COUNTRY OUTLAWS, STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES’ MOUTH

by

Arden Lambert

Updated

January 10, 2018

Updated

January 10, 2018

Updated

January 10, 2018

“THEY WOULDN’T LET YOU DO ANYTHING…”

You had to dress a certain way: you had to do everything a certain way…. They kept trying to destroy me…. I just went about my business and did things my way…. You start messing with my music, I get mean.”

–Waylon Jennings recalling the restrictions of the Nashville music establishment

 “DOIN’ WHAT WE WANTED TO DO…”

What we instinctively felt we wanted to do with our music then we resisted any kind of opposition of any kind that we should. If you’re not doin’ it the way you would want to be doin’ it then you’d better stop doin’ it ‘coz ain’ right—any other way.”

–Willie Nelson

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME,”

was what we were tryin’ to say…We loved the energy of rock and roll, but rock had self-destructed. Country had gone syrupy. For us, “outlaw” meant standing up for your rights, your own way of doing things. It felt like a different music, and outlaw was as good a description as any. We mostly thought it was funny…”

–Tompall Glaser

 AND FINALLY…

“THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH OF WAYLON. “I describe Waylon sometimes as he was no different whether it was the Ritz in Paris or the Holiday Inn. There’s no difference.”

I’ VE HEARD YOU DESCRIBE WAYLON AS A DARKHORSE. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

“I LISTEN TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY A LOT and the ones that aren’t expected to finish, finish first. And it seemed like he had to do so much in spite of things. It’s not like he just got on the river and floated down. His vision, his determination, was just indefatigable. You couldn’t stop him. He stayed under the radar even though he was huge and broke records. He wasn’t out there for fame, and there were many opportunities and managers, many things that just didn’t all lineup. He believed in lining up the signs. If something was presented to him and he ran into say, three obstacles, he’d drop it because he would want to change the chain of events.

Perhaps because of all he had been through, I don’t know. But he was that way. If he ran into too many obstacles, if he was going to travel somewhere, the flights, the booker — he kind of counted the cost and checked the odds. But being a dark horse, he just always did things you wouldn’t expect. You could not predict him because he was creative. He was on another channel. Even when he came off drugs, in the end, it had nothing to do with drugs. He was just on his own channel, and the last thing you would think he would do, he would do.”

–Jessi Colter in an interview about one of the main vanguards of Outlaw Country Music, Waylon Jennings

THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! THE four Outlaws of Country

I truly hope you enjoyed the Documentary and, as ALWAYS,

“May The Lord God Almighty Bless Us All and Set Us FREE!”


Tags

country outlaws, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson


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