Shooter Jennings has revealed Diamonds, a new collection of previously unheard recordings by his father Waylon Jennings, including a newly released title track featuring a surprise appearance from the late Glen Campbell.
by Paul Cashmere
Shooter Jennings has announced the release of Diamonds, the second album drawn from a cache of previously unheard recordings by country music icon Waylon Jennings. The project will arrive on physical formats and digital download on November 13, with streaming availability beginning December 11 through Son Of Jessi and Thirty Tigers. The announcement is accompanied by the release of the album’s title track, “Diamonds”, a recording that also features the late Glen Campbell.
The release continues an archival project that began after Shooter Jennings gained access to his father’s personal recording archives in 2024. According to Shooter, the discovery uncovered a significant collection of unreleased material spanning multiple recording sessions from Waylon Jennings’ most productive years.
For country music fans, the significance of Diamonds extends beyond the arrival of another posthumous release. The album offers a rare glimpse into recordings that remained unheard for decades, adding fresh material to the catalogue of one of the defining figures of the outlaw country movement. Waylon Jennings, who died in 2002, remains one of the genre’s most influential artists, and the emergence of professionally recorded material from his prime years provides both historical value and new listening opportunities for audiences.
The title track has become the focal point of the project after Shooter discovered evidence that Glen Campbell had participated in the recording. The session dates back to late 1978 and features Campbell alongside members of Waylon’s longtime backing band, The Waylors.
“This track eluded me,” Shooter Jennings said. “I kept finding it across three different sessions while I was going through my father’s work.”
He explained that the recording initially puzzled him because of the distinctive guitar sound.
“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,” he said.
The recording also features contributions from Gordon Payne, Jerry Bridges, Carter Robertson, Barney Robertson and Rance Wasson, together with members of The Waylors. Shooter said surviving members of the band helped reconstruct the story behind the session.
“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,” he said.
Diamonds follows 2025’s Songbird, the first release assembled from the archive discoveries. According to Shooter, the two albums emerged from distinct groups of recordings uncovered during the cataloguing process. While Songbird focused on emotionally resonant material, Diamonds developed around a different thematic direction.
Shooter said a collection of songs dealing with relationships, heartbreak and unrequited love gradually revealed itself as the foundation of the new album. He also incorporated songs written by his mother, country music legend Jessi Colter, to strengthen the narrative thread running through the record.
“Back in 2024 when I opened my dad’s personal recording archives, I found a treasure trove of unheard recordings,” Shooter said. “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.”
The project also reunited Shooter with several musicians closely associated with his father’s career. Members of The Waylors and harmonica player Mickey Raphael contributed to completing and preparing some of the recordings for release.
The growing trend of artist estates and family members revisiting archival recordings has become increasingly common across the music industry. Previously unreleased material from artists including Prince, Johnny Cash, David Bowie and Tom Petty has found new audiences years after their deaths. Such projects often generate discussion about artistic intent and posthumous curation.
In the case of Diamonds, Shooter Jennings has positioned himself not only as curator but also as producer, working to preserve recordings that might otherwise have remained unheard. His extensive production credentials include work with Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker, Charley Crockett, Turnpike Troubadours and Marilyn Manson, alongside his own recording career.
For Waylon Jennings fans, Diamonds represents another chapter in an evolving archival series that appears likely to continue beyond this release. Shooter has indicated that the archive contains substantially more material than has currently been issued, suggesting further discoveries may emerge in the years ahead.
With the title track now available, attention turns to the full album release later this year. More than two decades after Waylon Jennings’ death, the recordings continue to expand one of country music’s most important catalogues, offering listeners a new perspective on an artist whose influence remains deeply embedded in the genre.
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