Waylon Jennings’ Son Releasing Dad’s Unfinished Music
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
Waylon Jennings is one of the most unforgettable country singers of all time. He was part of the so-called “Outlaw Country” along with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. Nelson, 92, is the only one still alive. Haggard died in 2016. Sadly, Jennings had passed away a decade earlier from complications related to diabetes.
Fans thought they would never hear his voice again. But thanks to his son, Shooter, his dad’s voice will play on radios again soon in previously unreleased music. The singer passed away over a decade ago. Keep reading to find out how his son made it possible to release new music from his dad.
Waylon Jennings Had Unique Journey To Country Music
Waylon Jennings knew he wanted to be a country singer from an early age. According to his biography, he started playing guitar when he was eight and made his radio debut at just 14. Growing in the 1950s, rockabilly was the music in style at the time. He played bass for Buddy Holly, who later set up Jennings’ first solo recording session. Waylon Jennings famously gave up his seat on Buddy Holly’s ill-fated flight in 1959 that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Rchardson, known as “the Big Bopper.”
After a stint in the rockabilly genre, Waylon Jennings took country music by storm with his so-called “outlaw country.” He released many albums and had numerous number-one hits in his career. In 1985, he joined Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash for the country supergroup The Highwaymen.
Waylon Jennings released his last solo studio album, Waylon Forever, in 2008. He was working on a new album at the time of his death. Going Down Rocking: The Last Recordings was released in 2002 after the singer passed away.
But that won’t be the last fans hear of Waylon Jennings.
Shooter Jennings Releasing Dad’s Unfinished Music
Waylon Jennings has six children, including his son, Shooter Jennings, who is a chip off the ole block. Shooter Jennings is a singer and in-demand music producer in Nashville. Many years ago, he revealed that he found unreleased recordings while going through his late father’s house.
While the songs were good, they couldn’t be released as-is. So, Waylon Jennings’ son has spent the last two decades producing the recordings until they were ready for public consumption.
According to Whiskey Riff, the recordings first had to be transferred from physical tape recordings to digital, and then again upgraded to better digital storage. But the work is finally done.
Shooter Jennings took to Instagram this week to share exciting news with fans. He had managed to save enough of his father’s previous recordings for not just one album. He plans to release three new albums of his father’s early recordings that have never been heard before.
“I’ve been waiting so long to share this with you. It hasn’t been an easy road to get here, but it’s been one that has given me a new purpose in life. I dug through my dad’s old tapes and found a plethora of music by Waylon and the band at the peak of their abilities,” he shared.
Shooter Jennings released the first new song from his dad, a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song “Songbird.” The first of the three albums of Waylon Jennings’ old recordings drops on October 3.
