Rodney Crowell
From Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond by Pushkin Industries
March 3, 2026 · 1h 8m · Season 6 · Episode 199
About this episode
Bruce Headlam interviews Rodney Crowell about his career, influences, and recent work.
Rodney Crowell has been a fixture in Nashville's songwriting community for over 50 years. Born in Houston in 1950, he was influenced early on by songwriters Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. In 1975, he joined Emmylou Harris' Hot Band as a guitarist and harmony singer, playing with her for three years. Rodney became known for his own work with his 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt, an album that made history by producing five consecutive number-one singles. Over his career, he's written songs for Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, and countless others, earning him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Last August, Crowell released his twentieth studio album, Airline Highway, produced by Tyler Bryant and recorded at Dockside Studio in Louisiana. Just a few months ago, Willie Nelson released What a Beautiful World , an entire album of Crowell covers. On today's episode, Bruce Headlam talks to Rodney Crowell about making Airline Highway and the emotional experience of hearing Willie Nelson's tribute album. He discusses his formative years in Nashville's songwriting community. He opens up about his difficult childhood in Houston, including his mother's epilepsy and his…
People in this episode
Host: Bruce Headlam
Guest: Rodney Crowell
Topics covered
- Nashville songwriting
- Rodney Crowell
- music history
- emotional experiences
Keywords
- Airline Highway
- Diamonds & Dirt
- Willie Nelson
- Johnny Cash
- songwriting
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Airline Highway, Diamonds & Dirt, What a Beautiful World
Books & works: Diamonds & Dirt, Airline Highway, What a Beautiful World
Places: Nashville, Houston, Louisiana
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