Talk about an album that will forever be a timeless classic.
Whenever you have an album featuring stars like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, you know you’re in for something truly special.
And on this date back in 1976, the four were on top of the world with their Wanted! The Outlaws album, as it hit number one on the US Country Music Album chart, while also becoming the first country album to sell a million copies.
Yep, you’re looking at the first ever Platinum country album.
This album was a career defining record for both Jennings and Nelson, as it was one of the first albums they had full control over the songs they wanted to release, and weren’t being held down by the restraints of a major label in Nashville.
Now that both Jennings and Nelson had full control of their creative freedom, producer Jerry Bradley wanted the two to collaborate for a full-length album.
According to the book Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville, Bradley expressed how he came to this decision:
“Waylon was selling, if we were lucky, two hundred and fifty thousand albums. Willie comes out with’ Red Headed Stranger’ and that took off and sold a million records. Jessi Colter put out ‘I’m Not Lisa’ on Capitol. That damn thing sold half a million, or a million, set our butt on fire.
We’re sitting over there, trying to sell two hundred and fifty thousand records, and we’re still struggling. Tompall had a damn record…I never went to one of their concerts, but I can imagine what it looked like, them running up and down the highway doing that.”
Needless to say, it was a great decision to combine the four, as the album sat at number one on the Top Country Albums chart for six weeks.
Not to mention, the album boasted several hits, like “Good Hearted Woman,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Put Another Log On The Fire,” “Honky Tonk Heroes,” and more.
I’ll be spinning this one all day long:
