Culture Writer John Spong, PRX, and Texas Monthly Present A New Season of “One by Willie,” the Podcast Exploring the Life & Music of Willie Nelson
Guests including Kenny Chesney, Tami Neilson, George Saunders, and Taj Mahal, who describe how Willie’s songs shape their lives and make the world a better place
Culture journalist John Spong and Pulitzer-winning public media organization PRX today announce a new season of One by Willie, the podcast where each episode, Spong talks to one notable Willie Nelson fan about one Willie song they love, bringing listeners up close to the deep cultural and musical contributions of the country musical legend.
The podcast — honored in the 2025 Signal Awards as one of today’s best music podcasts — kicks off season 7 on March 11 with country star Kenny Chesney, who opens with his love of Willie’s 1976 version of “That Lucky Old Sun,” then shares how Willie’s independent streak inspired the career change that grew him into a stadium headliner and Billboard magazine’s “Top Country Artist of the 21st Century.”
New episodes of One by Willie will also feature Booker Prize-winning writer George Saunders, providing a line-by-line, masterclass analysis on “Pancho & Lefty;” acclaimed Americana artist Tami Neilson describing the seeking, spiritual openness of Willie’s original gospel song “I Thought About You, Lord;” 10-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson discussing “It Always Will Be” and the true, counterintuitive definition of Outlaw Country; plus The National’s Matt Berninger, blues great Taj Mahal, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, comedian Ali Siddiq, Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson, and more.
“We started this project,” says host John Spong, “because we thought listening to Willie records with cool, smart people would be fun. And it definitely has been. But it’s turned into a much deeper look at him, with three main takeaways: As an artist, Willie Nelson found success by being true to himself. As a person, he never wavered from being true to the people around him. And as for the songs themselves, every single one of them comes with a great story.”
PRX distributes the series and the organization’s team of audio creatives, PRX Productions, co-produces the new episodes with Spong. Previous seasons were produced by Texas Monthly, the magazine of contemporary life in the Lone Star State and co-presenter of the show.
The conversations have ranged far and wide on previous seasons, with episodes featuring researcher Brené Brown on how Willie’s cover of “Amazing Grace” has informed everything she teaches, actor Ethan Hawke on how the 1996 album Spirit prepped him to become a dad, plus Miranda Lambert, Nick Offerman, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg, Margo Price, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, Booker T. Jones, Lawrence Wright, Bonnie Raitt, Daniel Lanois, Vince Gill and beyond. As a whole, One by Willie presents an inspiring, patchwork portrait of one of the most important artists in music history and a genuine American folk hero.
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One by Willie is available free across all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Overcast. Audiences can also visit onebywillie.com to listen and read transcripts.
About John Spong
As a longtime Texas Monthly staff writer, Spong covered everything from rodeo clowns and trial lawyers…to book censors and Hurricane Katrina survivors…to his own military embeds in Iraq and Afghanistan. But his emphasis was on Texas music, profiling artists like George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Guy Clark, Alejandro Escovedo, and Spoon. He has received three National Magazine Award nominations, most recently in 2021 as co-editor and lead writer on two large Willie-related projects: Willie — Now, More than Ever, a finalist for best single-topic issue; and “All 155 Willie Nelson Albums, Reviewed and Ranked,” a book-length, online compendium nominated for best digital storytelling.
Since 2024, he’s focused on One by Willie. He’s been profiled as a Willie scholar in The Washington Post and on CBC Radio One’s The Current with Matt Galloway, the series has been praised in The New Yorker, and NPR jazz critic Nate Chinen recently called him “maybe the world’s foremost Willie Nelson expert.”
About PRX
Celebrating more than 20 years as a nonprofit public media company, PRX works in partnership with leading independent creators, organizations, and stations to bring meaningful audio storytelling into millions of listeners’ lives. PRX is one of the world’s top podcast publishers, public radio distributors, and audio producers, serving as an engine of innovation for public media and podcasting to help shape a vibrant future for creative and journalistic audio. Shows across PRX’s portfolio of broadcast productions, podcast partners, and its Radiotopia podcast network have received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the Tribeca Festival, the International Documentary Association, the National Magazine Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. Visit PRX.org for more.
About Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly has chronicled life in contemporary Texas since 1973 and publishes vivid, longform storytelling about the Lone Star State, along with reported analysis of its most important trends, and helpful advice on how to best enjoy the state’s many pleasures. Texas Monthly has expanded to serve its audience on multiple platforms, including TexasMonthly.com, live events, videos, and binge-worthy podcasts. It has won 14 National Magazine awards, the Oscars of its industry, and has an impressive total monthly audience of 31 million. Follow Texas Monthly on Facebook @texas.monthly.magazine, Twitter @TexasMonthly, and Instagram @texasmonthly.
About Willie Nelson
With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestsellers book, again headlined Farm Aid (an event he co-founded in 1985), his annual Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW as well as the annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, launched his cannabis companies Willie’s Reserve and Willie’s Remedy, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine.
Nelson started this decade by releasing four albums of newly recorded music — First Rose of Spring (2020), That’s Life (2021), The Willie Nelson Family (2021), and A Beautiful Time (2022, GRAMMY Award winner for Best Country Album) — and three books — Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band (2020), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), and Me and Paul: Untold Tale of a Fabled Friendship (2022). Throughout 2023, Willie celebrates his 90th birthday with multiple projects and events including a two-night star-studded concert at the famed Hollywood Bowl, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, that was released as a feature film and a televised broadcast special. The year began with the debut of “Wille Nelson & Family,” a new five-part film documentary series directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the release of a new album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, which features 10 performances that pay tribute to American songwriter Harlan Howard. Last year also welcomed two new releases: the GRAMMY nominated album, Bluegrass (with newly recorded studio performances of 12 Willie Nelson-penned classics showcasing Willie with a bluegrass ensemble), and a new book, Energy Follows Thought (with stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with never-before-seen photos and ephemera). To cap the momentous year, Nelson was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2024, Nelson expanded his depth of work with the release of two new albums and a new book. The month of May saw the arrival of the studio album The Border, which includes Willie’s versions of 10 contemporary country songs, and four new compositions with Buddy Cannon. And in November he released a cookbook co-authored with his wife, Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them as well as another studio album, Last Leaf on the Tree, which features close collaborations with Nelson’s son Micah. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.
