One by Willie
John Spong
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About This Podcast
Each episode, music writer John Spong talks to one notable Willie Nelson fan about one Willie song they love, leading to highly personal looks at the way Willie has shaped their lives and made the world a better place. Check us out on instagram: @onebywillie and our website onebywillie.com
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Recent Episodes
Ali Siddiq on "Midnight Rider"
Comedian Ali Siddiq zooms in on Willie Nelson’s 1979 cover of the Allman Brother’s tale of a desperate outlaw’s life on the lamb, “Midnight Rider.” It’s a song Ali used to blast in his Monte Carlo…
George Saunders on "Pancho and Lefty"
Celebrated author George Saunders digs deep into one of the best-loved songs not just in Willie Nelson’s catalog, but in all of American music, Townes Van Zandt’s legendary tale of betrayal, “Pancho…
Tami Neilson on "I Thought About You, Lord"
Americana star Tami Neilson—a New Zealand-based singer-songwriter and, essentially, adopted member of Willie Nelson’s family—talks about a deep cut off his sublime 1996 album Spirit, “I Thought About…
One by Willie x Nashville Now: Happy Birthday, Willie Nelson!
With Willie Nelson turning 93 today, One by Willie hooks up with Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now and its host, RS Head of Country Joseph Hudak, for a special birthday collab episode. We’ll open with a…
Emmylou Harris on "Till I Gain Control Again" (special Willie's birthday episode)
In another of our annual, Icon-on-Icon birthday tributes to Willie, 14-time Grammy winner and Country Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris talks about a song she sang every night with him when they toured…
Matt Berninger on "All of Me"
Matt Berninger, lead singer and lyricist of beloved Brooklyn rock band The National, talks about Willie’s 1978 cover of “All of Me.” It was the third single off his dad’s favorite Willie record,…
Jamey Johnson on "It Always Will Be"
Million-selling country star Jamey Johnson, one of the finest singer-songwriters alive and a man generally considered the walking embodiment of Outlaw Country, talks on the title-cut to Willie’s 2004…
S7E1 Kenny Chesney on "That Lucky Old Sun"
Kenny Chesney, a Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Willie friend, fan, and collaborator, talks about Willie’s 1976 cover of “That Lucky Old Sun.” That beautiful, hushed track, which opened the…
Introducing One by Willie, Season 7
Music writer John Spong talks each episode to one notable Willie fan about one Willie song they love--then runs down the kinds of rabbit holes that open up when the subject is Willie Nelson. Starting…
S6E12 Wesley Schultz on "Pretty Paper" (special holiday reboot)
With the holiday season in full effect, we’re reaching back to OBW’s earliest days to re-up this Nov 2020 episode with Lumineer Wesley Schultz on Willie’s initial contribution to the holiday canon,…
S6E11 Bonnie Raitt on "Getting Over You" (special Willie's birthday episode)
In a special, icon-on-icon birthday tribute, 13-time Grammy winner and longtime Willie friend, fan, and collaborator Bonnie Raitt talks about their sublime 1993 duet, “Getting Over You.” It was a…
S6E10 Conor Oberst on "Undo the Right"
Brilliant indie rock-pop-and-folk singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, of Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk fame, talks about another of Willie’s famous Pamper Demos, “Undo the Right.” It was one of…
S6E9 Mark Seliger on "Stardust"
Revered photographer Mark Seliger—who’s taken iconic images of everyone from Barack Obama and the Dali Lama to Kurt Cobain and Ice T—talks about the song that he says has informed almost every photo…
S6E8 Larry Gatlin on "She's Not for You"
Larry Gatlin, a card-carrying member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (“All the Gold in California,” “Broken Lady,” etc.), focuses on “She’s Not for You,” off Willie’s game-changing 1973…
Adrian Quesada on "I Never Cared for You"
Black Puma Adrian Quesada, the Austin-based guitarist, producer, and songwriter who also co-founded Grammy-winning Latin funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma, looks at the centerpiece of Willie’s 1998 album…
S6E6 Amanda Petrusich on "Reasons to Quit"
New Yorker music critic Amanda Petrusich looks at the other big hit off Willie and Merle Haggard’s classic 1983 Pancho & Lefty album, “Reasons to Quit.” It’s a classic Haggard drinking song, but…
S6E5 Charlie Sexton on "I Let My Mind Wander"
Before he received wide acclaim as Bob Dylan’s lead guitarist in the early 2000s, Charlie Sexton was a fixture of the Austin music scene going back almost as far as Willie himself, having first…
S6E4 John Mellencamp on "Funny How Time Slips Away"
John Mellencamp, one of Willie’s fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members and a Farm Aid co-founder, has been a fan since first hearing “Funny How Time Slips Away” as a pre-teen in Seymour, Indiana.…
S6E3 Paul Begala on "Heartland"
CNN political analyst Paul Begala, a former White House chief strategist for Bill Clinton and lifelong Willie nerd, talks about “Heartland, a song Willie co-wrote and recorded with Bob Dylan for his…
S6E2 Billy Strings on "Stay a Little Longer"
One of the most mind-blowing guitarists on earth, Billy Strings, talks about an all-time great Willie and Trigger workout, “Stay a Little Longer,” off the 1978 double-album Willie and Family Live.…
Frequently Asked Questions
One by Willie has published 79 episodes since September 2020, covering topics in Arts, Music.
One by Willie is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 34m.
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