Having spent decades in country music, Travis Tritt did more than release No. 1 hits like “Help Me Hold On” and “Foolish Pride.” He also received the chance to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in the genre. And while enjoying his time in the spotlight, the country icon recently paid tribute to a dear friend, Waylon Jennings. Although passing away back in February 2002, Tritt continues to carry the memory of his friend and even paid special tribute to the country singer during a performance at The Caverns.
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While entertaining fans at The Caverns in Tennessee, Tritt paused his set to discuss his friendship with Jennings. Detailing how he looked up to Jennings, the singer explained, “I loved everything about Waylon Jennings before I ever met him. I loved his singing voice, I loved his songwriting, I loved his guitar pickin’. And one of the things I loved about him the most was that he was going to do things one way and one way only, and that was his way. When I got started in the music industry that’s all I wanted to do too, was to just do things my own way, and be a little bit different.”
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Besides looking up to Jennings, the pair became good friends, recording and performing together. Tritt even noted how he played his friend’s last concert. “We had a chance to write together and record together and played onstage together numerous times. As a matter of fact I played with Waylon the very last concert that he ever did at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.” Turning the concert into a tribute, Tritt performed several hits from Jennings like “Good Ol’ Boys” and “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.”
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Outside of sharing a friendship, Tritt revealed back in 2021 how Jennings helped him deal with criticism. While understanding the critics, Jennings told him, “The only people that you need to care about are the people that work hard. 40, 50, 60 hours a week to put food on the table for their families and put a roof over their heads. And those people that are willing to spend some of that hard-earned money to go out and buy your music every time you release a new product, or occasionally, they will splurge for a concert ticket to come see you play when you play live somewhere close to them. Those are the only people that you need to care about. The hell with the rest of them.’”
(Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)
