In a dimly lit studio overlooking the Pacific, Shooter Jennings — the 46-year-old heir to country music’s most defiant throne — cradles a reel of 1970s tape like it’s fragile gold. “Dad always said every cut should be single-worthy,” he tells The Sun in an exclusive 2025 interview, his voice echoing the gravel of his father, Waylon Jennings. What began as a 2008 curiosity — sifting through hundreds of multitrack masters from Waylon’s personal vault — has blossomed into Songbird, the first of three albums resurrecting unreleased recordings from 1973–1984. Featuring a haunting Fleetwood Mac cover, forgotten originals, and the Waylors in peak form, the project isn’t nostalgia — it’s resurrection, proving the outlaw spirit burns brighter than ever.

The spark ignited last summer when Shooter, fresh off producing Tanya Tucker’s Grammy sweep, dove into high-res transfers of Waylon’s home studio sessions. “I thought it’d be sketches,” he admits. “Instead, I found full albums — pro cuts with passion screaming from every track.” The title track, a velvet-voiced take on Christine McVie’s “Songbird,” stopped him cold. “Dad turns it into a prayer,” Shooter says. “That line — ‘And I feel that when I’m with you, it’s all right’ — hits like a gut punch. People tear up every time.” To elevate it, he recruited Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook for ethereal harmonies, blending eras seamlessly.

Songbird (out now via Black Country Rock) spans 10 tracks: the swaggering “The Cowboy (Small Texas Town)” (co-credited to Johnny Rodriguez but suspected Waylon co-write), a raucous “Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad LeMond,” and deep cuts like “Lonesome Picker.” Surviving Waylors — guitarist Gordon Payne, bassist Jerry Bridges, keyboardist Barny Robertson — returned to polish, joined by younger voices for freshness. “It’s Dad with the band in their prime,” Shooter explains. “No Nashville gloss — just sweat, soul, and that baritone that could melt steel.”

Waylon recorded much during The Dukes of Hazzard heyday (1979–1985), where he voiced the Balladeer and sang the iconic “Good Ol’ Boys” theme. Shooter, rewatching VHS episodes with wife Misty, marvels: “Dad’s humility shines — poking fun at himself while narrating chaos. He’d dash in post-tour, lay down lines, and vanish. Pure joy.” The show, a cultural juggernaut rivaling Dallas, cemented Waylon’s everyman appeal; fans demanded his on-screen debut in Season 7’s “Welcome, Waylon Jennings.”

The tapes reveal Waylon’s influences: Buddy Holly’s rock energy (“He gave me songwriting lessons in spirit”), Hank Williams’ vulnerability (“Dad was obsessed — same dirt-poor roots, same fire”). Shooter billboards Littlefield lyrics for “The Cowboy,” honoring Waylon’s dust-floor childhood. “Mom [Jessi Colter] loaned startup cash — no labels, just family,” he notes. Jessi’s emotional anchor: “She’d smile, say, ‘They were having fun that day.’”

Highwaymen bonds run deep. Waylon and Johnny Cash shared cotton fields and bicker-fights; Shooter recalls Cash’s kindness at family barbecues. Willie Nelson’s daughters were tour playmates; Kris Kristofferson’s kids Tennessee neighbors. “Life dealt me aces,” Shooter reflects. “Dad’s fight for control opened doors for Charley Crockett, Tyler Childers — real artists today.”

Songbird debuts at No. 12 on Billboard Country, with two more volumes slated for 2026–2027. Shooter’s touring it with the Waylors, closing nights with “Good Ol’ Boys” singalongs. “This isn’t closure,” he says. “It’s continuation — Dad’s voice, alive and kicking.” In an algorithm age, Waylon’s tapes remind: true outlaws don’t fade — they echo. Stream Songbird and feel the storm.