Leavin' Town is the second studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1966 via RCA Victor. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard country albums chart.

Leavin' Town
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1966
RecordedFebruary 1966
StudioRCA Victor Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)
GenreCountry
Length28:54
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerChet Atkins
Waylon Jennings chronology
Folk-Country
(1966)
Leavin' Town
(1966)
Nashville Rebel
(1967)

Background

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Much like his debut album (also released in 1966), Leavin' Town features a more tempered vocal approach from Jennings and the countrypolitan production that was typical at RCA at the time. In his 2013 book Outlaws: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville, author Michael Striessguth notes, "One of the early hit singles, 'Anita, You're Dreaming,' co-written by Waylon and [Don] Bowman, found Waylon in a serious and cautious vocal mode that remembered Jim Reeves, only this time with a trace of Marty Robbins, whose famous Latin sound rose up on Waylon's albums more than a few times in the 1960s." In the authorized Jennings video biography Renegade Outlaw Legend, producer Chet Atkins recalled, "I was just trying to make a record that would sell that the disc jockeys would play. I never thought, 'Let's make a pop record' or "Let's make a folk record.' I didn't think too much in that direction." Jennings later recalled, "Chet did the arrangement on "Anita, You're Dreaming" because I was too close to that song."[1]

The LP contains three songs composed by Jennings as well as contributions from Bobby Bare, Mel Tillis, Harlan Howard, and Gordon Lightfoot. The LP's most successful single would be the Lightfoot composition "(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me," which rose to #9. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic writes that Leavin' Town showcases Jennings "developing a distinctive blend of country and folk."

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic      link

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Leavin' Town"Bobby Bare2:09
2."Time to Bum Again"Harlan Howard2:04
3."If You Really Want Me To, I'll Go"Delbert McClinton2:03
4."Baby, Don't Be Looking in My Mind"Howard2:55
5."But That's Alright"Autry Inman2:07
6."Time Will Tell the Story"Waylon Jennings2:06
7."You're Gonna Wonder About Me"Mel Tillis2:28
8."(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me"Gordon Lightfoot2:30
9."Anita, You're Dreaming"Don Bowman, Jennings2:29
10."Doesn't Anybody Know My Name"Rod McKuen2:59
11."Falling for You"Ralph Mooney2:39
12."I Wonder Just Where I Went Wrong"Bowman, Jennings2:25

References

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  1. ^ Jennings, Waylon; Kaye, Lenny (1996). Waylon: An Autobiography. Warner Brooks. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-446-51865-9.
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