Maps of Music

Waylon at JD's (1964)

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

Several sources list this as a live album, but it is a studio recording made at a Phoenix studio in December 1964.

Key places

Studio session in Phoenix, December 1964 (1964)

Recording site Chaton Studios — The album was recorded at Arizona Recorders in Phoenix on December 4, 1964. The point is shown at city level only. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Waylon at JD's is the debut studio album by Waylon Jennings
• Listed in several sources as a live recording, but it is a studio album
• Recorded at Arizona Recorders in Phoenix on December 4, 1964
• Released in December 1964; sold only at the Phoenix nightclub at first
• Co-produced by Jennings and Jim Musil, the son of the club owner
• Twelve tracks, mostly cover versions of songs by other writers

Background

• In 1964, Jennings and his band The Waylors began playing J.D.'s in Tempe, Arizona
• The club was owned by J.D. Musil
• Jennings' electric repertoire of country, rock and roll and folk made him a local star
• He built a loyal fan base across Arizona through the club shows
• Early in his run at the club, he hired long-time drummer Richie Albright
• Willie Nelson drove out to JD's to see what the local buzz was about
• The album was released to capitalize on Jennings' popularity
• Most of the repertoire consists of covers of songs popular at the time, such as works by Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan

Recording

• Recorded at Arizona Recorders in Phoenix
• Waylon Jennings: lead vocals and lead guitar
• Jerry Gropp: rhythm guitar and vocals
• Paul Foster: bass guitar and vocals
• Richie Albright: drums
• Jim Musil produced and arranged the album; Jack Miller was the engineer
• Gropp takes lead vocals on Money, and Foster takes lead vocals on Lorena
• Abilene features Foster, Gropp and Jennings together

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

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

At release

• Released to capitalize on Jennings' popularity
• Sold only at the Phoenix nightclub where the band played
• The first batch sold out quickly, so a new batch of albums was pressed
• The second batch also sold out

Records

• In 1969, Decca Records (now part of Universal Music) bought the rights to the album from Musil
• Decca reissued the album in an abridged form as Waylon Jennings on its Vocalion label
• Songs from the album have been issued many times on low-budget, unauthorized CDs
• Three authorized reissues exist to date
• Clovis to Phoenix (1995, Zu-Zazz/Bear Family)
• The Journey: Destiny's Child (1999, Bear Family)
• Phase One: The Early Years 1959-1964 (2002, Hip-O/Universal)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Several sources listed the album as live, but the studio recording date and place show it is a studio album.
• Willie Nelson drove out to JD's to see what the local buzz was about, and later said one song was enough to convince him Jennings was going places.
• The club's first batch of albums sold out, and so did the second batch pressed afterward.
• Jennings' early fame in Phoenix was built through the club shows, not through a major label.
• Only three reissues of the JD's album have been authorized, so most copies in circulation are unauthorized releases.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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