Waylon Jennings, one of country music's most enduring and colorful renegades, shares the story of his explosive life from dirt poor, dirt floor beginnings through his transformation as rockabilly star Buddy Holly's protege to his own near destruction from drug abuse and financial ruin. With pure honesty, good humor, and honky-tonk charisma, Jennings relates the story of his three failed marriages, his uncensored experiences will fellow country music giants, and his ultimate joy at finding his soulmate and wife of 26 years, Jessi Colter. 32-page photo insert.
Equal parts outlaw, renegade, and legend, Waylon Jennings enjoyed a stellar music career for four decades and this no-holds-barred autobiography reveals the story of a man who infused conservative country music traditions with the energy of rock and roll to rewrite the rules of popular music in America. It chronicles all the chapters of Jennings's incredible life, including his beginnings as a dirt-poor son of a farm laborer; his role as Buddy Holly's prot g ; his influential friendships with such luminaries as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Jones; the stunning success ushered in by his platinum 1976 anthology album, Wanted: The Outlaws; the drug habit that nearly destroyed him; and his three failed marriages and the journey that lead him to Jessi Colter, the woman who would become his wife for 25 years. With anecdotes, portraits, and little-known facts about Jennings's fellow country music stars, this book overflows with the honesty, true humor, and down-home charisma of an authentic honky-tonk hero.