Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings

Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings
Studio album by Waylon Jennings
Released September 25, 2012
Genre Country
Length 44:38
Label Saguaro Road
Producer Robby Turner
Waylon Jennings chronology

Closing In on the Fire
(1998)		 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[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings is a posthumous album by country music singer 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.

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".[3][4]

Release

The existence of the recordings was known by Jennings' wife, Jessi Colter and his son, Shooter Jennings. The family was not comfortable with marketing Jennings' image after his death, feeling that they would "capitalize" on it. Ten years later, they approved the release of the finished songs by Turner.[4][5] The album was released on September 25, 2012 by Saguaro Road Records.[3]

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"  Jennings 4:55
3. "If My Harley Was Runnin'"  Jennings, Buddy Emmons, Troy Seals 3:28
4. "I Do Believe"  Jennings 3:32
5. "Friends in California"  Jennings, Bill LaBounty 3:07
6. "The Ways of the World"  Jennings 5:32
7. "Shakin' the Blues"  Jennings 3:07
8. "Never Say Die"  Jennings 3:40
9. "Wasting Time"  Jennings 3:03
10. "Sad Songs and Waltzes"  Jennings, Willie Nelson 2:27
11. "She Was No Good for Me"  Jennings 4:20
12. "Wrong Road to Nashville"  Jennings 3:29

Chart performance

Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[6] 67
US Billboard Top Country Albums[6] 14

References

  1. ↑ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings of Waylon Jennings Tracklist". Roughstock (CHERI MEDIA GROUP). April 16, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Talbott, Chris (February 13, 2012). "New Music On The Way From Late Waylon Jennings". Huffington Post (AOL, Inc.). Retrieved Jule 2, 2012. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ↑ "Waylon Jennings’ Last Recordings to Be Released September 11". Taste of Country (Townsquare Media, LLC). April 18, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Chart listing for Goin' Down Rockin': The Last Recordings". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2012.