Robby Turner, “Man of Steel,” Dead at 63—Waylon Jennings’ Right-Hand Man Played With The Highwaymen

Robby Turner, the venerated steel guitar legend who played with the likes of Waylon Jennings, Chris Stapleton, and Sturgill Simpson, died Thursday, Sept. 4. He was 63 years old.

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Turner didn’t exactly emerge from the womb playing steel guitar, but pretty close. His parents, Doyle and Bernice Turner, played in Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys band from 1946 to 1948. At age 6, he was playing drums in his father’s band. By 9, he was playing with the Wilburn brothers.

The next year, Turner learned how to play the pedal steel guitar. When he was 12 Shot Jackson of the Sho-Bud steel guitar company sponsored him by giving him his own rig. He was the youngest musician ever selected to endorse and represent the band.

The “Man of Steel” would build an extensive resume, playing with Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Paul Simon, and more.

Waylon Jennings’ Right-Hand Man

In 1990, producer Chips Moman asked Robby Turner to join the backing band for a newly-formed country music supergroup, The Highwaymen. That gig spurred a friendship with Waylon Jennings that would last the rest of the “Luckenbach, Texas” crooner’s life. He became Jennings’ go-to steel player, performing with him on nine albums and touring with him regularly.

“When he died, I stayed in bed a week,” Turner told Texas Monthly in 2012. “I canceled everything. I never wanted to play again. What I had to come around to, as a believer, is that Waylon’s in my future, not in my past. I look forward to seeing him again as much as anything in my life. He’s in my future, not my past.”

[RELATED: Watch: Waylon Jennings Play His Final Concert at Ryman Auditorium in 2000]

Country Legend’s Son Pays Tribute to Robby Turner

The day after Robby Turner’s death, Waylon Jennings’ son took to social media to remember the “Man of Steel.”

So sad to hear about Robby Turner. A once in a lifetime talent and the funniest guy I ever met. What a player. Was lucky to have toured and recorded with him many times. Rest in Peace, Robby

— Shooter Jennings (@shooterjennings) September 5, 2025

“So sad to hear about Robby Turner. A once in a lifetime talent and the funniest guy I ever met,” Shooter Jennings wrote in a Sept 5 post to X/Twttier. “What a player. Was lucky to have toured and recorded with him many times. Rest in Peace, Robby.”

Featured image via YouTube