Are Struggle Jennings and Waylon Jennings related?
Introduction
In the world of entertainment, cracking the world of acting is hard enough, but cracking the music industry?
That takes talent the likes of which most people can only dream of.
To make it as a professional musician is incredibly tough, but it is certainly not impossible.
It takes talent, dedication, hard work, skill, and just a little bit of luck.
Rapper Struggle Jennings can attest to this, as he is arguably now in the form of his life, despite his personal demons, and is more popular than ever.
Another musician who knew what it’s like to be on top, and stay on top, was country music star Waylon Jennings, who sadly passed away in 2002, aged just 62.
Despite this, his legacy lives on as his music is equally as popular now as it was all those decades ago.
Because Struggle Jennings shares the same last name with Waylon Jennings, people often wonder whether there is a connection there.
So, is Struggle Jennings related to Waylon Jennings?
Let’s find out.
Who is Struggle Jennings?
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Struggle Jennings is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper from Nashville, Tennessee.
Struggle Jennings is the rapper’s stage name, as he was born William Harness on the 31st of May, 1980.
Struggle was a late bloomer in the rap industry, as he only really came to prominence in the last decade or so.
Struggle Jennings performs at Pine Knob Music Theatre on August 17, 2023 in Clarkston – @Getty
That isn’t to say that he only recently got into music because that is not the case at all. Rap music has been a part of his life since he was a child; it’s just that he only got his big break recently.
Jennings was regularly in trouble as a youngster and fell in with the wrong crowd.
Brantley Gilbert, Jelly Roll and Struggle Jennings – @Getty
In 2011, he was incarcerated on drug charges. In 2013, however, his fortunes changed when Yelawolf had him appear on his mixtape Wyte Dawg.
Following this, he would release an album entitled ‘I am Struggle.’
He was let out of prison in 2016 when he released ‘Return of the Outlaw,’ which proved to be very popular.
As the years went by, he became more and more successful and worked with more and more names, including Bubba Sparxxx and Yelawolf.
2018 proved to be his biggest year yet when he released his full-length album ‘Angels and Outlaws.’ The album reached number 8 on the iTunes Alternative music charts.
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In 2021, he released the LP ‘Outlaw S**t,’ which reached number 1 on the iTunes Rap Charts on the day of its release.
Later in 2021, Jennings and Tommy Vext announced their ‘God Bless the Outlaws’ tour.
Jennings has music in his blood as his grandfather is rock guitarist Duane Eddy and his grandmother is Jessi Colter, who is a Country music star.
His uncle also happens to be Shooter Jennings, which is where the ‘Jennings’ comes from in the last part of his stage name.
Another Jennings that people often ask about, however, is Waylon Jennings.
But is Struggle Jennings related to Waylon Jennings?
All will soon become clear.
Who was Waylon Jennings?
Waylon Jennings — @Getty
Waylon Jennings was an American songwriter, singer, actor, and musician.
He is a legend in the world of Country music as he pioneered the Outlaw subgenre Movement in Country Music.
Born June 15th, 1937, Jennings began playing the guitar when he was aged just 8 years of age.
By 14, he was in his first music band called the ‘Texan Longhorns.’
He fell in love with music and knew that he wanted to be a musician as he grew up.
After leaving school aged 16, he pursued his dream of becoming a musician.
By 1958, none other than Buddy Holly arranged for Jennings’ very first recording session and hired him to play bass guitar.
Jennings escaped tragedy in 1959 when he gave up his seat on the flight, which tragically killed Richie Valens, JP ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson, and Buddy Holly, when it crashed.
By the 1970s, he was a Country Music legend when he helped drive Outlaw Country, alongside names such as Jessi Colter, and Willie Nelson.
As the decade went on, his stock grew, and he found himself appearing on such TV shows as the Dukes of Hazard and Sesame Street.
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It wasn’t until 1984, however, that his fame reached another level entirely.
He joined the American Country Supergroup ‘The Highway Men.’ The band featured music legends Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.
Jennings battled and overcame a cocaine and pill addiction and enjoyed great success in the band, and as a solo artist for the next decade.
He toured less in the 90s, and after years of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and a rock star lifestyle, his health began failing.
This, combined with being overweight, not exercising, and following a poor diet, meant that his heart suffered, and he developed type-2 diabetes.
He had to have a foot amputated, and sadly, in 2002, due to complications from diabetes, he passed away at home aged just 64.
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Is Struggle Jennings related to Waylon Jennings?
If you were paying attention earlier, you may already know the answer to this question, but just to be sure, yes, Struggle is indeed related to the late Waylon Jennings. Waylon Jennings was Struggle’s step-grandfather. Struggle was the step-grandson of the Country Music legend, which again shows that music was, and is, in the rapper’s blood.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.