Richie Albright, Waylon Jennings Longtime Drummer, Dead at 81
Richie Albright, Waylon Jennings Longtime Drummer, Dead at 81
A member of Jennings band the Waylors since 1964, he is essential to the story of Waylon, who referred to Albright as my right hand
Joseph Hudak, provided by
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Richie Albright, who manned the drum kit for Waylon Jennings since the Sixties and was essential to the Outlaw country trailblazer’s signature rock-based sound, died suddenly Tuesday in Nashville. He was 81. A rep for Shooter Jennings, with whom Albright toured up until 2017, confirmed Albright’s death to
Rolling Stone.
An Oklahoma native, Albright joined Jennings’ backing band the Waylors in 1964 in Arizona, and the group developed a fan base at the Tempe nightspot J.D.’s. Jennings’ first album, in fact, was named after the club,
Sixty-two years ago today (Feb. 3, 1959) was an incredibly tragic day for music fans: It was on that date that Buddy Holly was killed in an airplane crash, attributed to poor weather and pilot inexperience, near Mason City, Iowa. The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were also passengers on the private flight and died in the crash and if it wasn t for an act of kindness, Waylon Jennings would have been on the plane as well.
Holly first met Jennings when they were both aspiring artists in Lubbock, Texas. The future country legend worked at a local radio station and began playing Holly s music after the two struck up a friendship. In turn, Holly took a keen interest in Jennings, helping him with his image and arranging recording sessions for him. Holly also hired Jennings to play bass for him on a three-week tour across the Midwest, dubbed the Winter Dance Party Tour, which also included Dion and the Belmonts, Valens and the Big Bopper.