honky tonk music of the 1940s and 1950s, rockabilly of the 1950s, and the evolving genre of rock and roll. Early outlaws were particularly influenced by predecessors like Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly. However, an even greater transition occurred after Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson were able to secure their own recording rights, and began the trend of bucking the "Nashville sound". According to Michael Streissguth, author of "Outlaw: Waylon, Willie, Kris, and the Renegades of Nashville", Jennings and Nelson became outlaws when they "won the right" to record with the producers and studio musicians they preferred.