Richie Albright, Waylon Jennings' 'Right-Hand Man,' Dead at 81

Raised in Bagdad, Ariz., Albright joined Jennings' band, the Waylors, in the early 1960s, before they moved to Nashville together in 1966. Per the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, it was Albright's suggestion that Jennings imbue his music with rock stylings.

"To many, Richie was an outlaw, legendary drummer and right-hand man to Waylon Jennings, but to those who knew him best, he was a loyal friend, a tireless worker, a loving husband and a proud father," the Facebook post reflects. "Richie's first love and passion was music, which he was blessed to spend more than 50 years devoting his life to. His role in the Outlaw [country] movement will ensure that his legacy will be with us forever."

In addition to his work with Jennings, Albright also worked with, among others, Johnny Cash, Jessi Colter and Hank Williams Jr. As recently as prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Albright was still performing live with Waymore's Outlaws, a country music band featuring members of Jennings' band that sometimes performed with Jennings and Colter's son, Shooter Jennings.

"When Richie wasn't on the road, it was impossible to keep him still -- even in his last days," notes the Facebook post. "His days were spent surveying land and weekends tending to his farm in Leiper's Fork, [Tenn.]," a small village south of Nashville.

Albright is survived by his wife, Linda, and their three children -- sons Brian and Trey and daughter Richel -- as well as a brother, Jerry. His parents, Charles and Margie Albright, and his brother Charles preceded him in death.