Accomplished musician and producer Shooter Jennings is ready to share a treasure trove of previously unheard recordings from his influential father, Waylon Jennings. Songbird, set for release on October 3 via Son of Jessi/Thirty Tigers, marks the first of three upcoming collections of music recorded live and in-studio from 1973 to 1984 by the late country music legend.
The collections are the result of Shooter Jennings and seasoned audio engineer Nate Haessly’s careful curation, sorting through hundreds of Waylon Jennings’ recordings that showcased an especially important creative era in his life.
“What became very apparent to me was that my dad was recording constantly with his band The Waylors between tours,” Shooter Jennings shares in a statement. “Just having won the David-and-Goliath battle against RCA for creative control and artistic freedom, Waylon was awarded the ability to record his music on his terms in his own studios, with his touring band, and without label oversight and without any outside influence.
“There was just so much inside, my mind was blown!” he continues. “These weren’t demos, these were songs that were cut with the intention of releasing, and as time went on, not all of them found places on the albums that Waylon and the Waylors were releasing at the time.”
After sorting through the treasure trove of material, Shooter Jennings recruited an impressive list of fellow musicians and artists to complete the three-record project. Multiple surviving members of Waylon’s backing band, The Waylors, were brought into the studio, including backing vocalist Carter Robertson, guitarist Gordon Payne, keyboardist Barny Robertson, and bassist Jerry Bridges. He also welcomed modern acts, including singer-songwriters Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook, to help build out the record’s soundscapes. Shooter also chose to mix all newly captured vocals and musical accompaniment via Sunset Sound Studio 3’s analog, custom-built 1976 DeMedio API mixing board to retain the tracks’ old-school sound.
“Songbird is the beginning of Waylon’s return to the modern world,” Shooter Jennings explains. “This is the first of three gifts from me to you: the fans that have kept my father’s voice, songs, and legacy alive all these years. The next few years are going to be full of some of the most exciting musical moments that the world never knew they were going to hear. I hope that these records bring the kind of joy to you that they have brought me.
“This project has given me an entirely new chapter in my relationship with my father and working on this music has brought a whole new understanding about how, when, and why my dad made music,” he adds. “The hard work is there on the tapes and the passion and the soul within is as alive today as it was the day it was recorded.”
The record’s title track, “Songbird,” is a captivating cover of the Fleetwood Mac cut off their landmark 1977 album, Rumours. Shooter Jennings unveiled the song and announced details about his labor of love during a special event at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on June 15, which marked both Father’s Day and what would have been Waylon Jennings’ 88th birthday.
More information about Songbird, including its full track listing, is expected to be shared in the coming weeks.
Watch the official music video for Waylon Jennings’ rendition of “Songbird” below:
