Waylon Jennings Honored in Hometown With Mysterious Billboards as Son Promotes Unreleased Music

Finding inspiration from stars like Dean Martin, Hank Williams, and Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings decided to leave his own mark in country music. And for five decades, he released numerous studio albums and even performed alongside Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash in the group the Highwayman. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, just one year later, Jennings passed away. With his legacy continuing to inspire and entertain, it seemed that a few mysterious billboards appeared in the singer’s hometown as his son, Shooter Jennings, promoted unreleased songs from his father. 

Born on the J.W. Bittner farm near Littlefield, Texas, fans of Jennings noticed the icon’s signature logo on a few billboards around the town. The billboards didn’t feature any pictures of the singer, but instead, offered lyrics to Johnny Rodriguez’s “The Cowboy.” In one image, the lyrics read, “My long, shaggy hair and the clothes that I wear ain’t fit for no big fancy ball.” 

On another billboard, positioned high in the air, the lyrics continued, “I’m a cowboy who came here from Texas just to play you my music, that’s all.” 

[RELATED: On This Day in 1976, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash Recorded an Outlaw Classic at the House of Cash—From the Perspective of a Prison Inmate]

Three New Albums From Walyon Jennings Set To Release Thanks To His Son

While the inspiration behind the billboard was unknown at the time, Shooter has worked tirelessly to bring fans of Jennings new music. Just last month, he revealed that three new albums from the singer would be released. “I was able to make three albums out of it and ‘Songbird’ is the first one. It’s coming out on October 3rd and you can pre-order all kinds of versions of it now… I have lots more in store for you, but for now, here is ‘Songbird,’ the beautiful Fleetwood Mac song written by Christine McVie and featuring Waylon, Richie Albright, Ralph Mooney, Jerry Bridges, Barny Robertson Gordon Payne, Ashley Monroe and Elizabeth Cook.”

View this post on Instagram

Wanting to capture that signature sound of his father, Shooter even called in the remaining members of his band to help out. While fans will have to wait until October to hear the album, the singer’s son released the new song “Songbird” last month. 

Already gaining praise, fans commented, “At 23 years old and a massive fan of Waylon I never thought I’d be alive to hear brand new music from the man himself. Happy birthday Hoss. You’re loved and missed dearly.” Another person added, “Closing my eyes and hearing a new Waylon song brings me back to the early eighties riding in a gold and white Chevy Scottsdale looking through a haze of cigarette smoke sitting next to my dad.”

Passing away 23 years ago, Jennings continued to speak to his fans thanks to his son’s passion to keep his father’s legacy alive. 

(Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)