Maps of Music

Will the Wolf Survive (1986)

Where the lyrics of Will the Wolf Survive take you, and where it was really made.

Waylon Jennings made this MCA debut without his own band and without playing guitar on the sessions, and it still topped the Billboard country albums chart.

Key places

Sound Stage Studios, Nashville (1986)

Recording site Sound Stage Studios — Discogs lists Sound Stage Studios as a recording site for the album. The overdubs were recorded there, and the mix was done there too. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sound Emporium Studios, Nashville (1986)

Recording site Sound Emporium Studios — Discogs lists Sound Emporium Studios as a recording site for the album. Overdubs were also recorded here alongside Sound Stage. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Will the Wolf Survive: 34th studio album by American country artist Waylon Jennings
• Released in 1986 as his debut for MCA Records
• First release on MCA after leaving RCA, where he had recorded since 1966
• Produced by Jimmy Bowen
• Topped the Billboard country albums chart in 1986

Background

• Jennings had ruled the country charts for most of the 1970s and early 1980s
• By the mid-1980s his commercial standing had slipped
• He was drug-free for nearly two years when the album was made
• He resurfaced publicly through the Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash
• He had spent years fighting the Nashville system for the right to produce his own records and use his own band
• Bowen updated his sound away from the outlaw country style that some critics felt had gone stale

Recording

• Recorded without his usual band
• Jennings did not play guitar on the sessions and wrote none of the songs
• Overdubs recorded at Sound Stage and Sound Emporium
• Mixed at Sound Stage Studios and mastered at Masterfonics

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 deems it "one of his better albums."
• AllMusic is the only critical verdict given on the album page
• The album came after years of Jennings' outlaw-era records, which some critics felt had gone stale

Records

• Topped the Billboard country albums chart in 1986
• Jennings' first LP to top that chart since 1980's Music Man
• MCA debut after his long run at RCA
• Came after a period when Jennings had ruled the country charts for most of the 1970s and early 1980s
• Discogs lists the release with overdubs and mixing at Sound Stage Studios and mastering at Masterfonics

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Jennings wrote in his 1996 memoir Waylon that his own lack of confidence was a major obstacle during the sessions.
• He felt he was imitating himself, trying too hard to satisfy people who thought he had ruined his music by straightening up.
• Jennings later said the album might not have fit people's expectations of him, and that was the point.
• The album was mixed and mastered using the JVC Digital Audio Mastering System.
• Recording engineer credits on Discogs include Ron Treat, and overdubs were credited to Bob Bullock, Tim Kish, and Willie Pevear.

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

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