Waylon

Waylon is a 1970 album by Waylon Jennings released on RCA Victor.

Background

Waylon is best remembered for the cover of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," which climbed to #3 on the Billboard country charts, Jennings third Top 5 solo hit. Jennings would perform the song as part of a medley on The Johnny Cash Show. Aside from "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man", none of the other songs on this LP were released as singles. The version of "Yes, Virginia" presented here is different from the one originally issued on The One and Only in 1967. According to Waylon's autobiography, the song "Yellow Haired Woman" was written about Barbara Rood, his third wife. The album also includes a duet with Anita Carter on the Merle Haggard composition "All of Me Belongs to You."

Waylon is also significant for its version of "The Thirty-Third of August," written by Texas songwriter Mickey Newbury, a key figure among a new generation of country songwriters that would contribute to the outlaw country movement in country music, of which Jennings would be a central focus. As Tom Jurek observes in his AllMusic review of the album:

Waylon (singer)

Waylon (born Willem Bijkerk; 20 April 1980 in Apeldoorn) is a Dutch singer. His stage name came from the name of his idol Waylon Jennings. He represented the Netherlands with Ilse DeLange as The Common Linnets at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, finishing in second place in the final.

Career

Bijkerk started his career in 1995 singing in the television program Telekids where he sang the chorus of the song Harry Stallion.

From childhood, he was inspired by country music and he played the drums with the band West Virginian Railroad. He was signed in 1997 by EMI and went to Nashville to record an album, but the album was never completed. In 2001, he lived and worked for a year in the United States where he also performed with his idol, Waylon Jennings. After Jennings died in 2002, Bijkerk returned to the Netherlands.

Bijkerk was taught by Lisa Boray and joined the cover band Santa Rosa after returning from the United States. He also sang in the band Millstreet.

In 2005, Bijkerk and Rachel Kramer performed as the duo Rachel & Waylon in the preliminary rounds of the National Song Contest with the song "Leven als een beest" .