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Waylon Jennings' son Shooter on rescuing his dad's music

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Shooter Jennings is preserving his father Waylon Jennings' musical legacy by producing previously unreleased material.
  • He has released two albums, "Songbird" and the upcoming "Diamonds," featuring his father's music.
  • Shooter describes the unreleased tracks as emotional and beautiful, feeling like a direct conversation between his father and the listener.

Shooter Jennings is dedicated to keeping the spirit of his legendary father, Waylon Jennings, alive through music. The singer, musician, and producer is meticulously curating and releasing long-lost material from the country music icon.

I'm proud of him and I'm proud of the work that I'm doing, and I'm proud of the legacy he left behind, because you know, he just was a good guy.

— Shooter JenningsShooter Jennings expresses his pride in his father's work and the legacy he created.

Jennings has already brought two albums to life: "Songbird" and the forthcoming "Diamonds." These projects feature previously unreleased tracks, offering fans a deeper connection to Waylon Jennings' distinctive outlaw country sound. Shooter describes the experience of listening to these unearthed recordings as profoundly emotional, feeling as though his father is directly engaging with the listener.

It felt like he was having a conversation with the listener.

— Shooter JenningsShooter Jennings describes the emotional impact of listening to his father's previously unreleased tracks.

He shared that his father, known for his black hat, beard, and baritone voice, defined the rebel spirit of the outlaw movement. Waylon Jennings blended honky-tonk, folk, and Southern rock, achieving 16 number-one hits. Shooter feels immense pride in his father's work and the legacy he left behind, emphasizing that Waylon was fundamentally a good person.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Talking to anyone who knows and loves his voice. It's, like, emotional, beautiful material about love and life, and that's what he connected with – the music, and the lyrics, and the dream.

— Shooter JenningsShooter Jennings elaborates on the emotional connection listeners can feel with his father's music.

Shooter also reflected on his father's Texas roots, noting how the desire to escape his small hometown shaped Waylon's ambition. He recalled Waylon's close friendship with Buddy Holly, who encouraged his musical aspirations. The tragic plane crash that claimed Holly's life deeply affected Waylon, a memory that continued to resonate throughout his career.

because he wanted to get out of there so bad, you know? He grew up in this little town that's just right between Lubbock and New Mexico, and it's, like, flat in every way. Like he says in his book, 'If your dog ran away, you could watch him go for three days!'

— Shooter JenningsShooter Jennings discusses how his father's upbringing in Texas influenced his ambition.
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Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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