Waylon Jennings released his first studio alum, Waylon at JD’s in 1964. More than forty albums and 30 years later, he released Closing in on the Fire in 1998. It would be the final album released before his passing in 2002. Since then several posthumous collections have hit the market. However, those were made up mostly of previously released tracks or concert recordings. Yesterday (June 16), though, Shooter Jennings announced that a brand-new album of Waylon’s music will be coming next year.
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The award-winning producer said that he wanted to make the announcement on his dad’s birthday (June 15). However, that day was about mourning the passing of Jeremy Tepper. Instead, he waited until Father’s Day to deliver a gift to Waylon fans around the world.
“I wanted to tell you all a short story and also give you some very exciting news,” Jennings began.
Shooter Jennings Announces New Music from Waylon Jennings
“When I was young, in the house that I grew up in, there was a room that was always locked,” Shooter wrote. “The ‘storage room’ is what my parents called it. I have vivid memories of dozens of grey boxes in cubby holes with notes jotted in marker on the outside,” he recalled. “I knew what was in those boxes was my dad’s work.”
“In 2002, when Waylon Jennings made his exit from Earth, those tapes were in storage in his office and in various studios around Nashville,” he continued. Shooter went on to say that he, some friends, family, and band members came together to transfer those tapes to digital drives in 2008. They revisited them in 2014 to transfer them onto more modern drives.
“Honestly I didn’t have time, the tools, or the resources. Or maybe I just wasn’t ready for it. Either way, I found myself here, with Sunset Sound Studio 3 at my disposal, with my great assistant engineer Nate Haessly helping me, we took the drives and we plugged them in,” Shooter continued.
When going through the drives, he expected to find his dad’s old albums and studio recordings as well as some unreleased songs. He hoped to find something “special and rare” to share with the fans. He found so much more.
A Treasure Trove of Music
“What I found was a massive historical documentation of a man, and a band with an incredible friendship, work ethic, and deep passion for playing and recording music,” Shooter revealed. “What I found was beyond my wildest fantasies. After reviewing hundreds of reels of tape, Nate and I finally came to the end of all the material,” he added before working up to the big announcement.
“I’m in possession of a treasure trove of previously unheard full band Waylon Jennings multi-track recordings from the ‘70s and early ‘80s and I have begun preparing the material to be mixed right here in Snake Mountain,” he wrote. “These are not demos, these are not unfinished, but they will take some time to explore, prepare, and mix. But you’ve got something to look forward to,” he added. “There will be new, classic Waylon Jennings music in 2025. Stay tuned.”
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