make it through the night.” Kristofferson recorded it … Đọc tiếp
THE AWARD THAT FINALLY SAID WHAT COUNTRY MUSIC SHOULD HAVE SAID DECADES AGO: Charley Pride’s Voice, Courage, and the Legacy That Changed Everything Music & Audio Discover more Demographics Country Music MUSIC THE AWARD THAT FINALLY SAID WHAT COUNTRY MUSIC SHOULD HAVE SAID DECADES AGO: Charley Pride’s Voice, Courage, and the Legacy That Changed Everything Music & … Đọc tiếp
THEY SCATTERED HIS ASHES INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. NO GRAVE. NO HEADSTONE. JUST THE WAVES. THAT WAS DON WILLIAMS’ FINAL WISH. The man stood 6’1″ with a voice that could calm a storm. They called him “The Gentle Giant” of country music. 17 number ones. Over 40 Top 10 hits. Five decades on stage. … Đọc tiếp
HIS FATHER TOLD HIM TO PUT DOWN THE GUITAR. NASHVILLE FORGOT HIM. TWICE. HE CAME BACK IN A WHEELCHAIR AND STILL WOULDN’T SHUT UP. Vern Gosdin grew up hauling rocks and chopping cotton in Woodland, Alabama. His father tried music once, failed, and forbade his son from ever touching a guitar. Vern left home and … Đọc tiếp