Shooter Jennings Releases Previously Unheard Waylon Jennings Song From The Iconic 1978 ‘I’ve Always Been Crazy’ Era

An unheard gem from the Waylon Jennings vault.

Shooter Jennings is sharing the unheard tunes from his father’s career through the forthcoming record Songbird.

Waylon passed away in 2002, just a couple of months after being elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Following his death, several albums were released posthumously, with the last being Going Down Rocking: The Last Recordings in 2012. Shooter revealed via Instagram, though, has apparently uncovered some more classic Waylon tapes:

“When I was young, in the house that I grew up in, there was a room that was always locked. The ‘storage room’ is what my parents call it. I have vivid memories of dozens of grey boxes in cubby holes with notes jotted in marker on the outside. I knew what was in those boxes was my dad’s work.”

Shooter Jennings’ message to the world about the discovery of these tapes outlined the timeline of gathering all the left-behind recordings. Shooter knew that his father had a few unreleased recordings, but what he found was beyond his “wildest fantasies.”

“What I found was massive historical documentation of a man and a band with an incredible friendship, worth ethic and deep passion for playing and recording music. What I found was way beyond my wildest fantasies.”

Shooter pieces together lost songs for a long time, sharing with the world that he’s assembling them to create not one, not two, but three records. The first one, Songbird, will be out everywhere on October 3rd.

“’Songbird’ is the beginning of Waylon’s return to the modern world. 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. 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.”

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The first song Shooter released from this collection was “Songbird,” a Fleetwood Mac song written by Christine McVie that features Waylon and some of his original band members, as well as current artists Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook on backing vocals.

The song was a perfect start to showcase the talent of the original outlaw Waylon Jennings, and hearing a new Waylon Jennings song washed a feeling of nostalgia over many country music fans. Today, Shooter keeps the momentum of Songbird on a roll by releasing the second single, “The Cowboy (Small Town Texas).”

The song title uncovers the reasoning behind various billboards appearing in Jennings’ hometown of Littlefield, Texas. The billboards showcased lyrics of “The Cowboy (Small Town Texas)” in a Texas small town.

“My long, shaggy hair and the clothes that I wear ain’t fit for no big fancy ball.”

“I’m a cowboy who came here from Texas just to play you my music, that’s all.”

The previously unreleased track was penned by outlaw country legend Johnny Rodriguez and originally recorded during sessions for Jennings’ chart-topping 1978 album, I’ve Always Been Crazy. While the song did not make the cut for the record, 47 years ago, it shines brightly as a new single today.

Shooter Jennings described the tune as follows:

“It’s a beautifully simple song that tells the story of an artist from humble beginnings uniting both sides of the aisle over music and I think the first half tells my dad’s tale pretty simply. The second half really ramps up the heat.

It’s got one of my favorite lines I’d heard in a long time in it about the ‘white collar people.’ It fits more today maybe than it did when it was written.”

Shooter’s favorite line, in reference, is sung as follows:

“That white collar crowd may be stealing
Anything that the law will allow
With a pen for a gun they can’t have no fun
‘Cause they don’t fit in our crazy crowd”

“The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)” showcases the classic sound of Waylon, featuring a steel guitar-soaked melody, as he sings about a simple life of traveling from town to town and bringing together all walks of life while singing for them.

Waylon Jennings is BACK.

Songbird Tracklist:

Songbird
The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)
I’d Like To Love You Baby
I’m Gonna Lay Back With My Woman
Wrong Road Again
I Hate To Go Searchin’ Them Bars Again
The Brand New Tennessee Waltz
(I Don’t Have) Anymore Love Songs
After The Ball
Dink’s BluesThe post Shooter Jennings Releases Previously Unheard Waylon Jennings Song From The Iconic 1978 ‘I’ve Always Been Crazy’ Era first appeared on Whiskey Riff.