I sat in for my pal Flap Jones this past weekend hosting Not Necessarily Nashville on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1. It’s always a joy selecting an hour of music to play and discuss.
With only a few days before the Wednesday, March 19 screening of the Arkansas PBS documentary Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash at Robinson Center in Little Rock, followed a week later by Bob Dylan performing at the same venue on Wednesday, March 26, I played two songs Cash and Dylan recorded together. These versions of “Guess Things Happen That Way” and “I Still Miss Someone” were recorded during two days in a Nashville studio in February 1969 and were eventually released a half-century later in 2019 as part of Dylan’s The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15, Travelin’ Thru.
Not Necessarily Nashville, March 8, 2025, 7 p.m. on Little Rock Public Radio’s KUAR-FM 89.1.
I also played a couple of songs from an album by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Scottish musicians Lulie Fowlis and Karine Polwart. Looking for the Thread was released in January and has been a relaxing escape during my work commutes over the last few weeks.
Not Necessarily Nashville playlist, March 8, 2025, Little Rock Public Radio
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos – “Johnny Be Goode” (Buck Owens in London) Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart “Satellite” (Looking For The Thread) Jim Lauderdale “Delta Blue” (Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney) Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash – “Guess Things Happen That Way” (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969) Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash – “I Still Miss Someone” (The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969) Glen Campbell – “These Days” (Meet Glen Campbell) Kinky Friedman – “See You Down the Highway” (Poet of Motel 6) Ray Charles and Willie Nelson – “It Was a Very Good Year” (Genius Loves Company) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood – “Some Velvet Morning” (Movin’ with Nancy) Alison Krauss & Union Station – “Looks like The End of the Road” (Arcadia) Sam Moore and Conway Twitty – “A Rainy Night in Georgia” Ringo Star – “Time on my Hands” (Look Up) Tom T. Hall – “I Miss a Lot of Trains” Mary Chapin Carpenter, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart “Looking for the Thread” (Looking For The Thread)
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.
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 hosting the show in 1989.
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 when he would come through town. Below is a video I recorded of him playing “Dillinger,” “Always a Stronger” 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. He was 71. In the middle of Olney’s 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.
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 from this weekend’s program 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 fans 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 at 7 p.m. 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 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 about 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, is not playing the guitar quite as heavily, sits on a stool for much of the show, and at times his voice is little more than a raspy whisper. 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” (Cuts so Deep) 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” (For the Sake of the Song) 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.
About Me
On the web since 2002, this is the online home of broadcasting news veteran Michael Hibblen. I've worked for newspapers, radio and TV stations around the country, with this website telling the story of my career, including audio, photos and videos. Also featured are various interests I've researched, primarily about radio and railroads. Today I'm Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, overseeing production of the program "Arkansas Week" and the streaming of events on the Arkansas Citizens Access Network. The posts on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arkansas PBS or my former employers.
My Book
Released by Arcadia Publishing in 2017, Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas delves into the history of the railroad which once had a huge footprint in Arkansas, as well as other states in the middle of the U.S. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE
For 13 years, from May 2009 to December 2022, I worked for NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That included 10 years as News Director while continuing to anchor and report. You can read and hear reports from that time on Little Rock Public Radio's website.
