From the archive

Notes from
the guardian

Vignettes written by Melanie Howard after forty years of being the guardian of the flame. These are her recollections of the songs and the people who made them, written first hand.

  1. Harlan Howard, who wrote 'I Don't Know A Thing About Love' on a night of fishing at Center Hill Lake

    September 22, 2018By Melanie Howard

    "I Don't Know a Thing About Love"

    Melanie Howard recalls the full moon night of fishing at Center Hill Lake behind 'I Don't Know A Thing About Love', a number one for Conway Twitty in 1984.

  2. Harlan Howard, whom Melanie Howard met at The Third Coast in Nashville on April 1, 1987

    August 28, 2018By Melanie Howard

    The Day I Met Harlan Howard

    Melanie Howard recounts April 1, 1987, the night a stranger at The Third Coast bar asked her to dinner, tried sushi for the first time, and told her he was going to marry her.

  3. Songwriter Meagan Connors, who spent the summer of 2018 in residency at Harlan Howard Songs

    August 9, 2018By Melanie Howard

    Meagan Connors: Residency at Harlan Howard Songs, Summer 2018

    Melanie Howard describes Meagan Connors's summer 2018 residency at Harlan Howard Songs, cataloging 400 recaptured songs, scanning nearly 4000 photographs and writing 34 songs of her own.

  4. A street scene linking Manchester and Baltimore, illustrating the journey of Harlan Howard's song "The Streets of Baltimore"

    June 14, 2018By Melanie Howard

    Streets of Manchester Meet Streets of Baltimore

    I dearly love this story. On Monday, June 11, 2018 upon opening my computer, I got a press release from Zach Farnum stating that Bobby Bare played Bonnaroo. He sang a Harlan Howard song...

  5. The sheet music and record sleeve for "Busted", the Harlan Howard song Johnny Cash cut first and Ray Charles took onto the pop chart

    June 12, 2018By Melanie Howard

    "Busted" Comes Home!

    It’s exciting times around Harlan Howard Songs! On June 15th, 2018, the classic and perennial favorite Harlan Howard song, “Busted” is coming home! It’s been a storied journey of 58 years from the date...