In “One by Willie,” host John Spong talks in each episode to one notable Willie fan about one Willie song they love, then runs down the kinds of rabbit holes that open up whenever the topic is Willie Nelson. But the series is about more than the songs; it's about the way music shapes our lives and connects us all.
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Lucinda Williams on the Pure Poetry of Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
The beloved singer-songwriter, once a scrappy unknown living in a run-down apartment Willie owned, describes the wonder of later duetting with him on a song she wrote.
Willie Nelson’s Daughter Lana on Lullabies, Landlords, and Townes Van Zandt
The unofficial family historian talks about listening to her dad sing “Red Headed Stranger” back before he’d ever even made it to Nashville.
Wade Bowen on Willie Nelson’s Road Anthem “Me and Paul” . . . From a Tour Bus Broke Down in Iowa
The Texas Country/Red Dirt star Zooms in to discuss Willie’s founding role in the singer-songwriters’ circuit, plus the gift of growing to love your dad’s music.
John Leventhal on Willie Nelson’s Tight Grip on Timelessness
The six-time Grammy-winner discusses “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” and why Willie’s guitar-picking makes him think of Picasso.
Susan Tedeschi on Willie Nelson and the Singular Joy of Playing in a Family Band
The Grammy-winning blues singer and guitarist on why she and her husband cover Willie almost every night with their Tedeschi Trucks Band—plus why she thinks Emmylou Harris is a Jedi.
Bruce Robison on What Willie Nelson’s Saddest Songs Taught Him About Songwriting, Love, and Life
The Americana stalwart discusses Phases and Stages, Willie’s lost winter in Bandera, and covering his songs with big stars like Margo Price, Sheryl Crow, and Nathaniel Rateliff.
Pulitzer Prize Winner Lawrence Wright on the Existential Quality of Watching Willie Nelson and Trigger Grow Old Together
The acclaimed Austin author talks pigtails, hero statues, and “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”
Booker T. Jones on Why He Recorded Willie Nelson’s ‘Stardust’ in Emmylou Harris’s Living Room
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer discusses “Georgia on My Mind”—and the highly improbable pairing and production that gave birth to Willie’s quintuple-platinum masterpiece.
Whoopi Goldberg Wants to Have Willie Nelson Over to Her Place for Dinner
The famed actor, author, and raconteur on why she loves “Stardust,” Leon Russell, Ray Charles, and Willie’s wife, Annie.
Nick Offerman Believes Willie Nelson Is One of the Finest Americans Who Ever Lived
The ‘Parks and Recreation’ star on “Buddy,” Farm Aid, and how a hippie like Willie became Ron Swanson’s favorite poet.