Waylon Live
| Waylon Live | ||||
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| Live album by Waylon Jennings | ||||
| Released | December 1976 | |||
| Recorded | September 25, 1974, Dallas, TX and September 26-27, Austin, TX | |||
| Genre | Country, outlaw country | |||
| Length | Original release: 39:36 Bonus tracks CD: 1:09:19 Expanded CD edition: 2:07:22 |
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| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Waylon Jennings, Ray Pennington | |||
| Waylon Jennings chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
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Waylon Live is an live album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1976.
Jennings first gained fame as a live performer at a club called J.D.s in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1960s. A disciple of Buddy Holly (with whom he toured before the rock and roll pioneer's death in 1959), Jennings and his band the Waylors played many styles of music, including folk, rock, and country, and it was on the basis of his local fame throughout Arizona that he was signed to RCA in 1966 by Chet Atkins. However, the Texan quickly became disillusioned with the lackluster sound of his recordings, especially when compared to his live shows. He began demanding the right to record with the Waylors and produce his own records, and by 1972 RCA - regretting the loss of Willie Nelson to Atlantic and under siege from Waylon's new manager Neil Reshen - gave in. What followed was an unprecedented string of critically acclaimed albums, including the groundbreaking Honky Tonk Heroes in 1973, widely regarded as ground zero for the outlaw country movement. Reshen also booked Jennings and his band into clubs not known for country music, like Max's Kansas City in New York City. In the CMT episode of Inside Fame about his life, Jennings recalled that he told the jaded rock audience he was from Nashville and would be playing country music, adding "we sure hope you like it, but if you don't like it you better keep your mouth shut 'cause we 'will' kick your ass." When met with the a reply from the audience of "Who the hell are you?" The then-burgeoning outlaw legend replied: "I'm Waylon goddamm Jennings."
In late September 1974, as his single "I'm a Ramblin' Man" was riding high on the country singles charts, Jennings and producer Ray Pennington recorded three shows with the Waylors: one at Dallas' Western Place and two more at Austin's Texas Opry House . The original LP assembled from these shows is one of Jennings' most highly praised releases and includes some of his most popular songs, including "Rainy Day Women," "This Time," and "Good Hearted Woman." The latter track had been included on Wanted! The Outlaws with an overdubbed vocal by Willie Nelson and released as a single, hitting #1 on the Billboard country singles chart and peaking at #25 on the pop chart. The album also contained songs not found on his previous records, such as the Jimmie Rodgers song "T For Texas," a cover of Nelson's "Me and Paul," and Rex Griffin's anguished 1930's lament "The Last Letter." The album is best known for "Bob Wills Is Still the King," which had appeared as the B-side to his 1975 #1 hit "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." The Wills tribute, which Jennings introduces as "a song I wrote on a plane between Dallas and Austin," took aim at country trends, including the outlaw country movement that he and friend Willie Nelson had done so much to create. As author Michael Striessguth observes, "It was another delightful example of Waylon's eagerness to poke fun at the highfalutin music industry, in this case, Willie Nelson and the redneck rock thing down in Texas. It don't matter who's in Austin/Bob Wills is still the king."
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