The Curious Story Of John Lennon’s Letter To Waylon Jennings That Was Valued For $7500

John Lennon and Waylon Jennings: not names you’d normally see together. Their worlds of music seemed miles apart, yet Lennon reached out to Jennings with a letter that’s now a fascinating piece of rock history.

This peculiar correspondence piqued the interest of fans and historians alike. Jennings’ 1996 autobiography revealed a photocopy of the letter, with no explanation, simply labeled “A Beatle writes…”

Curious about this odd intersection of rock and country? Let’s dive into the story behind John Lennon’s mysterious message to Waylon Jennings.

An Unlikely Encounter

Lennon and Jennings first met in March 1975 at the Uris Theater in New York City, likely during the Grammys. Jennings thought Lennon was “some kind of mad guy or something like that,” while Lennon joked that “people in England think you shoot folks.” Their humor was evident from the beginning.

Lennon’s letter to Jennings starts with a pitch for an unreleased song. He misspelled “Waylon” and corrected it with a pen, reflecting his informal writing style. His Liverpool accent came through in the letter.

Jennings later described the letter with humor and confusion, calling it “nice.” Despite its oddity, the letter remains a memorable piece of their interaction.

The Letter’s Legacy

Jennings once described Lennon’s letter as “really nice” but “all over the place.” He noted, “Part of it was hand-written, part of it was typed,” and remembered how much fun Lennon was to be around during their meetings.

The letter indeed mixes typed text with handwritten corrections, full of spelling mistakes Lennon humorously fixed himself. He even apologized for these errors in the letter.

As for its current whereabouts, the letter was sold for $7,500 at a 2014 auction of Waylon Jennings’ estate items in Arizona.