Storms Never Last
A Waylon Jennings and Jessie Colter
Love Story
Storms Never Last was written by Mirriam Johnson, known professionally as Jessi Colter, an American country music artist who is best know for her collaboration with her husband, Waylon Jennings, and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "I'm Not Lisa."
Waylon was born in Littlefield, Tx where he learned how to play the guitar by the time he was eight.
He left school, spent a few years picking cotton and moved to Lubbock, Tx in 1954. While in Lubbock he got a job at a radio station where he met Buddy Holly during one of the station's shows. Buddy became Waylon's mentor, teaching him guitar licks.
In late 1958 Waylon became the temporary bass player for Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. He played with Buddy on his final tour called the "Winter Dance Party" on February 2nd, 1959.
Waylon's Final Performance With Buddy Holly.
It was at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa that Waylon would play his last music with Buddy Holly. Buddy would die in an early morning plane crash on February 3, 1959, along with Richie Valens, J.P. Richardson, aka "The Big Bopper" and the pilot.
Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on the plane, causing Holly to jokingly tell Jennings, "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" Jennings jokingly shot back, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" It was a statement between friends that would haunt Waylon for decades.
Storms Never Last - A Love Story
The marriage of Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings is one of the best love stories in country music. Throughout their career, the pair recorded a handful of collaborative albums.
In 1981, they released Leather and Lace, which featured what is arguably their best duet, "Storms Never Last." It's a song about passing through the hardships of marriage, and knowing that their love for one another will endure.
But offstage, life was a challenge, as Waylon pursued his addictions and battled his demons. Having drifted from the church as a young woman, Jessi returned to her faith and found in it a source of strength in the turmoil of living with Waylon.
In the 1980s, Waylon helped launch the super group "The Highwaymen" with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson, and the hits kept rolling, as did Waylon’s reckless living.
In a 1973 Rolling Stone’s interview with Chet Flippo, Waylon talked about the transformative effect his fourth wife, Jessi Colter, had on his outlaw lifestyle.
“When I met Jessi, I was pretty well at my lowest point. I weighed 138 pounds and I was bent on self-destruction. Wallerin’ in self-pity was the biggest part of it, stayin’ depressed all the time and stoned. Jess was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Married to Jennings in 1969, Colter was previously wed to guitar legend Duane Eddy, but would have her work in curbing Jennings’ self-destructive ways cut out for her several years to come. By 1977, Jennings was in the grips of cocaine addiction and it would be several more years before he kicked the cocaine habit.
A Magazine Headline Gives Jessi Hope.
Jennings continued touring, recording hits, often working with his fellow country-music outlaws including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and, of course, Colter.
For the closing track on 1975’s I’m Jessi Colter, she sang a song she was inspired to write after picking up a magazine in a doctor’s office.
Jessi noticed a photo of a home completely destroyed by a tornado with a caption quoting the home’s resident: “Storms Never Last.” That simple message of hope — and Colter’s deep, abiding faith — would carry her through to the end of her husband’s life in 2002, when he succumbed to complications from diabetes at just 64 years old.
Amid it all, Jessi never gave up and faithfully prayed for her husband until finally, at Thanksgiving 2001, Waylon found Jesus, just months before he died.
Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter Sing Their Final Duet: "Storms Never Last."
Some may not know that Jessi Colter was the only woman featured on the landmark album Wanted: The Outlaws, a 1976 #1 album that forever changed American music.
She has fifteen major-label albums to her credit, and her songs and records have sold in the tens of millions.
It is heartwarming to watch this performance with An Outlaw and a Lady, Waylon Jennings and his wife, Jessi Colter in this final duet performed in January 2000 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
It
would not be his last concert (that came the following year in Kansas
City), but it was sort of a grand celebration, a final hurrah, a final
duet, played out before a hugely appreciative audience in this most
famous country music auditorium.
I still retain the Waylon Jennings albums I purchased in the 70s and love his music today as I did forty years ago. God bless you Jessi Colter for standing by your husband; and Waylon...thanks for the memories.
Jennings won election to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and died on February 13, 2002.
Please continue to check back here as I have more music updates and my favorite Waylon Jennings songs and lyrics to be added.
Songs that will make you cry.
"Tear Time" takes you through a feminine emotional experience and will touch your heart with the lyrics, "All it takes is the smallest thought of you...Then tear time starts crying all night through." Read more...
"Just The Way You Are"
"We almost didn't put it on an album. We were sitting around listening to it going...naaah, that's a chick song." Billy Joel...
Song of the year and Record of the year in 1978. Read more...
The End - Earl Grant
A truly beautiful song with words that reflect the long lasting meaning of love.
"But just tell me you love me and you are only mine...
And our love will go on 'til the end of time." Read more...
Waylon's 1974 Album "The Ramblin' Man" with Cool Video
Waylon's 1984 song "I May Be Used" (but baby I ain't used up)
Visit The Highwaymen pages here.
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An Outlaw and a Lady:
A Memoir of Music, Life with Waylon, and the Faith that Brought Me Home - by Jessi Colter. Buy from Amazon.
The Buddy Holly Story
If you grew up in the Buddy Holly era, this 1978 biography profiles the life of someone who helped change forever, the music in the 50s and beyond. The Roller Rink medley and The Crickets at the Apollo looks back at this special time in history and how it all began. Read more...
The song "True Love Ways" was recorded in the presence of Buddy's wife, and should be appreciated for the impact of this great song, and the love that inspired it. Read the story here.
"Dream" - Roy Orbison cover of this 1944 Johnny Mercer classic.
The song "Dream" reminds us of those glamours movie stars of the '40s, '50s, and early '60s. The one thing they all shared was a level of glamour we still aspire to today. This is a song everyone should have in their music collection. Read more...
Cowboy Campfire Songs.
Polish up your spurs, Saddle up ole paint and get ready to relive your childhood! Come with me and let's relive those bygone days with these cowboy campfire songs and fond memories of your favorite silver screen cowboys. Read more...
A Top Ten Country Album with a near perfect cover of the song, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." A truly unique cover of this Hank Williams standard. Read more...
Visit the Johnny Tillotson Amazon store.
See all 19 albums in one location.
You're The Only One.
This song brings back those special vinyl record memories of the summer of '79 when I spent many nights alone with Dolly and she whispered in my ear.
You're the only one...
You're the only one...
Take me back to where we started from.
And let's make it now
Like we made it then.
This old heart ain't gonna break your heart again. Read More...
You Belong To Me
Patsy Cline songs are the voice of the average woman...the waitress at the diner, the counter girl at the all-night truck stop, or even the stay-at-home mom who stops to wonder what happened to all her dreams. Patsy Cline was their voice. Read more...
I Can Hear Music.
A Beach Boys Cover Song.
I always enjoyed the Beach Boys version but Kathy just multiplied the WOW factor by a million. One of those really nice "feel good" love songs. Read more.
