Shooter Jennings recently made history by curating his first-ever all-star tribute to his legendary father, the late, great Waylon Jennings. Held last month at Redondo Beach, CA’s BeachLife Ranch, “The Songs of Waylon Jennings” saw Jennings joined by a truly stellar line-up of close friends, family members, and special guests for a once-in-a-lifetime festival performance showcasing classic songs and fan favorites from the iconic outlaw country hero’s hugely influential body of work. Jennings – with backing from Austin, TX’s Mike and the Moonpies – led a cavalcade of stars spanning a wide array of genres and generations, including Lukas Nelson, Orville Peck, John Doe, Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett, The White Buffalo, Devon Allman, Hellbound Glory, James and the Shame, Gethen Jenkins, Strange Majick, Pearl, and Jon Brennan, culminating in a very special three-song appearance from his mom, GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award-winner Jessi Colter.
“I’ve been a part of a billion Waylon tribute type things,” Jennings says, “always as more of a representative of it than anything. But, with this idea, (BeachLife founder) Allen Sanford gave me an opportunity to turn around and give people – who truly cared for my dad – an opportunity to give thanks. It touched everyone there on and off stage. BeachLife gave us the perfect setting to really see how much these folks cared for my dad’s music.”
Among the celebration’s many highlights was Jennings and Lukas Nelson’s raucous rendition of their famous fathers’ chart-topping, GRAMMY Award-winning classic, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” as well as Jennings and Colter’s concert-closing duet performance of Mickey Newbury’s plaintive “Why You Been Gone So Long,” recorded by Colter in 1970 and later featured on the landmark 1976 compilation, Wanted! The Outlaws.
