One of the greatest relationships in the history of the whole entertainment industry is unarguably between Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. For the majority of their careers, the two were inseparable. They wrote together, traveled together, performed together, and seemingly, did almost everything together. Consequently, they formed a best friendship, and we were lucky enough to see it play out right before our eyes.
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There are a plethora of rich and genuine moments between Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Also, there are probably even richer ones that we don’t know about. Regardless, one moment that further showed their humorous and wholesome friendship is when Jennings imitated Nelson on their duet hit track, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”.
A Plugged Nostril and a Good Chuckle—How Waylon Jennings Imitated Willie
Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were the best of friends; however, when it came to their vocal styles, they had nothing in common. Jennings sang with a deep bass style that came from the bottom of his throat. Nelson sang in the exact opposite way, as he sang high and tight with a nasal tone. That being said, the two voices complemented each other quite nicely, especially on their smash hit, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
In light of this vocal juxtaposition, Jennings thought it would be funny to imitate his good friend at his final show in 2000. Nelson was not present at the show, so Jennings took it upon himself to sing one of his parts in their duet.
Consequently, when it was time to sing Nelson’s part, Jennings said, “Here’s Willie’s part.” He then proceeded to plug his left nostril and sing the second half of the song’s second verse.
By no means is Jennings’ impersonation accurate, though it certainly accomplished the satirical effect he was going for. This is a simple story and doesn’t reveal a grand truth. Instead, it simply gives you a further look into the friendship between Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Also, this story takes on a profound level of importance when you realize this was Waylon Jennings’ last ever concert. So, you know Jennings was thinking of his collaborator and longtime friend, Willie Nelson.
Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings are national treasures, and their friendship shall not and will likely never be forgotten.
Photo by Beth Gwinn/Getty Images
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