One by Willie
Each episode, music writer John Spong talks to one notable Willie Nelson fan about one Willie song that they love, leading to highly personal looks at the life, art, and legend of a genuine American folk hero.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 9, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 15, 2026
Latest episodes
Don Was on "Across the Borderline" (On the Pod Again, Vol. 1) (opens the original)
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In a re-airing of one of OBW’s early greatest hits, legendary producer, bass player, and Blue Note Records president Don Was looks at the title track to one of the best, most important albums of Willie’s career, Across the Borderline . It’s a song Don suggested to Willie in late 1992, when he was essentially auditioning for the production job on Willie’s next album—which he got—and it gets Don thinking on the fragile magic of a perfect first take, what it’s like to go out to dinner with Willie a
Buddy "Budrock" Prewitt on "On the Road Again" (opens the original)
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As the man who has directed stage lighting at Willie Nelson shows for just under 50 years, Buddy Prewitt—better known in Willie World by the nickname the boss gave him, Budrock the Illuminator—is an absolutely essential member of Willie's famous “band of gypsies.” Fittingly enough, in this episode he focuses on a song that he says tells his own life story, “On the Road Again.” His stories from a half-century with Willie are first-hand, fantastic, and often surreal, starting with the first show h
Ziggy Marley on "Still Is Still Moving to Me" (opens the original)
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Nine-time Grammy-winner and bona fide reggae royalty Ziggy Marley talks about the closing track on Willie’s 1993 masterpiece, Across the Borderline , “Still Is Still Moving to Me.” It’s a song to be dug on multiple levels, from the hard-driving melody, to the koan-like lyrics, to Trigger’s stunning runs, and Ziggy gets into all that. But his focus is on the song’s message, which he calls “transcendent”—just like his friend, Willie. So even though reggae and country music aren’t all that differen
I'm With Her on "Wake Me When It's Over" (opens the original)
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Three-time Grammy-winning, supergroup folk trio I’m With Her—whose individual members Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, and Sarah Jarosz also have an additional four Grammy wins outside the band—discuss the one Willie song they’ve covered together, “Wake Me When It’s Over.” It’s one Willie’s cut repeatedly over the years, but the version that caught the trio’s ear was off his seldom cited, 1972 album The Willie Way , which points at what’s special in this episode. It’s all about discovery, about th
Taj Mahal on "Bloody Mary Morning" - Live from Luck! (opens the original)
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In a special episode taped on Willie Nelson’s ranch at last year’s Luck Reunion, Taj Mahal—a true genius of the blues and roots music from all over the world—talks about the first song on Side 2 of Willie’s 1974 masterpiece Phases and Stages , “Bloody Mary Morning.” That song and album were among the earliest, best examples of what Willie would accomplish once he broke free from Nashville, a fight for creative control mirrored by Taj’s own battles with the music industry in the late 60s. From th
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