They Called Us Outlaws: The Definitive Documentary
If you have ever found yourself captivated by the rugged, rule-breaking era of 1970s country music, get ready for the ultimate deep dive. A highly anticipated new documentary series titled They Called Us Outlaws is officially on the horizon, promising to be the most comprehensive look at the artists who flipped the script on the Nashville establishment.
Premiering its pilot episode at the 2026 SXSW Film & Television Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 15, They Called Us Outlaws is an absolute must-watch for any true music fan. Here is everything you need to know about this groundbreaking docuseries, the legends behind it, and the unforgettable era it captures.
What is They Called Us Outlaws?
More than a decade in the making, They Called Us Outlaws is a sprawling 12-hour, 10-part documentary series created by award-winning filmmakers Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky. Produced in association with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the project goes far beyond a simple retrospective. It is a love letter to a culture of “cosmic cowboys” and “honky-tonk heroes” who decided to do things their own way.
The series is executive produced by a powerhouse team, including GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award recipient and the first lady of outlaw country, Jessi Colter; nine-time GRAMMY winner Ray Benson; acclaimed author Joe Nick Patoski; and Texas country music star Jack Ingram, who also serves as the project’s narrator.
From Nashville to Austin: The Tectonic Shift
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, country music underwent a tectonic shift. A core group of wildly talented singer-songwriters began bucking the polished, highly controlled Nashville system. They traded it for the freewheeling, counter-cultural haven of Austin, Texas.
They Called Us Outlaws hones in on this incredible transition. The 90-minute pilot episode, titled “The Prologue – Waylon, The Dillo, and That Outlaw Bit,” centers heavily on Waylon Jennings and the legendary Austin music and beer hall, Armadillo World Headquarters (affectionately known as the “Dillo”). It was in this cold-beer, cheap-pot incubator that hard-rocking country stars mingled with hippies, creating a scene that changed American music forever.
A Star-Studded Cast of Renegade Troubadours
The sheer scale of They Called Us Outlaws is staggering. The series features over 120 recording artists, songwriters, and producers. For country music historians, the documentary is pure gold, containing rare and final on-camera conversations with legendary figures we have recently lost, including Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Tom T. Hall, and Jerry Jeff Walker.
But the series isn’t just stuck in the past. It bridges the gap between the original renegades and the modern torchbearers of the genre. Viewers will see appearances and performances from contemporary superstars like Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Tyler Childers, Shooter Jennings, and Ashley McBryde, alongside cultural commentary from the likes of Matthew McConaughey.
The Complicated Reality of the “Outlaw” Label
One of the most fascinating aspects explored in They Called Us Outlaws is the artists’ complicated relationship with the term itself. As highlighted in the documentary’s candid interviews, many of these trailblazers had a love-hate relationship with the “outlaw” brand.
To the artists, they weren’t trying to be criminals; they were just outcasts who didn’t know, or care about, the rules. As one poignant quote from the documentary explains, living the outlaw life doesn’t mean your garden is full of weeds and lacks beauty. Rather, it means “you respect a weed and its resilience, just like you respect pain and shame and loss in life.”
The artists featured in They Called Us Outlaws didn’t choose the label for marketing purposes; they simply went their own way and spoke their own words because they believed in them. For them, the music was a spiritual calling. It was about writing soulful songs, owning up to the sweat it takes to deal with life’s struggles, and dropping the “pretty pink bow” of commercialized country music.
Why You Need to Watch
Whether you are a lifelong fan of Waylon and Willie or a newcomer to the grit of independent Americana, They Called Us Outlaws offers unparalleled insight into a time and place that will never happen again. With unreleased songs, never-before-seen concert footage, and raw, untold underground stories, this epic series proves that the Outlaw movement was much more than a marketing slogan, it was a revolution.Keep an eye out for They Called Us Outlaws following its SXSW 2026 premiere, and get ready to experience the true, unvarnished history of American country music.