SHOOTER JENNINGS

Shooter Jennings wears an earring that is an eagle silhouette spread-winged into the letter "W." It stands for the original country music outlaw, Waylon Jennings, Shooter's dad, and a man who is the biological, spiritual and musical father to the son, one of the most exciting new country songwriters on the scene. But shooter's brand of country music would make his father proud. As can be heard on his debut album, Put the "O" Back in Country, Jennings' songs are shot full of blood and thunder, grit and deep-fried Southern soul. It is country music that speaks to fans of both Lynyrd Skynyrd and Guns N' Roses, the latter band with which Jennings has performed (standing in for Axl Rose) on more than one occasion. Jennings' star is steadily on the rise. Last year, his duet with Hank Williams, Jr. was a highlight of CMT's Outlaws special and his big-screen debut, playing his father opposite Joaquin Phoenix's Johnny Cash, promises to be a highlight of the upcoming Cash biopic, Walk the Line.