If Waylon Jennings said you’re doing something right, you’re doing something right.
Every artist has highs and lows in their career. Even when you feel like you are riding high in the music industry, the harsh reality is that all of that can be pulled out from underneath you in the blink of an eye. Your label can drop you, an album can flop, or, with today’s cancel culture mentality, you can say something that makes your fans turn against you. A career in the arts is not for the weak, and it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to break onto the scene, and even more to stay there.
However, sometimes what an artist is considered a “fail” by the mainstream genre’s perspective does not mean that it’s a failure among their fans.
During a sit-down with ESPN’s Marty Smith and Ryan McGee for a CMA Fest Special interview, Travis Tritt opened up about one of the low points he went through in his career.
Tritt came out of the gate hot with his first three singles, “Country Club,” “Help Me Hold On,” and “I’m Gonna Be Somebody.” All singles topped the country music charts and turned heads, leaving fans impressed with his authentic sound. But things all changed when he released “Put Some Drive In Your Country.” Country music radio did not appreciate his attempt to incorporate elements of other genres beyond the traditional ’90s sound, and his airtime suffered significantly.
“All of a sudden, they hated me, man. They were just trashing me left and right. ‘We don’t know what he is. He’s a renegade, he’s a rebel, he’s a non-conformist.’
And then they finally hit on one that they really seemed to stick on. They hit on, ‘Oh, we know what he is. He’s an outlaw.’ And man, that was really starting to weigh on me…until I met Waylon Jennings.”
Travis Tritt recalls one of the first times he met Waylon Jennings, when Jennings pulled him aside to discuss the pushback he was receiving from country radio. Jennings asked him if he was still selling records. To which Tritt replied:
“Yes, sir. Every album I’ve done so far has gone platinum or better.”
Jennings then asked if he was still selling concert tickets. Tritt replied:
“Yeah. Every show we’re doing, sold out.”
When Waylon Jennings heard that Travis Tritt was still able to draw a crowd and sell a record, despite the challenges he was facing, he told Tritt that he was doing everything
“He said, ‘Well, there you go. That’s all that matters. You must be doing something right if those people are coming in. So to hell with all those people, ignore ’em.’
And man, that just lifted a burden off my shoulders that I don’t even think he realized at the time.”
Jennings was an artist all too familiar with pushing the boundaries, which sometimes resulted in country radio not agreeing with his vision. But given the number of Waylon Jennings fans there still are today, and the resurgence of his sound among the younger generation of country music fans, he’s living proof that following the model of success does not always equate to a lasting legacy.
Tritt took his words to heart, and just like Jennings, he is living proof that when you lean into who you truly are as an artist, fans will appreciate that more than chasing the next number one hit.
