Larry Gatlin on "She's Not for You"

One by Willie

John Spong

Music, Music Commentary

4.8 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 12 March 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Larry Gatlin, a card-carrying member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (“All the Gold in California,” “Broken Lady,” etc.), focuses on “She’s Not for You,” off Willie’s game-changing 1973 album, Shotgun Willie. Well-read Willie nerds know that record, cut in New York for Atlantic Records, was the closest Willie had yet come to creative control of a project, and Larry, who played guitar and sang backup in the sessions, describes just how different that was from the Nashville process in which Willie'd been struggling. But he also explains another, lesser-known key to the record’s success…before sharing memories of the legendary picking parties Willie co-hosted with University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal, and the joy of just being around longtime Willie consort Roger Miller.

Transcript

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0:28.5	There's nothing better than pulling on a pair of Western boots and listening to some good tunes.
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0:42.4	One by a Willie is produced and distributed by PRX
0:45.7	and we are brought to you by Still Austin Craft Whiskey
0:49.2	with additional generous support from Toccova's Boots.
0:55.8	Hey there, I'm John Spong, and this is One by Willie, a podcast in which I talk each week
1:01.3	to one notable Willie Nelson fan about one Willie song that they really love.
1:06.9	This week, we talked to the pride of Odessa, Texas, Larry Gatlin. He's a member of the Nashville
1:12.9	Songwriters Hall of Fame, the guy who wrote classics like All the Golden California and
1:17.9	Broken Lady, and he's going to talk with us about She's Not for You off the 1973 album
1:24.2	that turned Willie's career around and redefined country music, Shotgun Willie.
1:30.1	Now, most fans know that that album was recorded well outside of Nashville at Atlantic Studios in New York,
1:36.7	and Larry, who sang backup and played guitar on it, will describe just how different and how significant
1:42.8	the artistic freedom that Jerry
1:45.0	Wexler and Atlantic Records gave to Willie was.
1:49.2	But he'll also get into a lesser-known key to the magic of those sessions.
1:53.3	The gospel songs Willie cut at the start of that week before even getting to Shotgun Willie,
	...

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