Grandson of Country
Legend Visits Cassville
September 7, 2022
Ezra DeVore
Photo by Adriana Keeton
Whey Jennings, grandson of country legend Waylon Jennings, played at the H&H Pool Hall in Cassville last Friday at 7 p.m.
Though the musical landscape has morphed completely in the last 40+ years, Waylon Jennings remains among the most popular country artists of all time, blazing through the 1970s with sold-out shows and record-breaking albums with Willie Nelson and other legendary artists, coupled with a burgeoning solo career that left many contemporaries in the dust and inspired countless artists to emerge in succeeding decades.
Whey hopes to continue the legacy of his grandfather and released an EP (extended play; more tracks than a single, less than an album) of five songs written by Whey. The EP, titled If It Wasn’t for the Sinnin’, was released on September 1 on Dirt Rock Empire records.
“I was fortunate enough to get together with a bunch of great musicians out of Nashville and we came together with a great project,” Jennings says. He states that the title track, If It Wasn’t for the Sinnin’, came from a place of desiring change.
“I wrote that song because I lived kind of on the darker side of things back in the day. When Covid hit, it sorta stopped me dead in my tracks, and I had to reassess my life and the way I’ve lived. I wanted to be a good father and a good husband. I started writing that song right after I got out of rehab.”
Jennings explains that by attending a spiritual rehab, he “got in touch with God really good, and I know He’s working in my life."
"The song explores the way I was living, and the way I’m living now.”
Jennings says that his family is what gives him the daily inspiration to continue the path.
“I’ve got a good support system, but I also support myself. If I was to go back living the way I was living, I’d be so disappointed in myself, it wouldn’t even be funny, you know? I’ve got too much to live for now. That’s where I’m headed for my life, and that’s where I’m headed with my music.”
Whey also explains that he has more songs he is working on recording, and his mind is already tending to the next project.
Photo by Adriana Keeton
Whey Jennings, grandson of country legend Waylon Jennings, played at the H&H Pool Hall in Cassville last Friday at 7 p.m.
Though the musical landscape has morphed completely in the last 40+ years, Waylon Jennings remains among the most popular country artists of all time, blazing through the 1970s with sold-out shows and record-breaking albums with Willie Nelson and other legendary artists, coupled with a burgeoning solo career that left many contemporaries in the dust and inspired countless artists to emerge in succeeding decades.
Whey hopes to continue the legacy of his grandfather and released an EP (extended play; more tracks than a single, less than an album) of five songs written by Whey. The EP, titled If It Wasn’t for the Sinnin’, was released on September 1 on Dirt Rock Empire records.
“I was fortunate enough to get together with a bunch of great musicians out of Nashville and we came together with a great project,” Jennings says. He states that the title track, If It Wasn’t for the Sinnin’, came from a place of desiring change.
“I wrote that song because I lived kind of on the darker side of things back in the day. When Covid hit, it sorta stopped me dead in my tracks, and I had to reassess my life and the way I’ve lived. I wanted to be a good father and a good husband. I started writing that song right after I got out of rehab.”
Jennings explains that by attending a spiritual rehab, he “got in touch with God really good, and I know He’s working in my life."
"The song explores the way I was living, and the way I’m living now.”
Jennings says that his family is what gives him the daily inspiration to continue the path.
“I’ve got a good support system, but I also support myself. If I was to go back living the way I was living, I’d be so disappointed in myself, it wouldn’t even be funny, you know? I’ve got too much to live for now. That’s where I’m headed for my life, and that’s where I’m headed with my music.”
Whey also explains that he has more songs he is working on recording, and his mind is already tending to the next project.
