I’ve been gradually digesting Ken Burn’s Country Music, which is a gorgeous 17 million hour PBS documentary that walks its audience carefully through the evolution of Hillbilly and Bluegrass music, from the 18th century up through the present. On the walk, you hear original recordings of your favorite country songs, you learn things you never knew about US history, and best of all, Merle Haggard tells you his version of all stories. But of all of the talking heads, HOLLY WILLIAMS IS MY FAVORITE. The granddaughter of Hank Williams, she is so connected to his story, his music, so much so that she herself became a musician. You can literally see his face in hers. When she talks about him it’s as if he raised her, like he didn’t OD at age 29, in the back of his own car, before they ever even met. She’s a vibrantly breathing example of how humans persevere through their offspring, and you can hear and feel it in her music. And if she ever wanted to, say, hang out with me, like drink wine with me in a yard overlooking a holler at sunset and learn me about how important it is to stay connected to ones’ roots, to know the stories that made you inside and out, THAT WOULD BE MOST PLEASING.