Of all the absolutely fantastic stories I’ve heard about Waylon Jennings over the years, this is easily one of my favorites.
And I certainly don’t think it’s any secret that he was never afraid to say exactly what was on his mind, and if this isn’t proof, I don’t know what else could be.
Born on June 15th, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas, Waylon dropped out of high school at age 16, determined to become a full-time musician.
In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Waylon’s first recording session, and hired him to play bass. In 1959, while on tour with Buddy and his band, Waylon famously gave up his seat on the plane that crashed and ultimately killed Buddy, J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens.
He eventually became a pioneer in the country outlaw movement of the 1970’s, but admitted plenty of times that was more of a marketing strategy than anything else, and once said that the most “outlaw” thing Willie ever did was “that he probably came to town and double-parked on Music Row.”
He was chock-full of great stories and authentic commentary, and totally changed the game because of it.
And in a great 1988 interview with SPIN, Waylon talked about the time that a promoter booked him for a show with Conway Twitty, though his name wasn’t out there in all the advertising ahead of time due to confusion with the different shows up north they were appearing at with Dotty West:
“Well, now my mind is goin’ a hundred miles an hour. You know, dain bramage has set in. Probably the best story I got, maybe not the best one, but it’s true.
We were booked one time up north here. This guy that booked us, and this was about 15 years ago, he sent me to Syracuse, where Dotty was supposed to be, and he sent her to Rhode Island, where I was supposed to be.”
When Waylon got to Syracuse for one of the shows, he took a very unpolitically-correct approach, saying that he’d never seen so many ugly women in one room in his life.
And of course it was all in jest, but it being Waylon, he couldn’t let Conway (who was known for driving the women wild) get off without some friendly shit-talking:
“Well, we got up there in Syracuse, and I was there with Conway Twitty, and I have never seen that many ugly women congregatin’ in all my life, and I told him so.
I said ‘Boy, you do draw an ugly class of women.’”
Conway reminded him that it was both of their shows, to which perfectly replied with this:
And he said, ‘Well, you were booked on the show, too.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, but I wasn’t advertised.’”
I mean, who else could put it quite like that and get away with it… hilarious. What a legend.
Waylon was certainly one of a kind, but I don’t think something like that would pass in an interview today.
Moreover, not only do I think that wouldn’t pass, I can’t think of many artists today who would even say something like that in the first place.
And maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know… but I do miss when country music had characters like him.
He wasn’t kidding around when he wrote this one…
“I’ve Always Been Crazy”
Conway Twitty: The King Of Horny Country Music
Country music has never shied away from the topic of sex.
If you look back at our list of some of the most controversial country songs of all time, you’ll see quite a few that caused a stir for being a little too up-front about love making.
But nobody, and I mean NOBODY, had more horny country songs than Conway Twitty.
Let’s take a look at the evidence…
1. “You’ve Never Been This Far Before
This song that was actually banned from some radio stations for its overly-sexual content.
I don’t know what I’m saying
As my trembling fingers touch forbidden places
I only know that I’ve waited
For so long for the chance that we are taking
Definitely doesn’t leave much to the imagination…
2. “Slow Hand”
A cover of a Pointer Sisters song that Conway released in 1982.
You want a man with a slow hand
You want a lover with an easy touch
You want somebody who will spend some time
Not come and go in a heated rush
Yeah Conway, we know what you’re doing with your hands.
3. “I See The Want To In Your Eyes”
First recorded by Gary Stewart, this song is about a married woman trying to decide whether to sleep with another man.
How many women just like you have silent schemes
How many men like me do they sleep with in their dreams
You can stay or you can go and although I sympathize
I still see the want to in your eyes
4. “I Want To Know You Before We Make Love”
A cover of a song by Alabama that at least proves that Conway is a gentleman lover.
It takes time for real love to be found
I feel the invitation of your body
And I’d like to look inside your soul before I lay you down
5. “Red Neckin’ Love Makin’ Night”
The bro-country-before-bro-country-was-a-thing anthem about picking up a girl in your pickup truck and kissing her under the moonlight.
Well, maybe more than kissing…
It’s a red-neckin’, love-makin’ night
You ain’t had much till you
Been touched in the moonlight
You feel it most when you get
Real close and you hold on tight
It’s a red-neckin’, love-makin’ night
6. “Tight Fittin’ Jeans”
This one just proves that country guys have always had a thing for girls in “painted on jeans.”
In my mind she’s still a lady, that’s all I’m gonna say
I knew that I’d been broken by the time we parted ways
And I know I held more woman than most eyes have ever seen
That night I knew a lady wearin’ tight fittin’ jeans
7. “I’d Love To Lay You Down”
Possibly Conway’s horniest song that just lays it all out there on the line. Gotta respect a guy who’s straightforward, right?
There’s a lot of ways of sayin’ what I want to say to you
There’s songs and poems and promises and dreams that might come true.
But I won’t talk of starry skies or moonlight on the ground
I’ll come right out and tell you, I’d just love to lay you down.
Conway Twitty was a legend, with a staggering FIFTY #1 songs and a career that spanned across multiple genres from 1955 until his death in 1993.
But damn, Conway got horny when he found his home in country music.
