The history of country music of the 70’s had two sounds one was Outlaw Country. Outlaw Country or progressive country as it was called by some was a way of trying to get away from mechanical limitations of the Nashville Sound which was one of the prominent sounds of the 1960’s. One of the limitations of the Nashville Sound was that artists had to use studio musicians.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/435612/outlaw-music

Outlaw Country consisted of singers and bands such as The Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gretchen Wilson and Hank Williams Jr. But it is said that Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard are the ones that defined Outlaw Country. http://www.roughstock.com/history/outlaw-country

Willie Nelson was born in Abbot, Texas on April 30, 1933. Sometime early in the 1950’s after being discharged from the United States Air Force he began working as a host on a country station out of Fort Worth, Texas as well as working at night as a musician. Moving to Nashville he landed a job working with Ray Price as a bass player in his band. During this time three of the songs Nelson had written were recorded by different artists. In the 60’s Nelson was sick of big business and wanted to be a singer not just a songwriter. In 1975 he recorded his first album Red Headed Stranger.

Waylon Jennings was born Littlefield, Texas and became known as spokesman for the outlaw movement through country music. Jennings personified this period of fighting against the Nashville Sound. In 2001 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but a few months later on February 13, 2002 Waylon Jennings past away in his sleep.

Merle Haggard was born in a boxcar that had been turned into a home on April 6, 1937. Haggard ended up in prison at the age of twenty for attempted burglary for six to fifteen years. While in prison he was present at one of Johnny Cash’s concerts and decided right then and there that is what he wanted to do. He recorded his first album with the song Sing a Sad Song the song reached number nineteen on the charts. http://www.roughstock.com/history/outlaw-country