349 - Bobby Braddock

It's the grand finale interview of 2019, the last one of this decade. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with a man who has been called "arguably the greatest country songwriter of all time." Dolly Parton called him a "songwriter's songwriter." One of only a few people to be an inductee all three of these "halls" of fame: the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the national Songwriters Hall of Fame. My guest Bobby Braddock has been writing songs for more than 50 years and continues to this day. Some of the artists who have recorded his work would include George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, Bill Anderson, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Paycheck, John Conlee, Johnny Cash, Bobby Bare, Nancy Sinatra, George Strait, Toby Keith, Bill Currington, Joe Nichols and Blake Shelton. Some of his songs are almost as famous as their singers: "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," "Golden Ring," and "I Wanna Talk About Me."

It is a great honor to present an interview with songwriter, record producer, and author Bobby Braddock, a man called "The King of Tears," by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a fascinating interview from one of the greatest storytellers to pick up pen and paper.