The wife of Country Music legend Waylon Jennings is to tell the story of their tempestuous marriage in a new book set for release in May.

Jessi Colter's forthcoming autobiography, An Outlaw and a Lady tells the story of her life with the singer who is best known for such number one hits as Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, his duets with Willie Nelson on songs like Good Hearted Woman, and the Highwaymen super group, which he formed with Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

Country star

Waylon is also fondly remembered around the world for singing the theme tune to hit 1980s TV show The Dukes of Hazzard (the song was another country chart-topper in the US)..

Next to the saga of Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter, the marriage of Waylon and fellow singer Jessi Colter is one of the great love stories in country Music, encompassing Waylon's huge success in the 1970s and 80s and the drug addiction that nearly pulled the couple apart.

"He made me laugh, he made me feel loved, he inspired me. There will never be another like him," Colter said of the man she was married to from 1969 until his death in 2002.

Buddy Holly

Born in Littlefield, Texas, Jennings began his career in the 1950s as a rock'n'roll disc jockey and as Buddy Holly's bass player. After Holly's death, Jennings relocated to Phoenix, Arizona and then Nashville, to pursue a career as a country singer and songwriter. In the late 1960s, he found initial success with songs such as Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line.

Having already been married three times, Jennings married Colter, who had previously been married to guitar instrumentalist Duane Eddy.

Outlaw

During the 1970s, Jennings and Willie Nelson became the foremost figures of a new style of country music named Outlaw for it's rebellious attitude, rock undertones and allegiance with the counter-culture.

At the heart of the movement was an album called Wanted: The Outlaws, which featured Jennings, Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser.

From the album, Waylon and Jessi enjoyed a hit with their duet version of the Elvis Presley song Suspicious Minds.

Colter also enjoyed a solo singing career, and reached number one on the country charts and number four on the US pop chart with I'm Not Lisa, in 1975.

The couple had one son, Shooter Jennings, who is now a country singer very much in Waylon's uncompromising style.

Cocaine

During the height of his fame, Waylon's cocaine addiction left him bankrupt, nearly destroyed his marriage and led to his arrest, which he sang about in the top five hit, Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand.

Waylon quit drugs in the early 80s, but his former lifestyle caught up with him when he died in 2002, aged just 64. At his funeral, Jessi sang their 1981 duet hit, Storms Never Last.

An Outlaw and a Lady is available for pre-order on Amazon.