Waylon Jennings' legacy continues with newly unearthed single ‘Saturday Night Special’

Shooter Jennings has shared ‘Saturday Night Special’, the latest recording from his father Waylon Jennings' archives, ahead of the release of Diamonds, the second album in a series bringing previously unheard performances by the country music legend to light.

More than two decades after his passing, Waylon Jennings' music continues to find its way to audiences, thanks to a remarkable collection of recordings rediscovered by his son, Grammy Award-winning producer Shooter Jennings.

The latest release, ‘Saturday Night Special’, arrived on 28 October as the third single from Diamonds, a forthcoming album featuring previously unheard material from the legendary outlaw country artist.

Written by Lee Clayton, who also penned the Waylon Jennings classic ‘Ladies Love Outlaws’, the song was discovered in an unfinished state. Despite that, Shooter recognised something worth preserving in the original performance.

'“Saturday Night Special” was a song that was in an unfinished state, but it was an incredible performance and it had the key players', Shooter explains. 'The way the band dug in on the track, I really wanted to finish it.'

Unlike many of the recordings in the collection, which required only minimal additions, ‘Saturday Night Special’ called for more extensive work to complete the arrangement.

Shooter enlisted members of the Waylors, his father's longtime backing band, along with harmonica player Mickey Raphael, known for his work with Willie Nelson and his performances alongside Waylon during the 1970s.

The result brings together the energy of the original recording with contributions from musicians closely connected to Jennings' musical history.

'This song was a labor of love to me because of how bad ass the basics were. It gets me fired up every time I hear it!' Shooter says.

The track follows two earlier releases from Diamonds: the title track featuring Glen Campbell and ‘Same Old Blues’, a J.J. Cale composition featuring Waylon's wife, Jessi Colter. The latter recording emerged from sessions produced by Tony Joe White, with White contributing guitar alongside Jennings' distinctive playing and drummer Richie Albright.

Diamonds is the second instalment in a series of archival releases that began with Songbird in 2025, following Shooter's discovery of a collection of previously unknown recordings by his father.

Working with the original performances, Shooter has sought to complete unfinished material while retaining the character of the sessions, offering listeners another glimpse into Waylon's musical world. A defining figure of the outlaw country movement, Jennings helped reshape the genre through his independent approach, unmistakable voice and enduring catalogue of songs.

For Shooter, a four-time Grammy Award winner who has built his own career as a performer and producer, the project carries a particularly personal significance. Alongside his work on the archival recordings, he has continued producing music for artists including Charley Crockett, Lukas Nelson, Melissa Etheridge and Jess Williamson, whose album A Mile South Of Heaven is among his recent projects.

With Diamonds, Shooter brings that experience to recordings that connect his family's musical history with a new generation of listeners.

‘Saturday Night Special’ captures the spirit of the project, transforming an unfinished studio performance into a completed recording while allowing the musicianship of the original session to shine.

For longtime Waylon Jennings fans, it's another opportunity to hear something new from one of country music's most influential voices.

'Saturday Night Special’ is available now.

Diamonds will be released on CD, vinyl, cassette and digital download on 13 November 2026, with streaming available from 11 December via Son of Jessi/Thirty Tigers.