It is not easy being the son of a legend, especially if you’re in the same line of work. That is the case with musician Shooter Jennings, whose daddy was the late Outlaw Country great Waylon Jennings. His mother, Jessi Colter, is also a successful Country artist.
But Shooter has been cutting his own distinctive path for a long time now. Like the elder Jennings, however, Shooter thankfully has a similar Outlaw edge and shuns the Pop side of Country music. He calls it like he sees it (taking some flak not long ago for ripping on a few pretty-boy Country artists, as well as John Mayer) and he seems happy in his own skin.
Jennings’ latest album is called The Other Life and it may be his best work to date. It contains real Country songs like “Wild and Lonesome,” featuring the harmony vocals of Patty Griffin, and harder-rocking tunes like “A Hard Lesson to Learn.”
Shooter also co-wrote a companion video for the album that, oddly enough, won the Best Short Film award last March at Cincinnati’s Horror Hound Film Festival. That was followed by a quick trip to Lexington, Ky., where he became a spokesperson for Devil John Moonshine, an uncomplicated partnership that, according to Jennings’ manager, “was triggered when a fan of Shooter’s gave him a bottle.”
SHOOTER JENNINGS plays Friday, Sept. 6 at Southgate House Revival in Newport. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
