Willie Nelson On Cowboys, 'Crazy' and CBD-Infused Coffee

XPN | By Talia Schlanger,

Published June 21, 2019 at 10:25 AM CDT

Willie Nelson's <em>Ride Me Back Home</em> is out today. — Willie Nelson's *Ride Me Back Home* is out today.

It's been about a year since World Cafecaught up with Willie Nelson, and he's been busy! Willie just released his latest album called Ride Me Back Home, made with his producer-collaborator Buddy Cannon. In February, Willie won a Grammy Award for his Frank Sinatra tribute album My Way. And he's recently expanded his health-and-wellness brand Willie's Remedy to include new CBD-infused coffee.

In this session, Willie told stories about some new songs and some classics, including "Crazy." He reminisced about hanging in Amsterdam with Snoop Dogg, visiting The White House with President Carter and meeting his wife, Annie, on the set of a movie he was shooting with his fellow Highwaymen. We also got to meet some of Willie's crew backstage before the show, including "Tunin'" Tom Hawkins who takes care of Willie's famous guitar, Trigger, on the road.

Talia Schlanger

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage,as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.

See stories by Talia Schlanger

John Myers

Since 2017, John Myers has been the producer of NPR's World Cafe, which is produced by WXPN at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Previously he spent about eight years working on the other side of Philly at WHYY as a producer on the staff of Fresh Air with Terry Gross. John was also a member of the team of public radio veterans recruited to develop original programming for Audible and has worked extensively as a freelance producer. His portfolio includes work for the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, The Association for Public Art and the radio documentary, Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul Radio. He's taught radio production to preschoolers and college students and, in the late 90's, spent a couple of years traveling around the country as a roadie for the rock band Huffamoose.

See stories by John Myers