Honky Tonk Heroes: Difference between revisions

'''''Honky Tonk Heroes''''' is a [[country music]] album by [[Waylon Jennings]], released in 1973 on [[RCA Victor]]. With the exception of the final track on the album, "We Had It All", all of the songs on the album were written or co-written by [[Billy Joe Shaver]]. The album is considered an important piece in the development of the [[Outlaw country|outlaw sub-genre]] in country music as it revived the [[honky tonk music]] of [[Nashville]] and added elements of [[rock and roll]] to it.

Jennings had in passing invited the then unknown [[Billy Joe Shaver]] to Nashville to write the songs for JenningJennings's next album after hearing him sing "Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me" before the 1972 ''[[Dripping Springs Reunion]]'' from the back of a [[Caravan (trailer)|camper]]. When Shaver arrived in Nashville, he spent six months pursuing Jennings before finally again convincing him to make an album of his songs. Jennings had recently renegotiated his contract with [[RCA Records]]. The label granted him creative control over his work to avoid losing him to [[Atlantic Records]]. As his usual producer, [[Chet Atkins]], was reluctant to release a record consisting of songs written by an unknown songwriter, Jennings replaced him with [[Tompall Glaser]]. Jennings replaced the Nashville [[session musicians]] with his own band, ''[[The Waylors]]''.

The executives of RCA Records were reluctant to release the album, and delayed it until JulyJune 1973. ''Honky Tonk Heroes'' had a good reception by the critics on release. It reached number 14 in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard's]]'' Top Country albums chart. The singles "You Asked Me To" and "We Had It All" did well, reaching number 8 and 28, respectively. The album was later listed in Robert Dimery's [[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]].