Jennings then worked as a DJ in Coolidge, Arizona, and Phoenix. He formed a rockabilly club band, The Waylors. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and A&M Records before succeeding with RCA Victor after achieving creative control.
During the 1970s, Jennings was instrumental in the inception of Outlaw country movement. He released critically acclaimed albums Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and Honky Tonk Heroes followed by hit albums Dreaming My Dreams as well as Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976, he released the album Wanted! The Outlaws with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. That success was followed by Ol' Waylon and the hit song "Luckenbach, Texas". Jennings was featured in the 1978 album White Mansions performed by various artists documenting the lives of people in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs on the album were written by Paul Kennerley. By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a cocaine addiction, which he quit 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. During that period, Jennings released the successful album Will the Wolf Survive. He toured less after 1997 to spend more time with his family. Between 1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of diabetes.
Jennings also appeared in films and television series. He was the balladeer for The Dukes of Hazzard, composing and singing the show's theme song and providing narration for the show. In 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music.
Jennings's music was characterized by his "powerful" singing voice, noted by his "rough-edged quality", as well as his phrasing and texture. He was also recognized for his "spanky-twang" guitar style. To create his sound, he used a pronounced 'phaser' effect' plus a mixture of thumb and fingers during the rhythmic parts, while using picks for the lead runs. He combined hammer-on and pull-off riffs, with eventual upper-fret double stops and modulation effects. Jennings played a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a used guitar that was a gift from The Waylors. Jennings's bandmates adorned his guitar with a distinctive leather cover that featured a black background with a white floral work. Jennings further customized it by filing down the frets to lower the strings on the neck to obtain the slapping sound. Among his other guitars, Jennings used a 1950 Fender Broadcaster from the mid-1970s, until he gave it to guitarist Reggie Young in 1993. The leather covers of his guitars were carved by leather artist Terry Lankford.
His signature image was characterized by his long hair and beard, as well as his black hat and the black leather vest he wore during his appearances.
Jennings's music had a major influence on several neotraditionalist and alternative country artists, including Hank Williams Jr., The Marshall Tucker Band,[124] Travis Tritt, Steve Earle, Jamey Johnson, John Anderson, his son, Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson, and Hank Williams III.
In 2008, his first posthumous album, Waylon Forever, was released. The album consisted of songs recorded with his son Shooter when he was 16. In 2012, Waylon: The Music Inside a three-volume project, consisting of covers of Jennings's songs by different artists, was released. The same year, it was announced for September the release of Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings, a set of 12 songs recorded by Jennings and bassist Robby Turner before his death in 2002. Jennings's family was reluctant to release any new material because they did not feel comfortable at the time. The songs only featured Jennings and Turner on the bass, while further accompaniment would be added later. Ten years after, Turner completed the recordings with the help of former Waylors. The Jennings family approved the release despite the launch of a new business focused on his estate. Shooter Jennings arranged deals for a clothing line, while also launching a renewed website, and started talks with different producers about the making of a biographical film.
Omaha
Waylon Jennings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Omaha you've been weighing heavy on my mind
I guess i never really left at all
I'm turning all those roads i've walked around the other way
And coming back to you,Omaha
[Verse 1]
Omaha,Nebraska wasn't good enough for me
With a pocket full of dreams and my one shirt on my back
I left there looking for some things to find
[Verse 2]
Rode my thumb to San Francisco,i worked down by the bay
Got some schoolin' paid for by the law
The hardest thing i learned was there ain't no easy way
To get ahead behind those county walls
[Verse 3]
So it's so long California,i reckon' i'll be moving on
I'm leaving even if i had to crawl
I got some loose ends around that i left undone
Waiting there for me in Omaha
[Chorus]
In Waylon Jennings's song "Omaha," the musician reminisces about his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and the journey he took to leave and eventually come back. The chorus "Omaha you've been weighing heavy on my mind, I guess I never really left at all" conveys his nostalgic yearning for his hometown and the significance it still holds in his heart. The lyrics find Jennings looking back on his past and how he believed that Omaha was not enough for him, causing him to leave in search of something more.
In the first verse, Jennings sings about how he thought he was the "roaming kind," and left Omaha with only a pocket full of dreams on his back. However, he eventually realizes that all he ever needed was in Omaha. The second verse finds Jennings in San Francisco, working by the bay and getting some schooling paid for by the law. In this verse, Jennings learns that there's no easy way to get ahead behind county walls. In the third verse, Jennings reflects on leaving California and how he's excited to return to Omaha despite having loose ends there.
Overall, Jennings's song "Omaha" celebrates the idea of coming back home and recognizing the value of one's roots. The lyrics portray the idea that sometimes, what one is seeking may have been there all along.
Line by Line Meaning
Omaha you've been weighing heavy on my mind
I can't stop thinking about Omaha and its impact on my life.
I guess i never really left at all
Despite physically leaving, I never truly left Omaha behind.
I'm turning all those roads i've walked around the other way
I'm retracing my steps and taking a different path in order to return to Omaha.
And coming back to you,Omaha
I'm returning to Omaha, the place that has always been on my mind.
Omaha,Nebraska wasn't good enough for me
I didn't see my future in Omaha and thought I needed to leave to fulfill my dreams.
I always thought i was the roamin' kind
I believed I was destined to leave and explore the world.
With a pocket full of dreams and my one shirt on my back
I left Omaha with the hope of achieving my dreams and little else.
I left there looking for some things to find
I believed that leaving Omaha would help me find what I was looking for.
Rode my thumb to San Francisco,i worked down by the bay
I hitchhiked to San Francisco and worked near the bay.
Got some schoolin' paid for by the law
I was able to attend school because of my legal troubles.
The hardest thing i learned was there ain't no easy way
I realized that there are no shortcuts to success.
To get ahead behind those county walls
It's difficult to succeed while incarcerated.
So it's so long California,i reckon' i'll be moving on
I'm leaving California behind to continue my journey somewhere else.
I'm leaving even if i had to crawl
I'm determined to leave California, regardless of the obstacles I may face.
I got some loose ends around that i left undone
There are things I need to take care of in Omaha before I can move on.
Waiting there for me in Omaha
These loose ends are in Omaha and I need to return to take care of them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILLY SHAVER, HILLMAN HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind