Each epsiode, host John Spong talks 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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John Mellencamp Believes Willie Nelson Deserves a Nobel Peace Prize
The heartland rocker on the origins of Farm Aid, standing up to record execs, and “Funny How Time Slips Away.”
Paul Begala on Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and the Lost Art of Empathy
The CNN political analyst discusses the two legends’ duet “Heartland,” the farm crisis that inspired it, and a kind turn Willie did for his mom.
Billy Strings on What It’s Like to Play Willie Nelson’s Guitar
Billy Strings, of the hottest guitarists alive describes the hole in Trigger, bringing roses to Willie, and a 90-mph live version of “Stay a Little Longer.”
Miranda Lambert on Willie Nelson and the Enduring Primacy of the Pickin’ Party
The reigning country queen talks about singing “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” as a little girl on her family’s front porch—and at Willie’s all-star ninetieth-birthday show.
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.
Dave Cobb on the Beautiful, Barren Landscape of Willie Nelson’s ‘Red Headed Stranger’
The Nashville superproducer on “Time of the Preacher” and the one thing artists like Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell all say about Willie.
The Story Behind Sinéad O’Connor’s Duet with Willie Nelson
It was October 1992 and the Irish singer, who died earlier this week, was being excoriated in the press following her appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
Waylon Payne on the Multiple Times He Credits Willie Nelson With Saving His Life
The singer-songwriter talks about growing up as country royalty and Willie’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”
Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett on the Unlikely Intersection of Willie, Waylon Jennings, “Good Hearted Woman,” and Kiss’s ‘Alive II’
The Foos’ lead guitarist and ‘Shred With Shifty’ podcast host discusses an outlaw anthem and the technical specs of a great Willie guitar solo.
Ray Benson on Bob Wills, Cindy Walker, and Willie Nelson’s Version of “Going Away Party”
The Grammy-winning founder of Asleep at the Wheel on fifty years of friendship with Willie, with cameos by George Gershwin, Floyd Tillman, and Robert Duvall.
Amanda Shires Pays Tribute to Her Hero and Friend Bobbie Nelson
The singer-songwriter and virtuoso fiddle player talks faith, family bands, and her new album of duets with Willie Nelson’s late sister.