It should come as no surprise that residents of Littlefield, Texas, where country music icon Waylon Jennings was born, have expressed disapproval of a few billboards that have recently appeared. Jennings passed away 23 years ago.
Parade claims that the billboards, which quote Johnny Rodriguez’s recently passed country music hit “The Cowboy,” have the Jennings Flying W insignia.
One billboard features the Jennings emblem over the words, “I’m a cowboy who came from Texas just to play you my music that’s all.”
My long, shaggy hair and the clothes I wear aren’t appropriate for any big elegant ball, according to the second billboard.
Even while it seems confusing at first, there seems to be a potential explanation for what it could all be about.
Shooter Jennings, Jennings’ son, recently disclosed that he has discovered a wealth of his father’s unreleased songs. Actually, according to Shooter, he intends to release three more recordings by Jennings, who passed away in 2002.
On October 3, Songbird, the first of those albums, will be made available.
In June, Shooter posted on Instagram, “I started going through and cataloging the hundreds of high-resolution multitrack transfers of my father’s personal studio recordings in the summer of 2024.” With Nate Haessly’s assistance, I spent months going through these tapes after beginning a long-term residency in the storied Sunset Sound Studio 3. I hoped to discover some recordings that had never been heard before. What I discovered was an audio recording of a very significant musician and his iconic band during their most creatively expansive time. I realized that my dad was recording with his band, The Waylors, all the time in between tours. Waylon was given the opportunity to record his songs on his terms, in his own studios, with his touring band, and without label monitoring or outside influence after he recently emerged victorious in the David-and-Goliath battle against RCA for creative independence and artistic freedom.
I was astounded by how much was inside! Shooter went on. Not all of these songs ended up on the album that Waylon and the Waylors were releasing at the time, but these weren’t demos; these were songs that were released with the goal of being released. These timeless recordings were also retired as my dad’s career progressed and the music of the mid-to-late 1980s marched on towards a new digital recording frontier.
According to Shooter, he felt there was enough to create three special albums for the fans after he had a better grasp of what he was sitting on.
Even though the majority of the material was ready, I enlisted the assistance of several of the surviving Waylors—Jerry Bridges, Carter, Barny Robertson, and Gordon Payne—to finish the few tracks that could have needed something extra. To help elevate the title tune, I also invited my close pals Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook.
Shooter stated in his writing that he used only analog methods to combine the material.
He went on to say that Songbird would arrive on October 3.
Shooter continued, “The world will witness some of the most thrilling musical moments in the coming years that they never would have imagined.” I hope these records will make you as happy as they have made me.
He continued, “Working on this music has given me a whole new understanding of how, when, and why my dad made music, and it has given me a whole new chapter in my relationship with him.” The tapes show the effort, and the emotion and soul therein are just as vibrant now as they were on the day they were recorded. Put the darn album on and keep in mind that Waylon Jennings is still the king—that’s enough explanation!
This will be an intriguing one to watch, even though the billboards may not have anything to do with the upcoming new album.
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