Waylon Jennings was an outlaw country pioneer – and his clever open chord modifications were at the heart of his rhythmic acoustic strumming style

Waylon Jennings.

Waylon Jennings is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the ‘outlaw country’ movement that developed in the 1970s. 

In essence, this meant working outside the confines of the dominant Nashville sound that dictated country music, and resulted in a harder-edged sound influenced by country, honky tonk and rockabilly. Jennings was part of a scene that included Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson among others.