Shooter Jennings has announced Diamonds, a new album of previously unheard recordings by his legendary father, Waylon Jennings.
The album arrives as the second instalment in a series of unearthed recordings that Shooter Jennings discovered in his father’s personal archives.
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The title track is out now, and it carries a remarkable surprise: the late Glen Campbell appears alongside Gordon Payne, Jerry Bridges, Carter Robertson, Barney Robertson, Rance Wasson, and the Waylors, backing Waylon Jennings on a recording that dates back to a December night in 1978.
“This track eluded me,” says Shooter Jennings. “I kept finding it across three different sessions while I was going through my father’s work. At first, I was very confused because of the sound of the guitar as to what it was.”
“Suddenly, upon listening to the whole thing, I realised Glen Campbell had stopped by the studio and they recorded this little gem on a late December night in 1978.
The remaining members of the Waylors helped put the picture together. It quickly became one of my favourite recordings that my dad ever made and I knew I had to have a whole album centred around it.”
The title track was also recently heard during a CBS Sunday Morning feature exploring the relationship between Shooter Jennings and his father, bringing the song to a wide national audience ahead of the album’s release.
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Physical copies – LP, CD, and cassette – along with downloads will be available from 13 November. The album arrives on all streaming platforms from 11 December, released through Son of Jessi/Thirty Tigers.
The project follows Songbird, the first collection of newly uncovered Waylon Jennings recordings, which Shooter Jennings released last year to widespread critical acclaim.
Coverage came from the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, American Songwriter, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, the Tennessean, Parade, Whiskey Riff, Holler Country, and many more.
Parade noted that Waylon Jennings “continues to inspire singers to share their stories through song,” while Holler described Songbird as “a labor of love, not simply as a tribute to his dad, but also as an offering to the generation of fans who have loved Waylon and the ones his music is still capable of reaching.”
Whiskey Riff called it “a massive, very important gift to country music fans.”
Shooter Jennings, a four-time Grammy Award winner, has spoken candidly about what the discovery of these recordings meant to him.
“Back in 2024 when I opened my dad’s personal recording archives, I found a treasure trove of unheard recordings,” he explains. “It was a life-altering event and immediately ignited a feeling of urgency to get these recordings out there to our family of fans who had so loyally kept him alive by listening to and singing his music.”
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Having catalogued the archives, Shooter Jennings began to see a shape emerging in the material – and two distinct collections started forming in his mind.
“In the process of combing through and cataloguing all of his recordings, I started to get a grasp on all of the music that had not been heard before, and a story started to emerge in my mind. The way I wanted to reveal all of this music to the world was part of my job.”
“With Songbird I knew it would be an emotional journey – hearing Waylon, in his prime, sing new songs to us was going to hit hard. A set of songs almost immediately presented itself to me as Songbird. But there was a second set forming, anchored by the mysterious song Diamonds.”
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Shooter Jennings describes Diamonds as a different beast to its predecessor – higher in energy, and rooted in the themes of turbulent relationships and unrequited love.
“It was a higher energy album, a younger man’s album, if you will. I immediately knew which songs were attaching themselves to the second album, and they all shared stories about the rollercoaster of relationships and unrequited love.”
Among the recordings Shooter Jennings uncovered were compositions by Jessi Colter, with two selected for inclusion on the album to add further depth to its emotional arc.
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The Waylors and legendary harmonica player Mickey Raphael also contributed, helping to complete several of the tracks.
“Again, the Waylors and legendary harp player Mickey Raphael helped me close the book on a few of these songs. We had a blast,” says Shooter Jennings.
He signed off with a personal invitation to listeners: “Now, I’m done and Diamonds is in your hands. Pour yourself a cup of something, turn down the lights and let’s take a ride together.”
The lyric video for Diamonds is available to watch now. Shooter Jennings’ Diamonds is released on LP, CD, cassette, and download on 13 November, with streaming following on 11 December via Son of Jessi/Thirty Tigers. Pre-order and pre-saves are available now.
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