Shooter Jennings

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Shooter Jennings
Jennings in April 2009
Jennings in April 2009
Background information
Born
Waylon Albright Jennings[1]

(1979-05-19) May 19, 1979[1]
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • record producer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
Years active1996–present
Labels

Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American musician and record producer. He is the son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning three decades, Jennings has explored a variety of musical genres.

Jennings made his debut with the single "4th of July" of his 2005 album Put the "O" Back in Country on Universal South, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard country charts.[4] Jennings has since followed with seven full-length studio albums: Electric Rodeo (2006), The Wolf (2007), Black Ribbons (2009), Family Man (2012), The Other Life (2013) Countach (For Giorgio) (2016), and Shooter (2018), in addition to a live album, a compilation, and numerous EPs.

Early life

Jennings was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 19, 1979. There are two different accounts regarding how he got his nickname "Shooter." His mother cited her, and husband Waylon Jennings's, love of western culture and cowboy art for inspiring the gun-derived moniker. But his father said he came up with the name when, moments after the newborn emerged from his mother's womb, the boy sprayed a nurse before anyone could put on his first diaper. "I love my mom," says Jennings, "but I like Dad's version better. And I believe it's true. He didn't make [stuff] like that up."

In 1996, Jennings and his father recorded an album together. They called it Fenixon (a play on the words "phoenix" and "son") but could not find a label to distribute it.[5]

Career

Stargunn

In 2001, Jennings left Nashville, Tennessee, to seek his fortunes in Los Angeles. He assembled and performed with Stargunn, a rock band.

After the band's breakup, Jennings was twice presented with the opportunity to front the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, but chose instead to pursue a solo career.[6]

Black Ribbons

On May 1, 2010, Jennings announced "Black Ribbons: The Living Album" on his Twitter account.[7]

Black Country Rock Media

In October 2013, Jennings announced the formation of his new label and multi-format recording company, Black Country Rock.

"George/Giorgio" releases

Towards the end of May 2014, Jennings announced his intention to release two EP's later in the year. Don't Wait Up (for George) is a tribute to his close friend and mentor George Jones, which was released in August 2014. Jennings's seventh studio album, Countach (For Giorgio), was originally scheduled to be released in November 2014, but its release was delayed due to the sudden death of Jon Hensley, Jennings's longtime manager and friend and Black Country Rock co-founder.[8] A tribute to 1970s electronic-music pioneer and producer, Giorgio Moroder, the album was released on February 26, 2016, and features guest vocals from Steve Young,[9] Brandi Carlile,[10] Marilyn Manson[11] and Richard Garriott de Cayeux.[12] The album became his first to enter the Dance Albums chart, peaking at number seven there.[13]

Radio show

Since 2005, Jennings has hosted "Shooter Jennings' Electric Rodeo" on SiriusXM Outlaw Country channel.[14] The show's format primarily consists of country, rock, and outlaw music. It airs on Saturday night at 6–8 pm EST, with a replay on Sunday at 10–12 pm.[15]

Production work

Together with Dave Cobb, Jennings produced Brandi Carlile's 2018 album By the Way, I Forgive You, which earned the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[16] The following year, Jennings teamed up with Carlile to co-produce Tanya Tucker's album While I'm Livin', which won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[16]

Jennings collaborated as producer with Duff McKagan for his 2019 solo album, Tenderness. The album was recorded with Jennings' band, The Waters and The Suicide Horn Section, amongst others.[17] In March 2019, a tour was announced in support of the album, featuring Jennings' band playing both the support slot as well as the headline slot as the backing band for McKagan.[18]

Jennings produced Marilyn Manson's eleventh studio album We Are Chaos, released in September 2020.[19]

Again with Dave Cobb, Jennings co-produced Carlile's 2021 album In These Silent Days, which won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.[16] Jennings and Carlile reunited to co-produce Tucker's 2023 album Sweet Western Sound.[19] Also in 2023, Jennings produced the Turnpike Troubadours' comeback album A Cat in the Rain, their first record since 2017.[20]

In 2022, Jennings announced he was stepping back from touring to focus full-time on production work.[19] He subsequently co-produced a trilogy of albums for Charley Crockett on Island Records — Lonesome Drifter (2025), Dollar a Day (2025), and Age of the Ram (2026) — as well as the Turnpike Troubadours' The Price of Admission (2025).[21]

Jennings produced Robert Randolph's solo debut Preacher Kids (2025) on Sun Records, which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.[22]

Style and influences

Shooter Jennings's influences include David Bowie,[23][24][25] Pink Floyd,[26] Lynyrd Skynyrd,[27] Hank Williams Jr.,[28] Nine Inch Nails,[29] Guns N' Roses,[29] Rage Against the Machine[26] and Marilyn Manson.[29]

Rolling Stone described Jennings as a "country-rock outsider".[30] Regarding classification of his music, Jennings said that he did not want to be pigeonholed as being solely a rock musician.[31] Marilyn Manson argued against Jennings's work being classified as country music, saying "southern" was a more appropriate classification, noting the latter "also drags in a bit of the Stones, in a way".[25] AllMusic described Jennings as having "established himself as an artist who played by his own rules" and said that his music is "strongly informed by both hard rock and outlaw country", while his album Black Ribbons "explored his interest in metal and electronic music".[1]

Game design

Jennings has acknowledged being a "huge geek", and wanting to design computer games since his childhood.[32] In 2009, he developed a Flash-based role-playing game as part of an interactive website for his album Black Ribbons. A Los Angeles Times reviewer noted Jennings was "clearly having fun" adapting the album's subject matter for the game.[33]

The singer launched a bulletin board system called "Bit Sunrise" in 2014. The following year, he released his first BBS door game, From Here to Eternity, and promised to send 1 Bitcoin to the first player to complete the game.[34]

Jennings described From Here to Eternity as "Zork meets Legend of the Red Dragon", and said that developing it was a healing experience for him after the death of his manager and partner Jon Hensley. The game features ANSI art by Luciano Ayres of the group Blocktronics.[35]

Personal life

Jennings is the son of country music singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. He has six half-siblings. His nephew is Struggle Jennings.[36]

Jennings began dating actress Drea de Matteo in 2001.[37] They have two children together, a daughter born in 2007[37] and a son born in 2011.[38][39]

Jennings married long-time friend Misty Brooke Swain on June 4, 2013, in Joshua Tree, California.[39]

Discography

Studio albums

Production discography

Studio albums

EPs and singles

Mixing credits

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role
2005 Walk the Line Waylon Jennings
2006 American Revolutions: The Highwaymen Himself
2013 The Other Life The Gunslinger
Television
Year Title Role
2008 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Himself
2019 Marvel's The Punisher Himself
Squidbillies Himself

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Jennings has won four awards from six nominations.[40]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 By the Way, I Forgive You Best Americana Album Won
Album of the Year Nominated
Record of the Year Nominated
2020 While I'm Livin' Best Country Album Won
2022 "Right on Time" Record of the Year Nominated
2023 In These Silent Days Best Americana Album Won
Album of the Year Nominated
2023 "You and Me on the Rock" Record of the Year Nominated
2026 Preacher Kids Best Contemporary Blues Album Won[41]

References

  1. Steve Leggett. "Shooter Jennings biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  2. "Shooter Jennings Bringing Outlaw Country Tunes to Gruene Hall This Weekend". Sacurrent.com.
  3. "Shooter Jennings to Re-Release Stephen King Concept Album". Rolling Stone. July 13, 2016.
  4. "Shooter Jennings - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  5. Fusilli, Jim. "Waylon and Son, Reunited on Disc". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  6. "SHOOTER JENNINGS Claims He Was Offered VELVET REVOLVER Job Twice". Blabbermouth.net. March 19, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  7. "Shooter Jennings (ShooterJennings) on Twitter". Twitter.com. June 3, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  8. Kohn, Daniel (February 23, 2016). "How Daft Punk and the Muppets Inspired Shooter Jennings' Giorgio Moroder Tribute Album". LA Weekly. Voice Media Group. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  9. Dauphin, Chuck (February 19, 2016). "Shooter Jennings on Giorgio Moroder Tribute Album & How His David Bowie Cover 'Ended Up Meaning So Much More'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  10. Leahey, Andrew (January 4, 2016). "Shooter Jennings Enlists Marilyn Manson, Brandi Carlile for 'Countach'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. Kaye, Ben (February 18, 2016). "Marilyn Manson covers the hell out of David Bowie's "Cat People" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  12. Vanderbilt, Mike (January 5, 2016). "Neon noir meets outlaw country in Shooter Jennings's tribute to Giorgio Moroder". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  14. "SHOOTER JENNINGS DJS ON SIRIUS RADIO". Country Weekly. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  15. "Outlaw Country - Top Country Music with an Edge on SiriusXM". Siriusxm.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  16. "Shooter Jennings". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  17. "Does DUFF MCKAGAN Feel Underrated As A Bass Player?". Blabbermouth.net. May 3, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  18. Lifton, Dave (March 20, 2019). "Duff McKagan Announces 'Tenderness' Album and Tour Dates". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  19. "Why Shooter Jennings Quit Touring to Produce Grammy Winning Albums". Rolling Stone. October 10, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  20. "Turnpike Troubadours – A Cat in the Rain". WNCW. October 17, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  21. "Charley Crockett on Signing With Island". Billboard. March 13, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  22. "Sun Celebrates Robert Randolph's First GRAMMY Win". Sun Records. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  23. Amorosi, A D. (August 5, 2016). "Shooter Jennings brings his eclectic electric dreams - and his dad's backing band -to Ardmore". The Inquirer. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  24. Schardl, Kati (June 28, 2018). "Scoot out for Shooter Jennings' hardcore musical mix". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  25. Epstein, Dan (July 8, 2019). "Marilyn Manson on "Southern" New Album, Machine Gun Kelly, Twins of Evil Tour". Revolver. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  26. Specker, Lawrence (September 9, 2010). "Shooter Jennings brings paranoid 'Black Ribbons' to Mobile". Advance Local Media. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  27. Seabaugh, Julie (June 21, 2006). "Lynyrd Skynyrd/Shooter Jennings". Riverfront Times. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  28. Dauphin, Chuck (August 3, 2018). "Shooter Jennings Premieres 'D.R.U.N.K.,' Talks Hank Williams Jr. Influence". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  29. Kohn, Daniel (September 16, 2020). "SHOOTER JENNINGS: NEW AGE OUTLAW". Spin. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  30. Hudak, Joseph (July 16, 2020). "How Shooter Jennings Pivoted to Become a Grammy-Winning Producer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  31. Dickinson, Chrissie (September 29, 2006). "Shooter Jennings isn't wailin' about forging own identity". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  32. Linder, Samuel (March 22, 2012). "Shooter Jennings: A New Kind of Outlaw". The Minnesota Daily. Retrieved November 26, 2025. Yeah, I've always been a huge geek. ... I made the 'Black Ribbons' game on Flash, and it felt awesome to put it all together and kind of model it after the games I'd played as a kid.
  33. Lewis, Randy (February 27, 2010). "Shooter Jennings and Stephen King team for 'Black Ribbons'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved November 26, 2025. Jennings is sincere about the subjects he addresses in 'Black Ribbons,' but he's also clearly having fun translating them into a role-playing video game he's created for his website and interactive features that let listeners remix or add to his versions of the songs.
  34. Renaud, Josh (September 28, 2015). "Musician Shooter Jennings Launches New BBS Door Game". Vintage Computing and Gaming. Benj Edwards. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  35. Jennings, Shooter (September 18, 2015). "Shooter Jennings, creator of "From Here to Eternity"". Break Into Chat. Interviewed by Renaud, Josh. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  36. "Struggle Jennings on 'purpose over popularity,' growth in hip-hop-inspired country music". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  37. Nudd, Tim (November 29, 2007). "Drea de Matteo Has a Baby Girl". People. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  38. Michaud, Sarah (April 8, 2011). "Drea de Matteo, Shooter Jennings Welcome Son Waylon Albert". People. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  39. Sanz, Cynthia (July 2, 2013). "Shooter Jennings & Misty Brooke Swain Marry in the Desert". People. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  40. "Shooter Jennings". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  41. "Sun Celebrates Robert Randolph's First GRAMMY Win". Sun Records. Retrieved March 26, 2026.