Country music enthusiasts have a reason to celebrate. Previously unheard recordings by the legendary Waylon Jennings are slated for release in 2025.
This exciting collection, unearthed and prepared by Jennings’ son, Shooter Jennings, marks the first posthumous release since 2012.
On Father’s Day, Shooter announced the new, never-before-heard music from his father Waylon Jennings will be released next year. The son of the outlaw country legend confirmed that there are polished, full-band recordings from Waylon’s commercial peak that are ready to be shared with the world.
“I’m in possession of [a] treasure trove of previously unheard full band Waylon Jennings multi-track recordings from the 70’s and early 80’s and I have begun preparing the material to be mixed right here in Snake Mountain on this beautiful 1976 Demedio Custom API console,” Shooter wrote on social media. “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: There will be new, classic Waylon Jennings music in 2025… Stay tuned…”
In 2002, the country music world lost Waylon Jennings after his influential half-century career alongside other icons like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Together, they formed the supergroup The Highwaymen in the 1980s. Since his passing, a few posthumous releases have emerged, such as 2012’s Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings from Waymore’s final years and the 2016 discovery of The Lost Nashville Sessions.
It turns out there is even more unreleased Waylon music that has been in Shooter’s possession since his father’s death at the age of 64. In a social media post, Shooter reminisced about the locked “storage room” in their family home that contained his father’s work. After Waylon passed, Shooter digitized the recordings in 2008 and improved their digital quality in 2014. However, he never had the chance to go through the treasure trove until now. As he puts it, “Honestly, I didn’t have the time, tools, or resources. Or maybe I just wasn’t ready for it.” But now, he is prepared and so are we.
“What I expected to find was a catalog of all my dad’s albums and recordings,” Shooter continued. “I knew there were a few songs that were never released, for whatever reasons, so I had my fingers crossed that I would maybe find something special and rare along the way that I could share with you. 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. What I found was way beyond my wildest fantasies.”
See the full statement from Shooter on the existence of new Waylon Jennings music below and stay tuned for updates.