Shooter Jennings: Preserving Waylon Jennings’ Legacy
Shooter Jennings, a singer and musician, is renowned for producing Grammy-winning albums for artists like Brandi Carlisle and Tanya Tucker. In Hollywood’s Sunset Sound Studio, where legends like Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, and Prince once recorded, Jennings is currently working on a personal project.
Discussing his father, Waylon Jennings, Shooter admits it brings him to tears. “I wear my emotions on my face all the time, so I’m a crier,” he laughed. Known for his raw emotions, Waylon Jennings was a pillar of the country music outlaw movement. With a distinctive black hat, beard, and baritone voice, Waylon combined honkytonk, folk, and Southern rock into a groundbreaking sound. He achieved 16 number one hits, such as “I’m a Rambling Man” and “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”
Shooter is working to sustain his father’s legacy by producing previously unreleased music. Among these projects are “Songbird” and an upcoming album titled “Diamonds.” Shooter describes these unreleased tracks as if his father is speaking to listeners. “It’s emotional and beautiful material about love and life,” he said.
Waylon’s journey began in Texas, a place that Shooter says profoundly influenced him. Waylon wanted to escape his small town between Lubbock and New Mexico, describing it as flat and expansive. While working as a teenage DJ, he met Buddy Holly, who encouraged him to pursue music.
Their bond was significant. “He was his best friend,” Shooter mentioned, highlighting his father’s everlasting thoughts of Holly. They toured together and shared a fatal night in Iowa in 1959. “The last conversation was harsh, joking about buses and planes,” Shooter recalled, noting the haunting impact of Holly’s death on his father.
Waylon prevailed, formed a band, and moved to Nashville. His unique sound symbolized a new era in music. Shooter explained that “outlaw country” was a marketing tool from Nashville to package artists like Waylon and Willie Nelson. Waylon changed music by achieving creative freedom and artistic control.
Known for his uncompromising nature, Waylon controversially walked out of the “We Are the World” recording session. Shooter recounted that his father viewed the project as focused on appearances rather than its charitable cause. Waylon boldly left when asked to sing in Swahili, proclaiming he’d had enough.
Waylon candidly shared his struggles with drugs, at times spending over $1,000 daily. He quit cold turkey in 1984, motivated by his son. Shooter recalls, “When I was a kid, he quit by the time I was five or six. He was a great dad.”
Waylon Jennings passed away in 2002 at age 64. Shooter misses him deeply, yet his tears are from recognizing the significance of their shared history. “Diamonds” is set for release later this year. Shooter aims to share his father’s legacy, allowing others to connect with the man he knew.
You can watch an extended interview with Shooter Jennings discussing his father, available exclusively on the web.