Though it doesn't detract from the value of the music contained therein, the title of this album is a misnomer. It was not recorded in Nashville, it predates Jennings'”Outlaw” period by more than a decade and finds Waylon hardly numerological. Instead, this collection shows an artist discovering who he is and who he might become, the seedlings that would grow into one of country music's most notable voices and personas.

In September of 1958, Waylon was a twenty-one-year-old disc jockey on KLLL in Lubbock, Texas, where he had struck up a friendship with local hero Buddy Holly. Taking him under his wing, Buddy brought Jennings to Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico, hoping to cut a version of the Cajun classic, “Jole Blon.” The moment was fraught with tension between Holly, on the verge of moving to New York, and Petty, who was about to lose the rock & roll star he had nurtured. Waylon was caught in the middle, and though the track was enhanced by King Curtis'saxophone, Waylon's first shot at stardom was a bittersweet experience. On the flip side of the single, “When Sin Stops (Love Begins),” Norman made Waylon sing the song an octave lower… read more »