Waylon Arnold Jennings

 Waylon Arnold Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002)

He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at age eight and performed at fourteen on KVOW radio, after which he formed his first band, the Texas Longhorns. Jennings left high school at age sixteen, determined to become a musician, and worked as a performer and DJ on KVOW, KDAV, KYTI, KLLL, in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings' first recording session, a cover of Jole Blon, and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight in 1959 that crashed and killed Holly, J. P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens. Jennings recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records, but did not achieve success until moving to RCA Victor in 1965, in 1972 he acquired Neil Reshen as his manager, who negotiated significantly better touring and recording contracts. After he gained creative control from RCA Records, he released the critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by the hit albums Dreaming My Dreams and Are You Ready for the Country.

With Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter he recorded country music's first platinum album, Wanted! The Outlaws. It was followed by another platinum album, a first for any solo artist in country music, Ol' Waylon and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". He appeared in films and television series, including Sesame Street, and a stint as the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show's theme song and providing narration for the show. Jennings struggled with cocaine addiction, which he overcame in 1984. Later, he joined the country supergroup the Highwaymen with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash, which released three albums between 1985 and 1995. Between 1999 and 2001, health problems limited his appearances. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Decades of excessive smoking and drug use took a large toll on Jennings's health in addition to obesity and a poor diet, which resulted in him developing Type 2 diabetes. By 2000, his diabetes worsened, and the pain reduced his mobility to the point where he was forced to end most touring. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died in his sleep from complications of diabetes at his home in Chandler, Arizona, age 64. He is buried at City of Mesa Cemetery in Mesa, Arizona.