Waylon Jennings was originally scheduled to be on the tragic plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson in 1959. He gave up his seat to The Big Bopper who was sick. Jennings’ last words to Holly, a joking “I hope your ol’ plane crashes,” haunted him for the rest of his life.
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So who gets writing credit of this story and when?
Late 70’s into the early 80’s were Outlaw Country Heaven. Backup musicians that made the A or B circuit were treated well, paid well. Didn’t make squat compared to the stars but that’s show biz. A few players were given “points” on hit recordings which led to extra monthly checks. There were plenty of bad breaks too. Opened for Ricky Nelson at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, about a year later his plane caught fire, took him and the band out. Stevie Ray cut short in similar fashion. We got caught in a bad storm flying back from Cali, thought we were toast but made it. Later, Big Head Todd and the Monsters got their bus stuck in a blizzard on Monarch Pass in Colorado, spent the night but managed to avoid frostbite.
Woody Guthrie was a commie.
He's got a whole month named in his honor. MLK only gets one day.
I went to sleep on the High Plains 78 years ago listening to great Western music. Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, Leon McAuliffe, Pee Wee King and many others.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s I learned to dislike “Hillbilly” music. A friend loaned me some 33 1/3 records and one was Bob Wills! I was in hog heaven! I now have lots of vinyl and CDs of Bob Wills and the others. I do not consider him “hillbilly” as he was from the High Plains.
I guess that the author of this wasn’t familiar with David Allen Coe. He started out in Reform School, spent time in prison and was known to walk off stage for pretty much anything.
This list is very incomplete without the two best country storytellers - Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff Walker.
No Billy Joe Shaver? Can’t take this list seriously.
Forgot Carter Family, or did I miss it.
#1. Roy Rodgers
Happy Trails to You.....
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I met the Dirt Band, very cool guys.