I marvel at the courageous people who championed the outlaw movement in country music. They put everything on the line to push back hard against the reigning Nashville establishment. Artists like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash comprised the first mighty wave of outlawism. Call them rebels, mavericks, hell-raisers, whatever - the magnitude of what they did defies mere nomenclature.
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These and other singers hauled country back to its raw, rough-hewn, homespun roots, thank goodness! Although outlaw country music does not have the potency that it once did, some songs associated with the movement retain their clout. Here's to Willie, Kris, Waylon, and Johnny and all the other heroic outlaws we love!
"Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson
Wilson proves that women can be outlaws too! This 2004 classic proves that country gals can get down with the guys any day of the week. Say goodbye to dainty and demure, it's rowdy, redneck time for Wilson. A co-write from her and John Rich, the song was born when the two got together and Wilson was feeling down, per The Boot. She felt discouraged because she didn't look like the ravishing Faith Hill. She told Rich, "I'm just a redneck woman." He suggested they write a song with that theme and it's a classic now.
Wilson defiantly said, "...[I]t was a song for every woman I grew up around, every woman who is so comfortable in her own skin, no matter what the rest of the world is telling her about what she should look like, who she is married to, what she is driving, how many kids she is supposed to have."
"I'm A Ramblin' Man" by Waylon Jennings
Written by Ray Pennington, it was Waylon Jennings who made this song a number 1 hit in 1974. Its individualist / loner ethos can be encapsulated in this lyric. "Lord I'm a ramblin' man / Don't mess around with a ramblin' man...." The song's relentlessly propulsive beat, Jennings' growly, gruff voice, and the geographical locales mentioned all combine to make this a sturdy classic of the outlaw movement.
"Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard
Haggard, for all his brilliance and virtuosity, had a troubled life. He went to San Quentin in 1957 for robbery. The singer shared with American Songwriter these thoughts about that track's relation to his own tribulations and personal calamities.
"By the time I was 20 years old, I was in San Quentin. 'Mama Tried' is probably a child of all that. The song says I'm the 'one and old [only] rebel child.' I did have two older siblings, but they were excellent citizens, never went to jail. I was the one and only rebel. First time I ran away from home I was 11. I wasn't running away from a bad home, I was running towards an adventure."
"I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)" by Johnny Paycheck
This song conveys true outlaw spirit. Recorded by Paycheck in 1977, it was on his album Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets. Outlaw Willie Nelson covered it in 2020. Penned by Wayne Kemp, Bobby Borchers, and Mack Vickery, its narrator describes his mother's attempts to make him pious and god-fearing, yet he turns to a life of crime and waywardness. An outlaw-fueled anthem indeed!
