Hosting ‘Not Necessarily Nashville’ on Little Rock Public Radio
A few times a year I’ll fill in for Flap Jones hosting her long-running country music program “Not Necessarily Nashville,” as I did last night on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1. Flap has been a friend for 35 years since the first time she asked me to sit in doing the show in 1989, when we were both volunteer DJs at community radio station KABF-FM 88.3.
“Not Necessarily Nashville,” Nov. 16, 2024, 7 p.m. on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1.
It’s always a joy because playing music was what inspired me to get into broadcasting. Then I learned how little freedom commercial radio DJs have in selecting their music, so in 1993 I made the transition to news, which was a wise choice for me. I was always interested in reporting and anchoring, and that led to a more solid career path. There are a tiny fraction of jobs for DJs now compared to when I got into radio due to the corporatization of the industry, and the rise of computer automation.
On this weekend’s program, I played several songs from a new David Olney tribute album that was released last month. I was a big fan of Olney’s since the first time I saw him play live about a decade ago at Little Rock’s White Water Tavern. I wasn’t familiar with him that night, but the songs and his voice were amazing. I never missed another show whenever he would come through town. Below is a video I recorded of him playing “Dillinger” and “Vincent” at the White Water on Nov. 13, 2019.
Olney died about two months later of an apparent heart attack during a performance at a music festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida on Jan. 18, 2020. In the middle of his third song, he abruptly stopped, said “I’m sorry” to the audience, and put his chin to his chest, according to musician Scott Miller who was performing with Olney. “He never dropped his guitar or fell off his stool. It was as easy and gentle as he was. We got him down and tried our best to revive him until the EMT’s arrived,” Miller wrote on Facebook. Olney was 71.
The tribute album “Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney” was released on Oct. 18 and the range of performers covering his shows just how much respect he had from his peers. They include Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale and Willis Alan Ramsey.
I played four songs from the new album, as well as a live version of Olney performing “Vincent” during a performance that was eventually released as the “Live in Holland” album in 1994. You can find the full playlist of songs I played this weekend below.
I also played a couple of Willie Nelson songs. From several decades ago, I pulled “To Make a Long Story Short, She’s Gone” from one of Willie’s albums, which was a duet with Kris Kristofferson. I’m still mourning Kristofferson’s death on Sept. 28 at the age of 88. The only time I got to see him play live was at the first Johnny Cash Heritage Festival in 2011, which was a fundraiser to support the restoration of Cash’s boyhood home in Dyess, Ark. I covered the event for a news story, which included Kristofferson speaking at a press conference before the show about his friendship with Cash.
“I’ve never met another human being who had the power just in the presence that John had. And to be working on a tribute for him and for his home is a real honor for me,” Kristofferson said.
I also aired a song off Willie Nelson’s new album “Last Leaf on the Tree,” which was released on Nov. 1. Many songs on his albums in recent years seem almost like he’s preparing us for his eventual death. I played “Keep Me In Your Heart,” which includes the lyrics: “Shadows are fallin’ and I’m runnin’ out of breath, Keep me in your heart for a while. If I leave you, it doesn’t mean I love you any less. Keep me in your heart for a while.”
I’m looking forward to being able to talk about him next month on Arkansas PBS when we air “Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration” on Wednesday, Dec. 11. I’m scheduled to be speaking during breaks in the program as part of our pledge drive. I saw the concert film in a theater in Little Rock when it had a one day screening nationwide. During our broadcast, I hope to be able to share details of my one experience with Willie, interviewing him in 2005, as well as what makes me such a fan of his work.
My first exposure was as a kid when during any long drive, my mom would play the 8-tracks of “Red Headed Stranger” and “Stardust,” laying the foundation for an appreciation of his work. I’ve probably seen him play live a dozen times over the decades, most recently on May 31, 2022 at Little Rock’s First Security Amphitheater along the Arkansas River. At 91, he has definitely slowed down, with his voice more a whisper, not playing the guitar quite as heavily and sitting on a stool for much of the show, but it’s amazing he’s still performing and maintaining a busy schedule.
“Not Necessarily Nashville” playlist, Nov. 16, 2024, Little Rock Public Radio
Flaco Jimenez (with Stephen Stills) — “Change Partners” (from Flaco’s album Partners)
Graham Wilkinson — “Lucky”
Rosanne Cash — “Money Road” (The River and the Thread)
Jimmy Dale Gilmore — “If it Wasn’t for the Wind” (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney)
David Olney — “Vincent” (Live in Holland)
Steve Earle — “Sister Angelina” (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney)
Willis Alan Ramsey — “Women Across the River” (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney)
The SteelDrivers — “If My Eyes Were Blind” (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney)
Willie Nelson & Kris Kristofferson — “To Make a Long Story Short, She’s Gone” (Extras)
Willie Nelson — “Keep Me in Your Heart” (Last Leaf on the Tree)
Townes Van Zandt — “I’ll Be Here in the Morning”
James McMurtrey — “Vague Directions” (Candyland)
Joe Ely — “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” (Joe Ely)
The Flying Burrito Brothers — Wheels (The Gilded Palace of Sin)
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
