Episode 14 Waylon, Willie, and the Boys: 70s Outlaw Country
PLAYLIST
“Visions of Johanna” (1966) by Bob Dylan
“Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man” by The Byrds (1969)
“Redneck Mother” by Jerry Jeff Walker (1973)
“Country Honk” by The Rolling Stones (1969)
“Garden Party” by Rick Nelson (1972)
“Sunday Morning Coming Down” (1970) by Johnny Cash
“Help Me Make it Through The Night” (1970) by Sammi Smith
“Whiskey River” (1973) by Willie Nelson
“Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” by Willie Nelson (1975)
“Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson (1976)
“Luckenbach, Texas” by Waylon Jennings (1978)
SHOW NOTES
00:54 If you like the show, stop reading this and go leave a good review on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, etc. That helps other people with good taste in music (and podcasts) find the show.
01:17 Willie Nelson’s Nashville house burned down shortly before Christmas in 1969. Some say this was the beginning of progressive country and, therefore, outlaw country. Amy presents the theory that those genres actually started when The Beatles arrived in the U.S. in 1964 because the counterculture movement soon followed. Progressive country has its roots in the counterculture.
02:15 Amy argues that Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde album was the first progressive country album. She also suggests that you check out Episode 3 of this podcast to hear more of her thoughts on the band that toured with Dylan before he recorded the album. They were called The Hawks before they were called The Band. “Visions of Johanna” has beautiful lyrics and sounds very country. Amy proves her point by playing part of the song.
04:53 So much of what makes progressive country unique and, well, progressive, are the lyrics. Like “Visions of Johanna.”
05:14 The Byrds recorded “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” in 1968 in a sincere attempt to make a country music album. Gram Parsons wanted to honor the music he grew up on. Unfortunately for The Byrds, they looked like hippies and the country music establishment was not about to support hippies. The Byrds had a rather disastrous visit with Ralph Emery on his radio show in which he basically said they were no-good hippies. Amy points out that Ralph Emery was also the host of “Pop Goes the Country” in the 70s, which was a fair distance from traditional country. Check out the intro to the show and decide for yourself who the target audience was (see below.) The Byrds got their revenge with the song, “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man,” which is dedicated to Ralph and drops a reference to the KKK.
08:30 Roger McGuinn appeared on Ralph Emery’s “Nashville Now” television show in 1985 and he and Ralph reminisced about their first meeting. It was very awkward. Amy plays part of the interview. They also discussed how The Byrds were booed at The Grand Ol’ Opry for being no-good hippies. Ralph said that times were different then — true — and that “nobody crossed over much” — kind of false.
12:06 Ray Wylie Hubbard was another hippie country songwriter. In the early 70s, he found himself in a small town in New Mexico with few options for buying beer. He ended up in a “redneck” bar. The mother who owned the bar apparently turned down an offer from her son to beat Hubbard up for being a hippie. Being a good songwriter, Hubbard turned the experience into a song. He called it “Redneck Mother” and Jerry Jeff Walker recorded it in Luckenbach, Texas in 1973.
14:25 Amy points out that it was not only the country establishment that had some problems with change. Case in point: Rick Nelson and “Garden Party.” He wrote that song after he appeared at a rock and roll revival show at Madison Square Party in New York and was booed for playing “Country Honk.” That is the country version of “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones. They may have been unhappy with his bell-bottom pants, too. “You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.”
19:19 When are we going to let artists decide what they are “allowed” to perform?
19:49 Amy explains that musically there are many sub-genres of music that form in the late Sixties and into the Seventies. Culturally, the Seventies was our first chance to live under the new rules that were created in the Sixties. This led to many people, regardless of views, to feel uncertain about the world around them and felt the need to reinvent themselves. She quotes from “America in the Seventies,” which is a textbook but still interesting to read if you like that sort of thing.
22:00 To further illustrate her point, Amy uses “All in the Family” as her example. The conflict between Archie and Mike/Meathead was the same type of clash occurring in music and society in uncertain times. She plays a funny clip of an early encounter between these two characters on one of the best shows of the Seventies.
The cast of “All in the Family,” circa 1976. This may be the most Seventies show ever made.
25:08 To say that what made progressive country artists different was their hair or their clothes is far too simplistic. The content of the music, which was more intellectual and liberal than traditional country, is the essence of progressive country. The artists were interested in making their music, not making hits.
26:00 Kris Kristofferson wrote many many great songs. He was a poet. He had a very interesting backstory and if you want to read more about how he went from Rhodes Scholar to songwriter/janitor, click here:
27:25 “Sunday Morning Coming Down” is a beautiful song. Johnny Cash recorded it and sang the line “Lord I wish I was stoned” on his ABC variety show. He had agreed to sing “home” instead of “stoned” but nope…don’t tell Johnny Cash what to do. ABC executives should have known better than to try.
31:20 Dottie West turned down Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make it Through the Night.” Sammi Smith said thank you very much and recorded one of this most iconic countryish songs of the Seventies. Amy plays it and is reminded of its awesomeness.
32:30 Kristofferson’s authenticity is what made him so great and is what brought the hippies and the cowboys together.
33:30 Willie Nelson moved to Austin at, according to Steve Earle, the urging of Doug Sahm. Earle said that Austin had a hard edge to it and that there were a lot of drugs there. Earle is a good source of information for this sort of thing. Nevertheless, Willie found his people. He could smoke weed and make the songs he wanted to make. This (and his appearance) endeared him to the younger, rock-oriented crowd.
Before.
35:50 Willie recorded “Whiskey River” for the Shotgun Willie album in 1973. It definitely has a rock edge to it It is also one of his classic songs and he has to play it at every show now, even though he is 86 years old.
37:40 Willie convinced Waylon Jennings to join him in playing the honky tonks in Texas. Waylon was not so sure about the hippie thing, at first, but he came around. The outlaw country movement began with Waylon’s refusal to make “This Time,” his 1974 album for RCA Records, sound more like the Nashville Sound of that time. He even recorded it at Tompall Glaser’s Nashville studio, away from the prying eyes and ears of RCA executives. Waylon said no to changing his record to suit their tastes. And that was it. The outlaw movement was born.
After.
39:06 Hazel Smith started the term “outlaw country.” Again, it was about making music that was outside of what the Nashville establishment wanted. It was not about weed, or long hair, or even cocaine. It was about artistic freedom. Waylon said it was about doing things “our way.” Not long after that, outlaw country became a marketing term used to, of course, sell records.
40:00 Willie Nelson was now in complete control of his music. He made Red Headed Stranger for Columbia and they said that it sucks and when it bombs, we will make Willie go back to making the music he should be making. Except it doesn’t suck, Amy plays “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain,” which is now part of the National Recording Registry because of its historic and cultural significance.
42:40 The first country album to go platinum was Wanted: Outlaws, which is a compilation album of previously recorded material by Willie, Waylon, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter (Waylon’s wife.) “Good Hearted Woman” sure seems like it is about Jessi who put up with a lot of crap when she was married to Waylon. The duet between Waylon and Willie is part of this iconic album and Amy plays part of it.
46:00 The outlaw movement was over by the end of the Seventies. Willie moved to Los Angeles, for crying out loud! Waylon recorded a song about getting back to a more simple life after so much success. “Luckenbach, Texas” was a #1 hit in 1977 and was the place where Jerry Jeff Walker recorded “Redneck Mother.”
48:00 Waylon, Willie, Cash, and Kristofferson formed the supergroup The Highwaymen in 1985 and they performed together for about 10 years until the health of Jennings and Cash began to decline.
49:00 The 90s alternative country movement can thank the progressive artists of the Seventies for opening the door for them to make their own style of music.
SOURCES
Bailey, Beth L. and David Farber. America in the Seventies. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. 2004.
Borman, Brent, Mark Anderson, and Will Glass. “Outlaw Country.” The University of Texas. September 3, 2014. http://sites.dwrl.utexas.edu/countrymusic/the-history/outlaw-country/
Gary Coletti. “All in the Family: Mike Meets Archie.” YouTube video, 2:16. Posted [June 26, 2012.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkWjrsx9cXg
Gulbransen, Jeri. “Outlaw Country Rock Surprises Some Fans.” Rapid City Journal (Rapid City, SD). January 23, 1978.
Himes, Geoffrey.”Kris Kristofferson: The Devil and the Details.” American Songwriter. June 8, 2016. https://americansongwriter.com/2016/08/kris-kristofferson-devil-details/2/
“How Waylon Jennings Started the Outlaw Movement.” PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/highwaymen-waylon-jennings-started-outlaw-movement/7304/
John1948SevenC. “Johnny Cash - Sunday Morning Coming Down (The Johnny Cash Show).” YouTube video, 3:45. Posted [August 13, 2011]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkKNQel41pI
Nelson, Willie and David Ritz. It’s a Long Story: My Life. New York: Little, Brown, and Company. 2015.
Orloff, Kathy. “Kristofferson is Real People.” San Antonio Express. July 19, 1970.
PBS. “Hazel Smith Biography. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/hazel-smith-biography/
“Redneck Mother.” Texas Monthly. 2015. https://www.texasmonthly.com/list/the-secret-history-of-texas-music/redneck-mother-1973/
Roger Mcguinn. “Roger Mcguinn Turn! Turn! Turn! 1985 Nashville Now Low.” YouTube Video, 4:47. Posted [May 2, 2014.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iq_6vRtJDQ
“The Story of Outlaw Country in 33 Songs.” Pitchfork. October 29, 2018. https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-story-of-outlaw-country-in-33-songs
Starr, Larry and Christopher Waterman. American Popular Music. New York: Oxford University Press. 2007