In a newly resurfaced 1998 interview from the Country Music Hall of Fame archives — released this week to coincide with what would have been Waylon Jennings’ 88th birthday on June 15 — the legendary Outlaw laid bare his unfiltered list of the artists who, in his words, “made country music better than it had any right to be.” Speaking from his Tennessee ranch just two years before his death in 2002, the gravel-voiced pioneer behind Honky Tonk Heroes and the Highwaymen didn’t mince words or bow to trends. “I didn’t chase Nashville’s polish,” Jennings growled through a cloud of cigarette smoke. “I chased truth — and these folks had it in spades.”

Jennings, who sold over 40 million records and scored 16 No. 1 hits, structured his praise like a jukebox playlist: raw, no filler, and heavy on the soul. Here, verbatim from the 47-minute tape, are the artists he crowned as country’s true architects — along with the stories and songs that earned their spots.

1. Hank Williams – “The Hillbilly Shakespeare”

“Hank didn’t just sing pain — he was pain. ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ ain’t a song; it’s a weather report from a broken heart. He died at 29, but every note he left behind is still breathing.” Jennings covered “Lost Highway” in 1977 and said Williams’ ghost rode shotgun on every late-night bus ride.

2. Johnny Cash – “The Man in Black, My Brother”

“John wasn’t country — he was America. Prison walls, train tracks, redemption — he carried it all. We cut ‘I Walk the Line’ together in ’88, and I still hear his boots stomping in my dreams.” The two shared stages, whiskey, and a mutual disdain for Music Row suits.

3. Willie Nelson – “The Red-Headed Stranger Who Outran the Law”

“Willie wrote ‘Crazy’ when he was broke, then turned it into a mansion. He don’t play guitar — he prays with it. Trigger’s got more soul than half the singers in this town.” Jennings and Nelson co-founded the Outlaw movement in the ’70s, defying Nashville’s rhinestone rules.

4. Merle Haggard – “The Okie Who Never Lied”

“Merle sang about prison like he still smelled the bleach. ‘Mama Tried’ ain’t just a song — it’s a confession. He made hard living sound noble.” Haggard’s Working Man’s Blues was a staple in Jennings’ live sets.

5. Patsy Cline – “The Voice That Could Stop a Freight Train”

“Patsy could sing the phone book and make you cry. ‘I Fall to Pieces’ — hell, I did fall to pieces every time she opened her mouth.” Jennings called her the gold standard for female vocalists, long before the term “crossover” existed.

6. George Jones – “The Possum, the Greatest That Ever Was”

“George could hold a note longer than most men hold a job. ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ — that’s not country, that’s church.” Jennings produced Jones in the ’80s and said, “I learned more from his drunk takes than sober ones.”

7. Loretta Lynn – “Coal Miner’s Daughter, Queen of the Holler”

“Loretta wrote about birth control and cheating husbands when Nashville wanted pretty little love songs. She had guts the size of Kentucky.” Jennings duetted with Lynn on “Storms Never Last” in 1981.

8. Ray Price – “The Cherokee Cowboy Who Taught Me Shuffle”

“Ray took honky-tonk and gave it a heartbeat. ‘Crazy Arms’ — that shuffle beat still makes my boots move when I’m dead on my feet.” Price’s band, the Cherokee Cowboys, included a young Jennings on bass in 1959.

The interview, conducted by Hall of Fame curator Mick Buck, ends with Jennings strumming an unplugged “Good Hearted Woman” and muttering, “These folks didn’t just make records — they made me.” The tape sat in storage for 27 years until digitized for the Hall’s 2025 “Outlaws at 50” exhibit.

Modern artists are reacting. Chris Stapleton posted the clip on Instagram: “Waylon just handed us the syllabus.” Lainey Wilson added, “If these are the professors, I’m still in kindergarten.”

Jennings’ son, Shooter, who curated the release, said, “Dad didn’t care about charts — he cared about character. This list is his will and testament.”

As country navigates AI beats and pop crossovers, Jennings’ picks stand as a North Star: truth over trend, grit over gloss. Stream the full interview on the Country Music Hall of Fame app — and let the Outlaw remind you what “better” really sounds like.