Shooter Jennings has announced the release of Diamonds, a new album of previously unheard songs by his father, Waylon Jennings. Physical copies (CDs, LPs, Cassettes) and downloads of Diamonds will be in stores on 13th November 2026, and the album will be available to stream on all digital platforms from 13th December 2026 via Son of Jessi/Thirty Tigers.
Diamonds is the second in a series of albums featuring unknown recordings by Waylon. Shooter shared the first instalment of newly uncovered songs last year with Songbird, which was reviewed by AUK’s Ben Yelton, who wrote: “Good to hear the old boy again, and good to hear this project done well and with evident love.”
“Back in 2024, when I opened my dad’s personal recording archives”, says Shooter “, I found a treasure trove of unheard recordings. 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.
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. It was a higher energy album, a ‘younger man’s’ album, if you will.”
You can pre-save or pre-order Diamonds at this link. In the meantime the title track has been released as a single. The song features a surprise appearance by the late, great Glen Campbell, who joins Gordon Payne, Jerry Bridges, Carter Robertson, Barney Robertson, Rance Wasson, the collective known as the Waylors, in backing Waylon Jennings.
“This track eluded me,” says Shooter. “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.”
