Editing Waylon Jennings (section)

=== Outlaw country ===
By 1972, after the release of ''Ladies Love Outlaws'', his recording contract was nearing an end. Upon contracting [[hepatitis]], Jennings was hospitalized. Sick and frustrated with the Nashville music industry, he was considering retirement. Albright visited him and convinced him to continue, suggesting he hire Neil Reshen as his new manager. Meanwhile, Jennings requested a $25,000 royalty advance from RCA Records to cover his living expenses during his recovery. The same day he met Reshen, RCA sent Jerry Bradley to offer Jennings $5,000 as a bonus for signing a new 5% royalty deal with RCA, the same terms he had accepted in 1965. After reviewing the offer with Reshen, he rejected it and hired Reshen.{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|pp=182–186}}

[[File:Kris Willie Waylon.jpg|thumb|left|L–R: [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Willie Nelson]], and Jennings at the [[Dripping Springs Reunion]], in 1972.]]
Reshen started to renegotiate Jennings's recording and touring contracts. At a meeting in a Nashville airport Jennings introduced Reshen to Willie Nelson. By the end of the meeting Reshen had become Nelson's manager as well. Jennings's new deal included a $75,000 advance and artistic control.{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|pp=187–192}}{{sfn|Petrusich|2008|p=[https://archive.org/details/itstillmoveslost00petr_0/page/106 <!-- quote=waylon jennings Nashville sound. --> 106]}} Reshen advised Jennings to keep the beard that he had grown in the hospital, to match the image of outlaw country.{{sfn|Larkin|1995|p=2159}}{{sfn|Lewis|1993|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8_afNI8SL6UC&dq=Neil%20reshen%22%20willie%20nelson%20waylon&pg=PA169 169]}}{{sfn|Jennings|Kaye|1996|p=266}}

By 1973 Nelson found success with [[Atlantic Records]]. Now based in [[Austin, Texas]], he began to attract rock and roll fans to his shows, which gained him notice in its press.{{sfn|Reid|Sahm|2010|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=1gry61absiEC&dq=armadillo+world+headquarters+willie+nelson&pg=PA79 79]}}{{sfn|Reid|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qCDF5fFuBT8C&dq=Willie%27s+RCA+contract+guaranteed&pg=PA224 224]}} Atlantic Records made a bid to sign Jennings, but Nelson's rise to popularity persuaded RCA to renegotiate with him before losing another potential star.{{sfn|Petrusich|2008|p=106}}

In 1973, Jennings released ''[[Lonesome, On'ry and Mean]]'' and ''[[Honky Tonk Heroes]]'', the first albums recorded and released under his creative control. This heralded a major turning point for Jennings, resulting in his most critically and commercially successful years.{{sfn|Wolff|Duane|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Jorozp1yp4C&dq=Lonesome%2C%20On'ry%20and%20Mean%20and%20Honky%20Tonk%20Heroes&pg=PA340 340]}} More hit albums followed with ''[[This Time (Waylon Jennings album)|This Time]]'' and ''[[The Ramblin' Man]]'', both released in 1974. The title tracks of both albums topped the ''Billboard'' Country singles chart, with the self-penned "This Time" becoming Jennings's first no. 1 single. ''[[Dreaming My Dreams (Waylon Jennings album)|Dreaming My Dreams]]'', released in 1975, included the no. 1 single "[[Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way]]", and became his first album to be certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]]; it was also the first of six consecutive solo studio albums to be certified gold or higher.{{sfn|Wolff|Duane|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3Jorozp1yp4C&dq=Lonesome%2C%20On'ry%20and%20Mean%20and%20Honky%20Tonk%20Heroes&pg=PA340 340]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-ramblin-man-r107198/review|author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |title=The Ramblin' Man&nbsp;– Overview|work=Allmusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|access-date=October 24, 2011}}</ref> In 1976 Jennings released ''[[Are You Ready for the Country]]''. Jennings wanted Los Angeles producer [[Ken Mansfield]] to produce the record, but RCA initially balked. Jennings and the Waylors traveled to Los Angeles and recorded with Mansfield at Jennings's own expense. A month later, Jennings returned to Nashville and presented the master tape to [[Chet Atkins]], who, after listening to it, decided to release it. The album reached number 1 ''Billboard''{{'}}s country albums three times the same year, topping the charts for 10 weeks. It was named country album of the year in 1976 by ''[[Record World]]'' magazine and was certified gold by the [[RIAA]].<ref>Mansfield, Ken; pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Je7C3JHRs7UC&dq=%22Are+You+Ready+for+the+Country%22+waylon&pg=PA171 171], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Je7C3JHRs7UC&dq=%22Are+You+Ready+for+the+Country%22+waylon&pg=PA172 172]</ref>

{{Listen|filename=Luckenbach, Texas Waylon Jennings.ogg|title="Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)"|description= A hit for Jennings, the song was released in the album ''Ol' Waylon''}}

In 1976, RCA released the compilation album ''[[Wanted! The Outlaws]]'', with Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jennings's wife, Jessi Colter. The album was the first country music album certified [[RIAA certification|platinum]].{{sfn|Carr|Munde|1997|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6Q2QhJf4jR0C&dq=Waylon%20Jennings%20KLLL&pg=PT167 156]}} The following year, RCA issued ''[[Ol' Waylon]]'', an album that produced a hit duet with Nelson, "[[Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)|Luckenbach, Texas]]".{{sfn|Huang|p=325|1999}} The album ''[[Waylon and Willie]]'' followed in 1978, producing the hit single "[[Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys]]".{{sfn|Wishart|2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rtRFyFO4hpEC&dq=waylon%20%26%20Willie%201978%20Mammas%20Don't%20Let%20Your%20Babies%20Grow%20Up%20to%20Be%20Cowboys&pg=PA541 54]}} Jennings released ''[[I've Always Been Crazy]]'', also in 1978.{{sfn|Kingsbury2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=v4GQDYx_RnkC&dq=greatest%20hits%20I've%20always%20been%20crazy%20waylon&pg=PA612 612]}} The same year, at the peak of his success, Jennings began to feel limited by the outlaw movement.{{sfn|Lewis|1993|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8_afNI8SL6UC&dq=waylon%20jennings%20outlaw%20image&pg=PA169 169]}} Jennings referred to the overexploitation of the image in the song "[[Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand]]?", claiming that the movement had become a "self-fulfilling prophecy".{{sfn|Lewis|1993|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8_afNI8SL6UC&dq=waylon%20jennings%20outlaw%20image&pg=PA169 169]}}{{sfn|Schäfer|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=cSqjy9rCjvoC&dq=waylon+jennings+outlaw+image&pg=PA60 60]|2012}} In 1979, RCA released Jennings first ''[[Greatest Hits (Waylon Jennings album)|Greatest Hits]]'' compilation,{{sfn|Kingsbury2004|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=v4GQDYx_RnkC&dq=greatest%20hits%20I've%20always%20been%20crazy%20waylon&pg=PA612 612]}} which was certified gold the same year, and quintuple platinum in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=waylon+jennings&ti=Greatest+hits&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=RIAA Searchable Database|work=RIAA.com|publisher=The Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=May 4, 2021}}</ref>

Also in 1979, Jennings joined the cast of the [[CBS]] series ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' as the Balladeer, the narrator. The only episode to feature him as an actor was "[[List of The Dukes of Hazzard episodes#Season 7 (1984–1985) – 17 episodes|Welcome, Waylon Jennings]]", during the seventh season. Jennings played himself, presented as an old friend of the Duke family. For the show he also wrote and sang the theme song "[[Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)|Good Ol' Boys]]", which became the biggest hit of his career. Released as a single in promotion with the show, it became Jennings's 12th single to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart. It was also a crossover hit, peaking at no. 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.{{sfn|Kingsbury2004|p=612}}