Waylon Jennings is BACK on the Charts with New Album “Songbird”
Fans are loving the new posthumous release of Waylon Jennings songs called Songbird. Compiled by Waylon’s son Shooter Jennings, the ten songs were taken from archival recordings originally cut between 1973 and 1984, but didn’t make the final cut of the original albums. As the release proves, even Waylon’s leftovers were better than many modern artists’ featured singles.
The appeal for Songbird is reflected in the sales and streaming numbers for the release so far. Despite being an album from someone deceased for nearly a quarter century and competing with the mammoth new Taylor Swift album, Songbird racked up 10,757 units in sales and streaming equivalents its first week, putting it at #17 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Songs from the album were streamed over 2.5 million times in the first week, while physical sales were nearly 9,000. That also puts the album at #6 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, #6 on the Top Current Album Sales Chart, #7 on the Indie Store Albums Sales chart, and #9 on the Vinyl Albums sales chart. The album also ended up on the Americana/Folk Albums chart at #8, as well as the Independent Albums chart at #18.
This is the first time an original Waylon Jennings album has charted so high in 35 years, since The Eagle hit #9 back in 1990, and the first time Waylon has ever had a Top 10 on the Top Album Sales chart that measures physical sales only.
Shooter Jennings found the songs while going through his father’s recording archives.
“What I expected to find was a catalog of all of my dad’s albums and recordings,” Shooter Jennings explains. “I knew there were a few songs that were never released, for whatever reasons, so I had my fingers crossed that I would maybe find something special and rare along the way that I could share with you … What I found was way beyond my wildest fantasies.”
And there’s more where the songs of Songbird came from. Shooter has two more releases planned from the archive recordings coming.
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October 19, 2025 @ 1:03 pm
This feels like a science experiment. What would happen if Waylon was in his prime in the present day? I figured this album release would be a quick blip on the radar and a chance for some die hards to pick up a few unheard Waylon tracks. Maybe it will be short lived, but the interest so far has been surprising. Good work Shooter.
October 19, 2025 @ 1:09 pm
I’ve been surprised and delighted by the reception both anecdotally and commercially. These archive releases are not unusual. It’s unusual from them to actually be worth listening to beyond super hardcore fans.
October 19, 2025 @ 7:10 pm
That is exactly right Trigger.
October 21, 2025 @ 1:16 pm
Shooter has done Ol’ Waylon proud. Shooter has carved his own niche musically & honored his father’s legacy. Waylon & all the cronies would approve.
October 19, 2025 @ 3:45 pm
Its a solid album def when compared to modern stuff. Im glad its doing well also.
October 19, 2025 @ 3:48 pm
I’ve listened to the album several times now and I have been impressed with the quality of the songs. Sure these are “leftovers” but they have that vintage 70s Waylor sound that everybody loves. These truly are gifts for fans, Shooter made quite the find here. I do think that something like “i dont have any love songs” or ” wrong road again” could have charted with great success back in the day. It really has been a pleasant surprise.
October 19, 2025 @ 8:47 pm
XM Outlaw Country has been playing cuts from the album fairly often.
October 20, 2025 @ 5:51 am
I was excited for this album, but my realistic expectations were that there would be a couple gems and some filler tracks. I have been pleasantly surprised by this album and have found myself listening to it in its entirety quite a bit since its release. Hard to believe Shooter will be able to compile 2 more albums worth of songs as good as these, but I’m hoping to be surprised again.
October 20, 2025 @ 10:23 am
Great to see it. Love the album!!
October 20, 2025 @ 1:25 pm
When my daughter asked me what I thought of this record, I honestly told her that to me, it was akin to finding out that the Beatles had recorded a secret album between “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver,” in that it’s previously largely unknown material of an artist in his prime.
October 20, 2025 @ 2:24 pm
Has anybody heard whether Jessi Colter has any involvement in this.?
Presumably she’s still with us, but maybe not all that much.
I Googled Jessi and found her website. The lead news story is that she and her gentleman friend will be doing a country/gospel/blues set, opening for Shooter, at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix on November 4……….. 2010.
October 20, 2025 @ 2:31 pm
She released an album produced by Margo Price in 2023. So that’s at least a little more recent news than 2010.
Jessi has never struck me as someone who craves the spotlight or is looking to aggressively forward her legacy. I think she’s just fine remaining more private these days.
October 20, 2025 @ 4:50 pm
Good to hear him again, Glad his son has what it takes to do this