Maps of Music

Ol' Waylon (1977)

Where the lyrics of Ol' Waylon take you, and where it was really made.

Waylon Jennings disliked his biggest hit at first. The song is about Luckenbach, a tiny hamlet that most people had never heard of.

Key places

Recorded and mixed at American Studios, Nashville (1977)

Recording site Nashville — The album was recorded and mixed at American Studios in Nashville. The map point marks the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Ol' Waylon: the 24th studio album by American country artist Waylon Jennings
• Released in 1977 on RCA Victor
• One of Jennings' highest-selling albums
• Largely driven by the chart-topping single 'Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)'
• Fourth solo album in a row by Jennings to reach the top of the country charts
• Stayed at No. 1 on the country charts for 13 weeks
• Became country music's first platinum album by any single solo artist

Background

• Jennings won the CMA Vocalist of the Year award in 1975
• In 1976 he won Duo of the Year with Willie Nelson for the hit duet 'Good Hearted Woman'
• Tompall Glaser recalled that fans came to the outlaw shows as if they were rock concerts
• By then the band was playing coliseums and stadiums

Recording

• Recorded and mixed at American Studios in Nashville
• Produced by Chips Moman
• Engineers were Don Cobb and Neil Wilburn
• The album's biggest hit, 'Luckenbach, Texas', was written by Moman and keyboardist Bobby Emmons
• It was also the biggest single of Jennings' career
• The song is about a couple whose high-society status strains their marriage and finances
• Luckenbach is a microscopic hamlet 80 miles from Austin
• Jennings disliked the song at first, finding it too close to 'Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues'
• The single debuted on April 16, 1977 and reached No. 1 on the country charts on May 21, 1977
• Willie Nelson makes a cameo near the end of the song
• Other covers include 'Sweet Caroline', 'Lucille', and a medley of Elvis hits
• Moman also contributed 'Brand New Goodbye Song', written with Reggie Young

Cover

• The cover shows Jennings in front of a wall covered in graffiti
• The graffiti refers to Jessi Colter, RCA Records, Willie Nelson, Chips Moman, the Grammy Awards, and the Country Music Association

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born June 15, 1937 in Littlefield, Texas; American country singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and author.
• Considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music.
• Played in the Texas Longhorns as a teen; worked as a DJ at KLLL in Lubbock.
• Played bass for Buddy Holly on the Winter Dance Party tour; gave up his seat on the plane that crashed in 1959.
• Led the Waylors at JD's club in Phoenix, Arizona, developing a rock-influenced country style.
• Signed with RCA Victor in 1965; gained creative control in the early 1970s with Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes.
• Had a number-one hit with "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" from Dreaming My Dreams.
• Recorded Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country album.
• Narrated and sang the theme for The Dukes of Hazzard, "Good Ol' Boys", which became his biggest hit.
• Joined Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash in the Highwaymen.
• Overcame cocaine addiction in 1984.
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001; died February 13, 2002 in Chandler, Arizona.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album pretty enjoyable overall
• Erlewine writes that the album winds up feeling a little hollow
• He suggests Jennings seems to be trying to give the audience what it wanted
• He finds enough good moments to make the album worthwhile
• He says it appeals to dedicated fans and to casual fans who loved the outlaw years
• He concludes it gets by more on its style than on its substance

Records

• Stayed at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart for 13 weeks in 1977
• Spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Cash Box charts
• Peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200
• Became Jennings' highest-charting album on the Billboard 200
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The biggest hit was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons
• Willie Nelson makes a cameo near the end of the title single
• Jennings disliked the hit at first, finding it too close to another of his songs
• Luckenbach was a tiny hamlet 80 miles from Austin, yet most people had never heard of it
• The cover graffiti names Jessi Colter, Willie Nelson, Chips Moman, the Grammys, and the CMA

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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