Previously unreleased recordings by Waylon Jennings are bringing a piece of country music history back into the spotlight, including a recording featuring Glen Campbell.
Diamonds, the second collection of recordings recovered and prepared by Jennings' son Shooter Jennings, is scheduled for physical and digital release on November 13, 2026, with streaming to follow in December. The title track includes guitar by Glen Campbell from a 1978 recording session. The first collection, Songbird, was released in 2025.
Where to get the new album: Find Diamonds on Qobuz to purchase and download digitally. Qobuz lists the album in its U.S. catalog, although its listing may show a pre-order or later digital availability depending on the edition. View Diamonds on Apple Music for its December 11 streaming release. The label announced November 13 for downloads and physical formats, with wider streaming on December 11.
Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings and Jimmy Webb
Campbell's guitar work on the recovered Jennings recording adds another musical connection. Both men helped carry songwriter Jimmy Webb's music to country audiences.
Campbell made signature recordings of Webb compositions including Wichita Lineman, Galveston and By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Jennings later joined Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson in the Highwaymen, whose 1985 recording of Webb's Highwayman became a No. 1 country hit. Campbell had also recorded Highwayman earlier.
Jennings had already found Grammy success with another Jimmy Webb song. In 1969, he recorded a country version of MacArthur Park with the Kimberlys for the RCA album Country-Folk. The recording won the Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 1970 ceremony. It was Jennings' first Grammy, making the connection between Jennings, Campbell and Webb even stronger. The Recording Academy's Waylon Jennings awards record confirms the honor; a March 28, 1970, Record World advertisement also names Jennings, the Kimberlys and Webb.
That history makes the newly recovered session more than an archival curiosity. It connects two performers whose recordings helped define different chapters of country music and leads back to a songwriter whose work crossed generations. Thanks to Shooter Jennings for making these recordings available to the millions of Waylon fans.
The Story Behind the Story: Waylon's Lubbock Roots
Before his outlaw-country success, Jennings worked as a disc jockey at Lubbock's KLLL. His years in West Texas also brought him into Buddy Holly's circle. Holly produced early Jennings recordings and hired him to play bass on the 1959 Winter Dance Party tour.
Jennings' Lubbock ties did not end when he became a national star. He worked with broadcaster Larry Corbin and DJ Jerry “Bo” Coleman on the effort that developed into the Buddy Holly Statue and the West Texas Walk of Fame, an enduring tribute to performers with roots in the region. Buddy Holly was its first inductee in 1979; Jennings followed in 1980.
The project also helped establish a permanent public tribute to Holly. The Buddy Holly statue and Walk of Fame plaques are now at Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza in Lubbock's Depot District. The Civic Lubbock Walk of Fame inductee list preserves the honorees' history.
Read More: The Original Reporting and Local History
From: Original reporting and historical sources linked above.
