Waylon Jennings was making music history before he even started to record. And all it took was the flip of a coin. He was and still is one of the greatest.
It was tongue and cheek....no one would mean to say something like that .Waylon was Blessed with a great career and a loving family and friends. RIP W.J.
According to many interviews Waylon stated many times that he regretted the remarks every day of his life. Nobody in their right mind thinks Waylon mean’t this but I have no doubt he went to his grave wishing he hadn’t said it. I think that it’s being overlooked that Waylon and Holly were very young kids who were thrust into show business early. He should have taken that into consideration. Young, immature people often say some things that were mean’t to be a joke but often go over the line. R.I.P. Waylon. I have no doubt Buddy and you are sitting somewhere with your guitars and laughing over the incident as we speak. Two great legends. Love them both
I thank my Mama, to this day, because she LOVED Waylon Jennings. I used to listen to the albums she played on her console stereo, when I was a little girl. Mama had every album Waylon put out and was a member of his Fan Club. She and Daddy took me to see Waylon in Houston, Tx at a place called the Catacombs. Seems like it was in 1972. I was 15, Waylon looked so young and handsome. I had a crush on him. Still play his music today; I'm 65 now. Mama's been gone for 5 years. Alzheimer's. I used to pick her up from the Assisted Living facility she was living in, and take her for long rides in her truck, so she could listen to Waylon. She didn't talk for the last three years of her life, but she sure did smile when I played Waylon. I still have her truck too. So every time I hear Waylon Jennings, I think of my Mama and smile, and get a little teary-eyed as well. I bet she's up there listening to Waylon, Marty Robbins, Charlie Pride, Don Williams, Hank, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy, Merle, Old "No-Show Jones," Johnny, Conway, Jim Reeves, Tom T., Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens and Loretta....thanks Mama, I still listen to them too.
I loved this man He was definitely one of the best n the business.. He was a great artist & a great musician. You will always live thru your music. R.I.P Waylon. Gone but never forgotten.
I had the pleasure of serving waylon and Jesse lunch one summer afternoon at my first job ..he was down home good ole boy ..very nice and very good looking in person .I was very nervous but it is great memory ..RIP Waylon
This is a true story. The last thing Waylon Jennings said to Buddy Holly 2/3/59 in the wee hours. He once said he almost killed himself when he learned what happened that morning.
Would that apply to telling someone about to take the stage to break a leg? Sometimes we say things that if they do happen make us feel terrible for a long time. How about smiling and telling someone to go play and win the lottery and then they do. What next?
What I didn't know until recently was years later, when Reba McEntire lost her band mates in a plane crash (and like Waylon, she was supposed to be on the plane.) Waylon counseled her about the guilt and the pain that comes from something like that.
In Reba autobiography she talks about the crash and how she went onstage afterwards and preformed her song ‘If I only had known’ How she did it was incredible
The guilt about the words he said might have faded - but the survivor's guilt was a lot worse, I would guess. Poor guy. I admired and respected his music very much, even though I don't generally like country music.
Yes I think if Buddy Holly had been able to, he wouldn't have wanted Waylon to suffer guilt his whole life over this careless remark. It just adds to the tragedy. But it just shows how careful we have to be saying such things even in jest.
It had to be tough on Waylon. It was just playful banter between friends, and obviously he didn't really want anything like that to happen. But things like that you never forget, and I'm sure it haunted him for the rest of his life.
Waylon Jennings is a country legend one of my favs Waylon was great classic country music singer thanks for sharing the news and facts on Waylon regret too the grave thanks
I think this video is missing some context, as well as the wording of Buddy and Waylon's last joking words to each other. The bus they had been on had been so cold that one band member was hospitalized with frost bite. When Buddy Holly chartered the plane, it was meant for his band mates to take the other two seats, Waylon and Tommy Allsup. Waylon gave his seat to the Big Bopper because he felt bad that J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson had the flu. Allsup agreed to flip a coin with Ritchie Valens for his seat for no good reason other than it being a friendly challenge to flip for it (and lost). Buddy made fun of the fact that both his band mates gave up their seats. That's when he smiled at Waylon and said, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up!”. Waylon joked back, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes!”. They smiled & joked at each other, were teasing each other. At least that's the way the story has been told. This video left the "ol'" part out of their joking statements. Waylon was ribbing Buddy back about saying "ol' bus," by saying "ol' plane". It was all in good fun at the time. It was just friends teasing each other, sparked by Buddy being surprised that both his band mates passed on taking the plane with him, after days of arduous conditions on the bus. Buddy didn't make the arrangement to give Waylon's seat up. Waylon gave it to The Big Bopper, and they asked Buddy if he was okay with that. Also, Buddy didn't charter the plane because of not wanting to sit "elbow to elbow" with the other band members. It was because the conditions on the bus had been excruciating, and yes, to get some rest, but also to gain some time to do laundry before the next show. A separate eery factoid was that after Ritchie Valens won the coin toss with Tommy Allsup for his seat, Ritchie supposedly said it was the first time he's ever won anything. It sounds like the combination of Waylon and Allsup both giving up their seats, after Buddy found a way to get them a flight, caused Buddy to rib Waylon about it, and Waylon was just teasing back.
Honestly I believe the comments they made to each other they were only joking around but that's something that lays on your mind for a long time after an event like that and it's a friend. Yes it hurt him emotionally as Buddy Holly was his friend and Mentor as you stated. And Wayland is human like the rest of us of course it laid on his mind and I'm sure he regretted it. I'm sure he also was able to deal with it one way or another and it may not have been the best way. But you never forget a thing like that.
it's sort of the same feeling when we're mad at someone and then they die. or when we're remorseful about something we've done to someone who has passed away & we're not able to make amends.
He survived by giving up his seat to the Big Bopper, and made a flippant remark to Buddy Holly. Two reasons his head must have been in absolute agony. Yet out of this grew a unique Legend. Fate is remarkable.🤔
I like Jennings.. Buddy Holly is great too. As soon as you said the winter tour the first thing I thought of the group of group, of people of the great singers
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Buddy and Waylon were just jibing each other, I believe neither of them thought about what they said, it was one upmanship. Poor Waylon, would have never wished ill of his best mate and "no Waylon would have never forgiven himself for saying that". I love ❤️ his music and also Buddy's music. God has forgiven 🙏 waylon by sending him to Heaven. Bless.
With a name like Waylon Jennings, how can you not see an up and coming star? Holly seen something in him, but what a transformation Waylon turned into, I think Buddy would be more then proud of his buddy Waylon,
I’m sure those words haunted him until he died. Although he didn’t actually want it to happen. He was just kidding around. Who would have thought that the plane would crash? I’m sure he wondered if Buddy and the others were angry with him. I’d like to think that they did. Be careful what you say to someone before leaving.
Shit aside , Waylon Jennings was a Great Performer and Singer He is always on my cd list I'm my car and van as is Willie Nelson. and Johnny Cash plus a few others !
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What if the band members bus had broken down and they all froze to death. Just a thought! Would Buddy have been blamed for his comment to Waylon. You probably would have never have heard anything about their comments to each other. Waylon is the greatest RIP my friend.
I saw an interesting interview with Dion of Dion and the Belmonts and he seems like a very, very straight shooter. He says that a lot of the accounts of what went down, regarding the airplane ride (and the exchange claimed by Waylon) didn't happen. I mean, who knows? He certainly didn't seem to have any beef with Waylon - he just said there was never an ounce of question about who would be on the plane, and, that Waylon was never offered a seat. I would recommend watching that video - it's on RU-vid, somewhere.
Waylon said that probably when Dion was not in sight. Dion could not financially afford to get on that plane because the cost was $35.00 and that would have paid for Dion's parents rent in the BRONX in 1959
Sure he did,, example. When Rebas McIntire band crashed back in the day losing their lives Reba was in a tailspin over it because she thought she was partially responsible for the loss,, Ole waylon knowing this took her aside and explained to her his own circumstances and once she accepted the fact that she never caused any part of the disaster, so neither could waylon on buddy's tragic end,, although the pain never goes away the guilt will and did,
The FACT is that the Pilot Roger Peterson ws NOT familiar with the Gyro in the airplane they took off in that night. He HAD instrument training but the Gyro's screen was the opposite of the Gyro he trained on for instrument flight. The plane was in the air only a few minutes and crashed into the ground at high speed. They were all killed on impact. The Crash had nothing to do with Waylon. Too bad he blamed himself for the crash it wasn't his fault.
I heard an interview with Jessi Coltier that she actually led him to Christ while on his death bed. She asked him Are you ready to become God's man? and he (like king Nicodemous in the Bible asked what he had to do to get to heaven and she led him to Christ. She wrote a book about her husband Waylon...Waylon worked hard all his life in the music industry and thought that you had to work for your Salvation. Jessi was raised in a pentacostal church and new the scripture and knew that it is by GRACE that you are saved---not through works.
If I was in Walon’s shoes, that would have messed my head up too if I told a friend I hope your plane crashed, and then it does. I know it wasn’t said in malice or with mean intentions, it was all in joke, but anyone with a good heart it would hurt them to the core if what they said came true.
What an immature, nasty thing to say - no wonder he lived with guilt, he earned it. It was publicized he had given up his seat to the Big Bopper. Apparently Buddy made the arrangement that got Waylon angry.
Men talk to each other like that all the time. No harm is meant by it, just a way to see who can upstage the other. Buddy started with what he said and the rest is history.
I disagree that he deserved to feel guilty about it forever. His words aren't what made the plane crash, and, obviously, if he knew it would happen he wouldn't have said it. Waylon no doubt eviscerated himself over it. No need for anyone else to pile it on.
I don't think this video got the context or the wording correct. The bus they had been on had been so cold that one band member was hospitalized with frost bite. When Buddy Holly chartered the plane, it was meant for both his band mates to take the other two seats, Waylon and Tommy Allsup. After Waylon gave his seat to the Big Bopper and Allsup agreed to flip a coin with Ritchie Vallens for his seat (and lost), Buddy made fun of the fact that both his band mates gave up their seats. That's when he smiled at Waylon and said, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up!”. Waylon joked back, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes!”. They smiled & joked at each other, were teasing each other. At least that's the way the story has been told. This video left the "ol'" part out of Waylon's statement. He was ribbing Buddy back about saying "ol' bus," by saying "ol' plane". It was all in good fun at the time. It was just friends teasing each other, sparked by Buddy being amazed that both his band mates passed on taking the plane with him, after days of arduous conditions on the bus. And no, Buddy didn't make the arrangement to give Waylon's seat up. Waylon gave it to The Big Bopper, and they asked Buddy if he was okay with that.
Waylon Jennings' past is VERY mixed, and his attitude toward Buddy Holly varied widely. As portrayed in "The Buddy Holly Story", he once made a very racist remark to Holly about Holly's Latina wife, something about Holly, around Thanksgiving, " liking dark meat". No doubt there were other foul things he did, he was trying to forget with all his drinking and drug abuse. Unless you're only interested in producing puff pieces about entertainment celebrities, you might want to present a more balanced portrayal of famous people, who, it turns out, had flaws, just like the rest of us.
