The Nashville Tennessean
By Matthew Leimkuehler,
2/10/2021
Richie Albright, a longtime drummer for Waylon Jennings who aided in crafting the legend's distinct outlaw sound, died Tuesday at age 81.
Albright's band, Waymore's Outlaws, confirmed his death Wednesday on social media.
"To many Richie was an [o]utlaw, legendary drummer and right-hand man to Waylon Jennings," read a post on Albright's Facebook page, "but to those who knew him best he was a loyal friend, a tireless worker, a loving husband and a proud father."
Born in Oklahoma and raised in Bagdad, Arizona, Albright joined Jennings' band The Waylors in 1964, relocating to Nashville in 1966 after the singer signed with RCA Records.
In the early 1970s, after negotiating a new RCA contract that included broad artistic freedom, Jennings relied on The Waylors in the studio — now a lauded move that bucked Nashville tradition of enlisting session players.
Albright was considered a musical consigliere to Jennings, performing on songs vital to the 1970s outlaw country canon. He played drums on famed Jennings albums such as "Dreaming My Dreams," "Ol' Waylon" and the venerable collection of Billy Joe Shaver songs, "Honkey Tonk Heroes."
He encouraged Jennings to adopt rock & roll principles, and his drumming helped shape rock-tinged outlaw songs that still inform songwriters today. During his more than five decades in music, Albright worked with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Johnny Rodriguez, Billy Joe Shaver, Jessi Colter and more.
According to his website, musician Bronson Herrmuth asked Albright in 2007 if he knew his drumming would influence future musicians.
"I knew that I was playing with a very dynamic, just outrageous, great singer and guitar player, that's what I knew," Albright said. "You know when magic happens it happens a lot so that was a good barometer, I knew he was going to be big, I was just there for the ride man."
Jennings named his son, second-generation rock-country musician Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings, in-part after his drummer.
After Jennings' death in 2002, Albright continued to celebrate the singer's legacy by performing in Waymore's Outlaws, a group of former backing musicians to the country giant.
"Richie's first love and passion was music, which he was blessed to spend more than 50 years devoting his life to," said a statement posted to Albright’s Facebook page. "His role in the [o]utlaw movement will ensure that his legacy will be with us forever."
Albright is survived by his wife, Linda, and three children. Funeral arrangements were not available at publication time.
ALBRIGHT, Richie (Richard Albright)
Born: 7/10/1940, Bradley, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
Died: 2/9/2021, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Richie Albright’s western – music:
Mackintosh and T.J. - 1975
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