Happy Birthday, Waylon Jennings!

Born: June 15, 1937, Littlefield, TX

Birth Name: Wayland Arnold Jennings

Parents: Lorene Beatrice & William Albert Jennings

Spouse: Jessi Colter (since 1969, 1 previous marriage, 6 total kids)

Music Style: Outlaw Movement in Country Music

• Waylon began playing guitar at age 8 and performing on the radio at age 14.

• He joined the Outlaw Country movement in the 1970s and is known as one of the ‘founding pioneers’ of the outlaw movement in country music.

• He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 after several disciplinary issues.

• Waylon was a part of the country supergroup The Highway Men, which released 3 albums between 1985 and 1995. The group consisted of Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash.

• Waylon was featured in Buddy Holly’s “You’re the One” by performing some of the handclaps. He was good friends with Holly and even drove his motorcycle in his hotel room!

• In 1959, Waylon gave up his seat to J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson on the flight that crashed and killed musicians Richardson, Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens.

• Waylon was fired from his job as a radio DJ after he played two Little Richard records in a row during his program.

• Jennings was the narrator of The Dukes of Hazzard. He also composed and sang the show’s theme song “Good Ol’ Boys.”

• In 1985, Waylon made a cameo in the live-action film Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird. In the film, he played a turkey farm truck driver who gives Big Bird a ride. He also sang “Ain’t No Road Too Long” on the soundtrack.

• Jennings was hospitalized in 1972 with hepatitis. During this time, he considered retiring from music permanently since he was also fed up with the industry. Instead, he grew a beard during his stay at the hospital and was convinced to keep it to match the image and feel of Outlaw Country.

• Waylon Jennings was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

• On February 13, 2002, Jennings died at the age of 64 from complications related to diabetes in Chandler, AZ.