Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson formed the country supergroup The Highwaymen.
The four veteran performers first recorded together in the mid-1980s, bringing together Cash’s stark country storytelling, Nelson’s distinctive phrasing, Jennings’s outlaw-country reputation, and Kristofferson’s celebrated songwriting. Their first album, released in 1985, was credited to the four individual names rather than formally to the group.
The album’s title song, “Highwayman,” became a number-one country hit and helped establish the quartet’s shared identity. The group later released Highwayman 2 in 1990 and The Road Goes on Forever in 1995, while touring together into the late 1990s.
The name can be confused with The Highwaymen, a separate American folk group. The country supergroup’s name came from the Jimmy Webb song “Highwayman,” which they recorded as their signature song.