Waylon Jennings to be Honored in Hollywood
It’s the civic duty of any true country music fan to support the careers of deserving artists who are keeping the flame of country music alive, while working to help preserve the legacies of the greats that came before. Waylon Jennings has one of those legacies that’s easy to preserve since he put together a career that hasn’t only withstood the test of time, but arguable has only grown in stature over the years, and continues to significantly influence the country artists of today.
Recently, the music and legacy of Waylon Jennings has seen renewed attention after his son Shooter Jennings helped release a very well-received archive album called Songbird in 2025, and has also prepped the second of three archive albums to be released on November 16th called Diamonds.
Now Waylon Jennings is receiving an honor he probably should have received many years ago. Though let’s face it, Waylon never liked being honored that much in life, skipping out on awards shows, and not even attending his Country Music Hall of Fame induction. But that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve those honors. He just rarely if ever labored at all to receive them. That’s one of the things that made him so cool.
Last week, it was announced that Waylon Jennings will be part of the 2027 class receiving stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Waylon will be a rare posthumous recipient. He will go in with other musical performers Karol G, David Guetta, The Ramones, Joseph Saddler (Grandmaster Flash), Marc Shaiman, Sia, Smashing Pumpkins, Linkin Park, and Lil Wayne.
“Thanks to the amazing Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to our great friend John Arakaki and the persistence and follow through of my wife Waylon is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!” Shooter Jennings said about the honor. “I could not be more proud to permanently honor him among the stars who have come before!!”
A country artists receiving a Walk of Fame Star is not entirely unprecedented, but not a given either. Roy Acuff, Eddy Arnold, and Gene Autry were all inducted in the Walk of Fame’s inaugural class in 1961. Hank Williams has a Walk of Fame Star. Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Patsy Cline, Randy Travis, and Vince Gill are others who’ve received the honor. Dolly Parton has two stars—one for herself, and one for Trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Interestingly, Waylon’s old running buddy Willie Nelson does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It probably helped that son Shooter is based in L.A., and he and his wife could lobby for the honor.
There are bigger honors entertainers can receive, and some curmudgeony Outlaw country fans are sure to say Waylon wouldn’t care, or scoff that it’s happening in “Hollyweird.” But preserving the legacy of these country artists wherever possible is the way to keep their memories alive.
July 26, 2026 @ 9:26 am
Hey Trig, let me ask a question. Recently I was inspired by a particular Rick Beato video to investigate the number of monthly Spotify listeners for a number of artists and found that quite few pre-1980’s country legends were way behind what I would have expected compared to their contemporaries in other genres or later country artists of lesser stature. Now I suppose it’s possible that classics make up a bigger percentage of a rock fan’s diet because there is less new rock (although groups like Linkin Park and Nickelback are outstreaming the Rolling Stones…absolutely bizarre), but it made me wonder if there has been a breakdown in commemorating or promoting the legacy of the great ones in country? Or is this because older audiences still listen to the radio instead of stream? Is there an upper limit on how many years even a legendary artist can remain relevant?
July 26, 2026 @ 9:42 am
Good question. Generally speaking, older audiences listen to physical media more than younger audiences, and country audiences tend to listen to physical media more than rock/pop/hip-hop ones. That might explain some of the discrepancy, though it’s also fair to say that country just isn’t as popular as rock.
Another issue is that the streaming catalogs for certain country artists is incomplete.
But all of this I think is the reason we should advocate for older artists, and why things like this story are important.
July 26, 2026 @ 10:01 am
While the schedule of future inductions hasn’t been announced, I would expect Waylon’s to coincide with the release of Diamonds or the third album of unreleased songs. It’s sure to be a great promotion opportunity.
July 26, 2026 @ 10:26 am
I am part of the older audience and I much prefer a CD to streaming. I only tend to stream if I cannot get a physical copy of the album.
July 26, 2026 @ 9:54 am
I don’t think there is an upper limit. Interest in an artist can ebb and flow but it only takes one current superstar touting the influence of a legend to introduce them to a new generation.
The upside of streaming is that new fans can discover a legendary artist with just a click, no investment of money or time involved. As a lifetime country music fan, I’ve been introduced to new artists and reintroduced to some I had forgotten just by scrolling through YouTube.
While Waylon is going in under the music category, he had a pretty impressive acting resume that included films, TV movies, film music, documentaries and obviously, narrating a huge hit network TV show for several seasons. He had many Hollywood connections over the years.
July 26, 2026 @ 4:04 pm
Just a small sampling…but I am 58 and out of my pretty large friend group of mostly old washed up musicians like myself, not a single one of us has any physical media.
I was a HUGE collector in the 80s and 90s. Had thousands of LPs and then later thousands of CDs. Gave it all to my sister around 2008.
I listen to just about everything – new stuff, old stuff, rock, pop, country, blues, metal – all on my phone now. Does it sound like shit? YES! It absolutely does. But I fell for the convenience. Plus I like to move a lot and do not miss hauling all that shit around…
July 26, 2026 @ 4:59 pm
I hear you. I have accumulated too much stuff already and don’t want to add any more. I have picked up some nice digital speakers so I can listen with higher quality. I sold my vinyl years ago.
July 26, 2026 @ 8:27 pm
I don’t see why older audiences would be listening to corporate country radio when all it plays is the latest dirt road/pickup/beer crap. I’m 77 and haven’t listened to radio in 20 years.
July 26, 2026 @ 9:56 am
Maybe Goober Jennings and his wife can lobby their Hollywood friends for a much deserved Walk of Fame star for Charley Crockett.
July 26, 2026 @ 10:03 am
It’s really amazing how you manage to drag the artists you loathe so much into threads that have absolutely nothing to do with them.
July 26, 2026 @ 11:39 am
Haven’t you heard? Charley Crockpott is the measure of all things.
Trigger, himself, brings him up in nearly every post.
July 26, 2026 @ 4:43 pm
You bring up Charley Crockett more than I do. And the last time I did, I offered half a dozen paragraphs of criticism of him before saying that cancelling him over canceling a Satantic band was dumb. Which it was.
July 26, 2026 @ 5:05 pm
Mostly I bring up hook.
July 26, 2026 @ 5:02 pm
What I hear is you sound like those evangelicals who talk about gay sex more than the people who are actually having gay sex. Your obsession is getting tedious. Enough already.
July 27, 2026 @ 10:18 am
Mini-modding is fun!
July 28, 2026 @ 10:47 am
Big Jism is just a huge troll. Not funny, not clever. As you have seem, only about one in every five of his posts isn’t completely inane.
July 26, 2026 @ 10:25 am
Wow I find it interesting that some of those names are in there but Kris Kristofferson is not. I feel like he was so well known for movies in the late 70s, almost more than for his music, at least as far as mainstream attention went. I was not an adult during that time but I feel like if you asked mainstream Americans about an actor who is also famous as a musician, he and Dolly would have been the main two they would have named
July 26, 2026 @ 5:05 pm
My guess is that the Kristofferson family is not doing anything to put his memory out there.
July 26, 2026 @ 5:52 pm
Kristofferson, should have a Walk-of-Fame star, no doubt. He was the male lead, opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 movie “A Star is Born,” which was the second highest grossing film that year (after “Rocky.”) He starred in “Convoy” (1978) and co-starred in a bunch of movies from “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973) to “Rollover”–with Jane Fonda (1981), etc.
As Hank Jr. said, “Kris, he is a movie star and he moved off to L.A.”
It’s nuts that he didn’t get a frikkin’ star. At least he was inducted into the Country Music H-o-F.
July 26, 2026 @ 1:50 pm
In 1988, Waylon had a minor hit called How Much is it Worth to Live In L.A. where he sang “When they’re weirding out in Hollyweird” with the chorus “How much is it worth to live in L.A.? / That land of silk and money where the pretty people play / When they itemize insanity, how much will you pay?”
Seriously, though, it’s nice to see a legend in the genre get their flowers from the so-called mainstream of the entertainment world.
July 26, 2026 @ 2:33 pm
‘Bout frigging TIME,don’t you think ?
July 26, 2026 @ 3:26 pm
Everly Brothers have a star and deserve a mention here.
July 26, 2026 @ 5:03 pm
He was also too dumb for New York City and too ugly for LA.
July 26, 2026 @ 6:38 pm
That’s not a nice thing to say.
July 26, 2026 @ 6:47 pm
Waylon said it. It was the title of a song and an album.
July 26, 2026 @ 7:49 pm
When you’re as good-looking as Waylon, you can call yourself ugly.
Here’s Chet Atkins introducing Waylon and commenting about his striking appearance, in addition to his talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOJRYOEg_4o&list=RDaOJRYOEg_4o&start_radio=1
The admiration, btw, seems to have been mutual.
While everybody comments abotu how Waylon skipped his own H-o-F induction in 2001, the fact is that Waylon had made the effort to come to Nashville in July, 2021, to pay his respects at Chet Atkins’ funeral. Waylon came in a wheelchair, due to his severe diabetes. That was just three months before the H-o-F inductions in October 2001. In December 2001, Waylon had to have a foot amputated and in February, 2002, he was dead.
July 27, 2026 @ 9:03 am
Great song.
July 26, 2026 @ 5:05 pm
My guess is that the Kristofferson family is not doing anything to put his memory out there.
July 26, 2026 @ 6:04 pm
I did a quick look-up
The Country and Movie/TV supestars who you’d expect to have stars on the Walk of Fame mostly have received the honor: Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen, Tex Ritter, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers. Marty Robbins also has a star.
One that I guessed would have a star, but does not, is Jimmy Dean. (Not to be confused with James Dean, who, of course, has a star.)
July 26, 2026 @ 6:09 pm
Given that Waylon spent the lion’s share of his career at RCA, it might behoove them to put the star for A Man Called Hoss outside of RCA’s Los Angeles facility there on Sunset.
July 27, 2026 @ 2:14 pm
I dunno, Waylon might not have minded getting into the Hall of Fame if it had happened much earlier when it should have. Also, was he part of that year when they inducted like ten people? I don’t remember and am too busy to google it.
July 27, 2026 @ 7:07 pm
Yep. The HOF had to get him in fast because his health was failing so he went in with a bunch of other people a few months before he passed. It showed a total lack of respect.
July 27, 2026 @ 5:19 pm
You didn’t mention that it costs a good chunk of change to get a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Anyone who meets the criteria and ponies up can get a star. It’s good for Waylon’s family, but I don’t really see it elevating his profile much.