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Benjamin Tod Teams Up With Shooter Jennings For A Phenomenal Rendition Of Waylon Jennings’ “Outlaw S***”
Back in August, Benjamin Tod took fans inside the studio, sharing some behind-the-scenes footage of what he’s working on. But instead of footage of dudes sitting around a soundboard listening to an unreleased tune, or Tod himself in the studio, it’s a clip of the legendary producer and son of Waylon Jennings, Shooter Jennings, in the booth laying down some vocals.
And he’s singing none other than one of his dad’s famed songs, “Outlaw S***.”
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The Jennings classic, “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand,” was reworked and posthumously released as “Outlaw S***” in 2008. “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” was initially released in October 1978, shortly after Waylon’s infamous DEA raid, as the second single from his album I’ve Always Been Crazy. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. The upbeat melody and outlaw lyrics reflect on the wild ways of his life, wondering if, at times, he took living the outlaw lifestyle too far.
When the song was rereleased following his death, renamed “Outlaw S***,” the tune took on a much slower pace, as if he were looking back on his life, as opposed to the original upbeat tune he sang while living in the fast lane. “Outlaw S***” was originally tracked by Waylon in the mid-’90s; Shooter and his band, the .357s, finished the slower-tempo take of his dad’s reflective lyrics.
Tod recalled that while working with Shooter during a studio session in Los Angeles, he wanted to try out a new version of “Outlaw S***” but wasn’t sure if he would get the green light.
“I didn’t know how Shooter would feel personally about me covering one of [Waylon’s] songs in the studio.”
After testing the waters, his idea was given the “go-ahead,” making the song a reality.
Tod cut the song and had moved on to recording more music during his session, but in the back of his mind, he kept thinking about how great it would be to have Waylon’s son featured on a Waylon Jennings cover.
“I ended up point-blank asking Shooter the next day if he’d be interested and that it would be an incredible honor to share any track with him, and especially this one. He obliged, and I could feel goosebumps from me and David Spreng, the sound engineer, while he was laying his part down, that we had just done something incredibly magical.”
Magical is precisely what this pairing is. While keeping the roots of the song in honor of Waylon’s version, Tod and Shooter spice it up just enough to give it new life. Not to mention that Benjamin Tod and Shooter Jennings’ vocals are a match made in heaven, making for an exceptional listening experience from the consumer’s end. The listener can hear the mutual respect and admiration between a producer and an artist while playing this rendition of “Outlaw S***.”
“There are moments like this when you’re creating music where there’s almost an angelic, unearthly presence in your midst and guiding your decisions. This was one of the most astounding moments I’ve ever had after capturing songs for two decades now. Moreover, the friendship and brotherhood that was established in the two weeks this record was made between Shooter and I is something I will cherish the rest of my life.
It’s very rare that figures in the music scene have similar goals, ethics, and positions on the corruption and degradation of real art.”
Waylon would be proud. Turn this one all the way up.
The post Benjamin Tod Teams Up With Shooter Jennings For A Phenomenal Rendition Of Waylon Jennings’ “Outlaw S***” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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