Waylon: An Autobiography

“Refreshing . . . candid . . . poignant. . . . One of the best of country's tell-alls, as warm, peculiar, and individualistic as Jennings's music itself.” —Entertainment Weekly

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 country music traditions with the energy of rock and roll to rewrite the rules of popular music in America.

This memoir 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 protégé; 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 twenty-five 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.

“As good a book about American popular music as one is likely to find.” —Washington Post

“Folksy, funny, spirited.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A wonderful story of a country boy who despite hardships unimaginable attained success and stardom.” —Chet Atkins

“Finally, here is the autobiography we've all been waiting for!” —Willie Nelson

“Eminently readable. . . . Mr. Jennings tells his tales with humor and detail.” —Dallas Morning News

“A no-holds-barred, tell-it-all story, overflowing with the honesty, true humor, and down-home charisma of an authentic honky-tonk hero down to the very last page.” —Music City News

“Essential reading for country fans.” —Publishers Weekly

© 2025 Grand Central Publishing (Ebook): 9780446562379

Release date

Ebook: 1 May 2025