Introduction:
Travis Tritt Shares How Waylon Jennings Helped Him Stay True to His Sound
Travis Tritt may have found early success on the country charts, but that didn’t mean Nashville embraced every move he made. When the industry began pressuring him to stay inside country’s traditional lines, a timely conversation with Waylon Jennings gave Tritt the encouragement he needed to keep forging his own path.
During an appearance on the Marty & McGee CMA Fest Special, Tritt looked back on the early 1990s, when his first three singles—“Country Club,” “Help Me Hold On,” and “I’m Gonna Be Somebody”—were warmly received by radio and the country establishment. But things shifted when he released 1990’s “Put Some Drive in Your Country,” a song that blended Southern rock with honky-tonk energy.
“All of a sudden they hated me,” Tritt recalled. “They were just trashing me left and right. ‘We don’t know what he is. He’s a renegade, he’s a rebel, he’s a non-conformist.’ Then they finally settled on calling me an ‘outlaw.’”
Despite platinum album sales and sold-out shows, Tritt felt the weight of the criticism. That’s when Jennings, already a country legend, pulled him aside backstage at a show in Atlanta to offer advice.
“He asked me, ‘You’re still selling records?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir. Every album I’ve done so far has gone platinum or better. Every show we’re doing is sold out,’” Tritt said. “Waylon looked at me and said, ‘Well, there you go. That’s all that matters. To hell with all those people. Ignore ’em.’”
Jennings went on to explain that the only audience that truly counts is the hardworking fans who buy records and tickets—not the critics, radio gatekeepers, or industry insiders who get their music for free.
Those words hit home. “It was like a burden was lifted off my shoulders,” Tritt said. “From that point on, I knew exactly who I was making music for.”
The advice proved prophetic. Tritt has since charted more than 40 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including five No. 1 hits, earned two Grammys, and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1992.
For Tritt, Waylon Jennings’ wisdom didn’t just calm the noise—it helped him build a career defined by authenticity and lasting success.