On This Day in 1977, Waylon Jennings Was at No. 1 With the Album Behind His Least Favorite—and Most Successful—Single

 On this day (August 18) in 1977, Waylon Jennings was on a 13-week run at the top of the country albums chart with Ol’ Waylon. It was one of the biggest albums of his career. Moreover, it was the first country album from a solo artist to receive Platinum certification from the RIAA. The LP’s success was driven by its sole single, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” a song that Jennings never liked.

In 1977, the outlaw country movement was in full swing, and Jennings was reaping the rewards. Ol’ Waylon was his fourth consecutive No. 1 album. It was also his biggest crossover hit, peaking at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. While “Luckenbach, Texas” helped the album’s sales, it wasn’t the LP’s only standout track.

Jennings made some interesting choices on Ol’ Waylon. For instance, he chose to cover Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and “Lucille,” which had been a major hit for Kenny Rogers earlier that year. He also used two Arthur Crudup songs previously recorded by Elvis Presley–“That’s All Right Mama” and “My Baby Left Me”–to create a medley. Jennings also recorded a rendition of Rodney Crowell’s “Till I Gain Control Again.”

Waylon Jennings Hated His Biggest Hit

Waylon Jennings summed up his feelings for “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” in his autobiography. “I knew it was a hit song, even though I didn’t like it–and still don’t.”

Ritchie Albright, who was Jennings’ longtime drummer and friend, recalled how Jennings reacted to the song’s success. “He said, ‘Just remind me when I’m picking singles from now on that I got to sing that motherf***er every night.”

[RELATED: On This Day in 1977, Waylon Jennings Started a Six-Week Run at No. 1 with a Song He Never Liked]

Songwriters Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons had never been to Luckenbach, Texas, when they penned the hit. Jennings wouldn’t visit the tiny hamlet for another 20 years. He finally made an appearance there in 1997, when he played Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic.

Featured Image by John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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