In the history of country music, there are names that just stand out as a pillar of the art form: Hank, Cash, Willie, Cline, Wynette, and Conway.
Waylon Jennings is no exception. Born Waylon Arnold Jennings on June 15, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas, Waylon would go on to be a legend that all modern artists are compared to. His outlaw country lit the charts on fire and rocked the music scene to its core.
In honor of his career and to celebrate his birthday, here are five of our favorite Waylon Jennings songs!
“Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)”
Released in 1977, “Luckenbach, Texas” was the first single off of his Ol’ Waylon album. It was one of Waylon’s most successful songs. Fun fact, when Waylon recorded the song he had never actually been to Luckenbach.
“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
Written by the songwriting power couple Ed and Patsy Bruce, the song originally was recorded in 1976 by Bruce and then again by Chris LeDoux. However, Willie and Waylon got a hold of it in 1978 and the rest is history. It stayed at no. 1 for four weeks.
“Good Hearted Woman”
There are many couples in this world that can relate to this song. In 1969, Waylon began writing the song after seeing a newspaper story on Tina Turner. Fun fact, Willie and Waylon wrote the songs while playing poker.
“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way”
Written by Waylon, this song was a statement piece to the musical industry. Waylon was speaking to the battle that artists feel when the music scene infringes on the art the musician wants to produce. It was the first single off of his 1975 Dreaming my Dreams album.
“I’m A Ramblin Man”
“I’m A Ramblin Man” was originally written and recorded by Ray Pennington. His 1967 recording took to the song to no. 29 on the charts. That same year Waylon recorded the song and turned it into his second no. 1 hit. It stayed there for one week and even appeared on the Australian charts.
Honorable Mention: Duke’s of Hazzard Theme Song
