Shooter Jennings, the son of the legendary country musician Waylon Jennings, has unveiled a hidden gem: his father's tender rendition of Fleetwood Mac's 'Songbird.' This discovery was shared on Father's Day, fulfilling a long-awaited dream for Shooter.
'I've been waiting so long to share this with you,' Shooter wrote on Instagram. 'It hasn't been an easy road to get here, but it's been one that has given me a new purpose in life. I dug through my dad's old tapes and found a plethora of music by Waylon and the band at the peak of their abilities… I was able to make three albums out of it and Songbird is the first one.'
The 'Songbird' cover features contributions from contemporary country singers Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook. It is accompanied by a new video showcasing archival footage from Waylon's 44th birthday party in Nashville.
Shooter Jennings detailed the process of creating the albums, highlighting how he enlisted surviving members from Waylon's backing band, the Waylors (Jerry Bridges, Gordon Payne, and Carter and Barny Robertson) 'for the stuff that wasn't totally finished… to put the finishing touches on it.'
'Songbird is the beginnings of Waylon's return to the modern world,' Shooter added. 'This is the first of three gifts from me to you: the fans that 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 to me.'
The album Songbird, the first of the three posthumous Waylon albums, is set to release on October 3. The LP, described as 'a collection of recordings captured between 1973 and 1984 in various studios, produced by Waylon and Richie Albright and featuring his all-star band including Albright, Ralph Mooney, Tony Joe White, Jessi Colter and more,' is available for preorder now.