Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings

Last updated
Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings
Waylon Jennings Goin' Down Rockin'.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2012
RecordedCirca. 1999 [1]
Genre
Length44:38
Label Saguaro Road Records
Producer Robby Turner
Waylon Jennings chronology
Waylon Forever
(2008)
Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings
(2012)
Old 97's & Waylon Jennings
(2013)
Singles from Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings
  1. "Goin' Down Rockin'"
    Released: July 23, 2012 [2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings is a posthumous album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on September 25, 2012. The release includes eight unreleased songs written and recorded by Jennings along with his bassist Robby Turner during the last years of his life, as well as eight songs never released before in any version.

Contents

Jennings recorded the songs only playing his guitar and singing while accompanied by Turner on the bass. Further instrumentation was planned, but it was stopped due to Jennings' death in 2002. Turner completed the recordings ten years later with the help of members of Jennings' band The Waylors .

Recording

During his last years of life, Jennings recorded several tracks along with his steel guitarist/bassist Robby Turner. The recordings consisted on twelve songs that Jennings considered that expressed his feelings and reflections at the time. Featuring vocals and guitar playing by Jennings, with the accompaniment of Turner on the bass, further instrumentation was planned to be added, but the project was stopped when Jennings died in 2002. Ten years later, Turner gathered along with Reggie Young, Richie Albright, Tony Joe White, and other members of Jennings' band, The Waymore Blues Band , to complete the tracks. Eight of the twelve unreleased songs were written by Jennings, with the addition of Tony Joe White's original "Goin' Down Rockin" and Willie Nelson's "Sad Songs and Waltzes". [4] [5]

A version of "She's No Good for Me" was originally recorded for Waymore's Blues (Part II) (as "No Good for Me") and a version of "Wasting Time" was recorded on Right for the Time (written as "Wastin' Time"). "I Do Believe" was performed solo by Waylon for The Highwaymen's 1995 album The Road Goes On Forever , while "Never Say Die" and "Goin' Down Rockin'" were both featured on the live album Never Say Die: Live shortly before Jennings's death.

Release

The existence of the recordings was known only to Jennings and Robby Turner. The family was not comfortable with marketing Jennings' image after his death, feeling that they would "capitalize" on it. Ten years later, Turner decided to release the album. [5] [6] The album was released on September 25, 2012, by Saguaro Road Records. [4]

The family asked Kris Kristofferson to write something about Waylon Jennings. What Kristofferson wrote can be seen on the cover.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Goin' Down Rockin'"Waylon Jennings, Leann White, Tony Joe White 3:58
2."Belle of the Ball"Jennings4:55
3."If My Harley Was Runnin'"Jennings, Buddy Emmons, Troy Seals 3:28
4."I Do Believe"Jennings3:32
5."Friends in California"Jennings, Bill LaBounty 3:07
6."The Ways of the World"Jennings5:32
7."Shakin' the Blues"Jennings3:07
8."Never Say Die"Jennings3:40
9."Wasting Time"Jennings3:03
10."Sad Songs and Waltzes"Jennings, Willie Nelson 2:27
11."She Was No Good for Me"Jennings4:20
12."Wrong Road to Nashville"Jennings3:29

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (2012)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [7] 67
US Billboard Top Country Albums [7] 14

Related Research Articles

<i>Complicated</i> (Tanya Tucker album) 1997 studio album by Tanya Tucker

Complicated is the 23rd studio album by American country music artist Tanya Tucker, released on March 25, 1997. Instead of longtime producer Jerry Crutchfield, Tucker employed Gregg Brown to produce the album. One track hit the Top Ten in the Billboard Top Country Singles charts, the number 9 "Little Things." "Ridin' Out the Heartache" was the only other single to chart, at number 45. The album reached #15 on the Country Albums chart.

<i>The Restless Kind</i> 1996 studio album by Travis Tritt

The Restless Kind is American country music artist Travis Tritt's fifth studio album, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1996. The tracks "More Than You'll Ever Know", "Helping Me Get Over You", "She's Going Home with Me", and "Where Corn Don't Grow" were released as singles, all peaking in the Top 40 on the country charts. "Where Corn Don't Grow" was previously recorded by Waylon Jennings on his 1990 album The Eagle, and was his #67-peaking single that year. "Double Trouble" was a duet with Tritt's long-time friend and recording partner Marty Stuart.

<i>My Honky Tonk History</i> 2004 studio album by Travis Tritt

My Honky Tonk History is the American country music artist Travis Tritt's ninth studio album, released on Columbia Records in 2004. It features the singles "The Girl's Gone Wild", "What Say You", and "I See Me", which peaked at #28, #21 and #32 on the Hot Country Songs charts, respectively. The duet was Mellencamp's first Top 40 entry on the country charts.

<i>Closing In on the Fire</i> 1998 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Closing In on the Fire is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on the small Ark 21 Records label on June 16, 1998. It features contributions from several celebrities associated with both country and rock music. The selections include, among others, Sting's "She's Too Good for Me" and Tony Joe White's title track, creating a greater degree of musical eclecticism than in many previous Jennings releases. The singer incorporated elements of genres such as blues and rock, in addition to traditional country ballads. "Best Friends of Mine," an autobiographical song, is a tribute to Buddy Holly, Hank Williams Jr. and Jim Garchow minor league baseball team who was one of Jennings' close friends from Waylon's days in Phoenix. Carl Smith, one of Jennings's idols, appears on "Untitled Waltz." In an interview the singer mentioned that he wasn't fully satisfied with his take on The Rolling Stones' "No Expectations", calling it "a little more contrived than I would have liked." An interview featuring Jennings commenting on the record is included as a bonus track. Closing In on the Fire, Jennings' 72nd release, reached #71 on the country charts and was the last studio album by the singer to be released before his death in 2002.

<i>Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town</i> 1987 studio album by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town is the 73rd album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1987, and his first for Mercury Records. It was re-released in 2003, paired with Boom Chicka Boom on a single CD. "Sixteen Tons" was previously a hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford, "The Big Light" is an Elvis Costello song from his album King of America, released the previous year and "Let Him Roll" is from Guy Clark's debut, Old No. 1. The album reached #36 on the country charts, while the only released single, "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town", peaked at #43.

<i>Rockabilly Blues</i> 1980 studio album by Johnny Cash

Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success, "Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman, though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.

<i>The Legend</i> (Johnny Cash box set) 2005 box set by Johnny Cash

The Legend is a box set by country singer Johnny Cash, released in 2005 on Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It is one of the few multi-disc sets that contain songs recorded throughout Cash's entire career, from 1955 to 2003. Over four CDs, most of Cash's biggest hits are covered, in addition to numerous traditional compositions Cash recorded versions of, and several collaborations with other known artists, including Rosanne Cash, U2 and Bob Dylan. In keeping with Cash's persona as the Man in Black, the data surface of the discs is black. In 2006, the set won the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It was certified Gold on January 11, 2006, by the RIAA.

<i>Full Circle</i> (Waylon Jennings album) 1988 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Full Circle is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on MCA Records in 1988. Jennings' fourth and final studio album for MCA before his move to Epic Records, it yielded four minor country hits: "Trouble Man" (#61), "Which Way Do I Go " (#28), "How Much Is It Worth to Live in L.A." (#39) and "You Put the Soul in the Song" (#59). Jennings was partly responsible for writing the lyrics to six of the album's ten tracks. Full Circle was a minor success on the charts, peaking at #36.

<i>If You See Her</i> 1998 studio album by Brooks & Dunn

If You See Her is the fifth studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 1998 on Arista Nashville. The album featured five chart singles: "If You See Him/If You See Her", "How Long Gone", and "Husbands and Wives", all of which reached #1, plus "I Can't Get Over You" and "South of Santa Fe". This last song was the first single of Brooks & Dunn's career to miss Top 40 entirely, and was the last single to feature Kix Brooks on lead vocals instead of Ronnie Dunn. The album is a counterpart to Reba McEntire's album If You See Him, which shared the track "If You See Him/If You See Her". A bonus limited edition EP was made available when consumers bought both If You See Him and If You See Her at the same time. "Born and Raised in Black in White" is a cover of The Highwaymen song off their 1990 album, Highwayman 2.

<i>Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt</i> 1993 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals & Dirt is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1993 through the labels BMG and Ode 2 Kids. A concept album, it features Jennings singing compositions intended for children. All of the tracks on the record were written by the singer himself. The final song is dedicated to Jennings' son, Shooter. While a music video for "Cowboy Movies" was filmed, the album itself did not chart. The album was recorded by Rodney Good and produced by Cliff "Barny" Robertson, whose daughters, Becky, Emily and Joanna, sing backing vocals on it. In the mid-2000s, the daughters founded a group called Carter's Chord.

<i>Right for the Time</i> 1996 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Right for the Time is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on Justice Records, an independent label, in 1996. Most of the songs on the album, as is the case with several later Jennings releases, were written by the singer himself. Among the other tracks, a cover of Paul Simon's "The Boxer" is notable. The liner notes for the album were written by the record's producer, Randall Jamail. Right for the Time failed to chart. "Deep in the West," a duet with Jessi Colter, was released as a single and a music video was made.

<i>Never Say Die: Live</i> 2000 live album by Waylon Jennings

Never Say Die: Live is a live album by Waylon & The Waymore Blues Band, released on Sony Records through the Lucky Dog imprint in 2000. Jennings' third live album – after Waylon Live (1976) – and his last record of original material to be released during his lifetime, it was recorded at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on January 5 and 6, 2000. At that time, Jennings was battling both emphysema and severe diabetes that had forced him to give up the sort of long tours he had always done. The album is credited to "Waylon & The Waymore Blues Band", referring to the singer's backing band, actually a mix of many of his original road band, the Waylors, and additional musicians. The album features a host of guests, including Waylon's wife Jessi Colter and three artists then on Sony: Montgomery Gentry, John Anderson and Travis Tritt. The songs themselves are a mix of original Jennings hits, tracks from his more recent albums and compositions he had never covered. Like 1998's Closing in on the Fire, Never Say Die: Live reached #71 on the country charts. The original 2000 release did not by any means constitute the complete concert, which ran an hour and forty minutes and was recorded by Sony in video. On July 24, 2007, Legacy Recordings, the Sony BMG reissue specialists, released the complete concert including all twenty-two tracks on two CDs and on DVD as well.

<i>Tougher Than Nails</i> 2004 studio album by Joe Diffie

Tougher Than Nails is the tenth studio album by American country music artist Joe Diffie. His only album for Broken Bow Records, it was released on June 1, 2004. It The title track was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 2004, but the second single failed to make Top 40.

<i>Inspirational Journey</i> 2000 studio album by Randy Travis

Inspirational Journey is the thirteenth studio album by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released on October 24, 2000 by Word Records. The album was originally recorded during Travis' tenure on Warner Bros. in the late 1990s, but was not released until 2000.

<i>Never Say Die: The Final Concert</i> 2007 live album by Waylon Jennings

Never Say Die: The Final Concert is a 2000 concert film featuring Waylon Jennings. Jennings, his health failing, played his last major concert at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium in January 2000. He was backed by the all-star Waymore Blues Band, whom Jennings called "the band I always wanted," and joined onstage by his wife Jessi Colter, and by guests John Anderson, Travis Tritt and Montgomery Gentry.

<i>Waylon Forever</i> 2008 studio album by Waylon Jennings

Waylon Forever is an outlaw country album by Waylon Jennings which was released on October 21, 2008, on the Vagrant Records label. The backing band for this album is Waylon's son Shooter and his band, the .357's.

<i>Rodney Crowell</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Rodney Crowell

Rodney Crowell is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records and was his last album on that label before switching to Columbia. It was the first album Crowell produced by himself. It reached #47 on the Top Country Albums chart and #105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs, "Stars on the Water" and "Victim or a Fool" were released as singles. "Stars on the Water" reached #30 on the Hot Country Songs chart, his highest-charting song up to that point. It peaked at #21 on the Canadian country charts. "Victim or a Fool" reached #34 in the U.S. The album was rereleased on compact disc in 2005 paired with his previous album But What Will the Neighbors Think.

<i>Strong Stuff</i> 1983 studio album by Hank Williams Jr.

Strong Stuff is the thirty-fifth studio album by American musician Hank Williams Jr. It was released by Elektra/Curb Records in February 1983. "Gonna Go Huntin' Tonight" and "Leave Them Boys Alone" were released as singles. The album peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

Robby Turner is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known for his work with Waylon Jennings and his contributions to recordings by many other artists.

<i>Country State of Mind</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Josh Turner

Country State of Mind is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Josh Turner. It was released on August 21, 2020, via MCA Nashville.

References

  1. Allen, Rick. "'Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings Saguaro Road Records". Vintage Guitar Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  2. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records . Retrieved July 3, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings review". Allmusic . Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings of Waylon Jennings Tracklist". Roughstock. CHERI MEDIA GROUP. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Talbott, Chris (February 13, 2012). "New Music On The Way From Late Waylon Jennings". Huffington Post. AOL, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  6. "Waylon Jennings' Last Recordings to Be Released September 11". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media, LLC. April 18, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. 1 2 "Chart listing for Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings". Billboard . Retrieved October 4, 2012.