When the Highwaymen performed concerts, they often mixed in their solo material with that of the group on stage. They released three studio albums between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s: Highwayman (1985), Highwayman 2 (1990), and The Road Goes On Forever (1995). The Highwaymen were a “supergroup” of four country-music giants-Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. You’ll probably find yourself singing along, mesmerized by the quartet’s powerful stage presence and blown away by their virtuoso guitar playing.The Highwaymen in concert featuring (L to R) Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. If songs like “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “Always on My Mind,” and “Me and Bobby McGee” touch a nostalgic nerve, you won’t want to miss this film. The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End clearly underscores the strong, respectful bonds forged by the foursome during recording sessions and on the road in performance. Director Jim Brown melds an entertaining, fast-paced mix of rare concert and behind-the-scenes footage of the quartet with vintage interviews with Cash and Jennings and present-day interviews with Nelson, Kristofferson, their wives (including Jennings’ widow, country singer Jessi Colter), and Cash’s son (John Carter Cash), assorted managers and fellow performers. Does anyone remember the 1986 remake of Stagecoach? It’s a hoot. World tours, three albums, Grammys, and even a group acting stint in Hollywood followed. Faced with lagging solo careers, they welcomed the chance to collaborate as singer/songwriters. “We stood up for what we believed in,” says Kristofferson.īut by the mid-1980s, the Nashville welcome mat was blowing in the wind. Prior to 1985, Cash, Nelson, Jennings and Kristofferson had pretty much fine-tuned their voices as maverick country singer/songwriters and social and political activists. Photo: Sandy Speiser, courtesy Sony Music Archives.Ī cursory timeline tracks the formation and decade-long collaboration of their country music “supergroup” (1985-1995). Kris Kristofferson recalls his first meeting and subsequent friendship with Johnny Cash in THE HIGHWAYMEN: FRIENDS TILL THE END. In my estimation, his feature-length documentaries– Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (see my review at ) and The Weavers: Wasn’t that a Time!– are two of the most powerful, inspiring and informative films about American musicians and their milieu ever made. While I never tire of listening to Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash, I’m also a major fan of Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jim Brown.
(Check local listings for air times in your region and for up-to-date streaming and DVD availability.) If you’re a fan of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings or Kris Kristofferson, you might want to kick back and spend an hour watching Jim Brown’s American Masters’ season finale, The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End, premiering on PBS tonight, Friday, May 27, 2016, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. “They had a ball together,” recalls producer/director Jim Brown about the legendary subjects of his latest film. Photo: Jim McGuire, courtesy Sony Music Entertainment. AMERICAN MASTERS looks back at the pioneering outlaw country music group, The Highwaymen, featuring (from left): Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
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