In 'Willie Nelson: All the Albums,' author Geoffrey Himes shares the stories behind a trove of music

Midday on Music continues as Tom is joined in the studio by Geoffrey Himes. Himes is an award-winning author, music journalist and podcaster who wrote about music in the Washington Post for 23 years. He has also written for Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Downbeat, Jazz Times, and many other publications. His books include In Law Country: How Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, and Their Circle Fashioned a New Kind of Country Music, 1968-1985 and two new collections of poetry co-written with Maryland’s former poet laureate, Grace Cavalieri: Fables from Italy and Beyond and The Third Voice. Himes recently launched a podcast on Substack called Hard Rain and Pink Cadillacs, in which he explores the Americana music scene with co-host Mark Finkelpearl. Himes's latest book is an encyclopedic exploration of the music of the legendary Texas singer-songwriter, Willie Nelson. It’s called Willie Nelson: All the Albums: The Stories Behind the Music. The lavishly illustrated, 250-page coffee-table book is a compendium of informed essays about each of Willie Nelson's 150+ albums. Himes provides copious details on the writing and recording of every release, and describes how each album fits into the arc of Nelson's influential career — an ongoing career that's spanned seven decades and along the way, created a unique American songbook.