The Era of the Outlaws
Ín the 60s, many traditional country performers met the changing times and culture head on, revolting against what they considered to be the hidebound methods of Music Row, earning the title of Outlaw.
At the center of the outlaw movement was Willie Nelson who by 1968 had grown frustrated with Nashville's resistance to his more personal music approach. He left Nashville for Austin, where he began his annual Fourth of July Picnic and Music Festival. Other singer/songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings were similarly disenchanted and followed. They had a roots approach to the music which appealed to hardcore country fans as well as those on college campuses. The album Wanted: The Outlaws by Waylon, Willie, Jessi Colter and Tompal Glaser, released in 1976 became the first country LP in history to sell one million copies.
Outlaw Country Music Suggestions:
Waylon Jennings:
Willie Nelson:
David Allan Coe:
- For The Record: The First 10 Years
- 17 Greatest Hits
- Original Outlaw
- The Perfect Country and Western Song
Hank Williams Jr.:
