Song:Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Album:16 Biggest Hits
Willie Nelson had been successful in Nashville in the 60s as a songwriter. He didn't have much success as a singer until he got involved in the Outlaw Country movement of the 70s. The man behind that movement was Waylon Jennings. Though Jennings' 1972 album Ladies Love Outlaws was a success, Jennings was tired of RCA Records executives telling him what to do. He told them that if they didn't let him record the way he wanted to record, he would leave. Atlantic Records had been sniffing around. So RCA gave Jennings a new deal and creative control. Jennings also had a new manager who was also Willie Nelson's manager. They had toured together so now they wanted to record together. The 1976 album Wanted! The Outlaws featured Jennings, his wife Jessie Colter, Nelson and Tompall Glaser. Jennings and Nelson recorded two songs together including Good Hearted Woman which was Nelson's first number one country hit. Then they recorded another successful duet on the 1977 album Ol' Waylon. That was Luckenbach, Texas. So they decided to record a whole album together. Waylon & Willie topped the Country Album chart for ten weeks and reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified 2XPlatinum. Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys topped the Country Singles chart for four weeks and it's become a signature song for both guys. The song was written and originally recorded by Ed Bruce in 1976. And it won the 1979 Grammy for Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal. Nelson's duets with Jennings launched him into the mainstream and he became the duet king in the 80s. The two recorded two more albums together in the 80s and a fourth in 1991. This budget comp is a good selection of their duets. Of course Nelson is still around and I think he owes a lot to Jennings and the Outlaw Country movement. Here is Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson performing Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys at Farmaid July 4, 1986.
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