One of the episodes delved into the songwriters around the time Willie, Waylon, and Kristofferson were writing some of their first, best, songs.

Willie sold a bunch of his big early hits for a couple hundred dollars each to pay the rent. It was with Hello Walls, that his friend and artist, Farron Young, refused to buy it, instead, he gave Willie a loan. Willie's first royalty check from that one song was $14,000 and he was able to pay Farron back. THe rest, as they say, is history.

Kris Kristofferson is probably the most highly educated songwriter in Nashville. Look up his history and what he walked away from to be a writer in Nashville. Johnny Cash helped Kris. Find a copy of the lyrics to Sunday morning coming down and read that lyric. Sheer brilliance and he probably didn't realize it at the time. Cash did, and turned it into a hit that broke down barriers.

And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down.


Yeah, to a song writer, there's a lot to be garnered from this even if it's only the back stories of how these guys struggled, starved, persevered, and sometimes just got plain old got lucky as writers and artists. A good keen eye will pick up the gems that are there in plain view that others miss, and perhaps even an idea for a song or two.


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