Broken Record with Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam and Justin Richmond Rodney Crowell
Mar 3, 2026
Rodney Crowell, veteran Nashville songwriter and performer whose songs have been sung by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. He talks about making Airline Highway and recording at Dockside in Louisiana. He recalls Willie Nelson’s tribute album and his emotional reaction. He reflects on his early Nashville years, mentorship from Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, and his formative childhood in Houston.
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Teenage Caretaker Who Finally Refused To Continue
- From childhood Rodney often nursed his mother through epileptic seizures until, at 17, he bluntly refused and the seizures largely stopped.
- He learned caregiving from his grandmother and later confronted the exhaustion by declaring he wouldn't nurse her again.
A False Promise Dropped Him In Nashville
- Rodney arrived in Nashville expecting a Columbia record deal and tour but found the promise was false; the producer had sold tapes and publishing for a bus ticket back.
- Rather than return, Crowell chose to stay in Nashville and found mentorship with Guy Clark and others.
Guy Clark's House As Nashville's Songwriters Salon
- The Guy Clark house was a songwriting salon that functioned like 'Paris in the 20s' for Nashville, gathering Townes, Steve Earle, and others nightly.
- That concentrated community exposed Crowell to high-level craft and became ground zero for peer learning.