This week, Clay presents a special mélange of songs about remarkable people and the lives they touched. We encounter a starry night, a leader and his band, an empty garden, and a blackbird learning to fly. Together, these musical portraits speak of beauty, loss, gratitude, and remembrance—and remind us what we may discover when we stop merely hearing familiar songs and begin listening to the stories within them.

In this episode we celebrate Maine singer-songwriter David Mallett, who left home for Nashville only to discover that the heart of his music remained in Maine. Through songs including “Garden Song,” “I Knew This Place,” and “Celebration,” we meet an artist whose deeply rooted stories speak to the whole human family.

In Episode 18, Clay celebrates the songs of Darrell Scott—a masterful storyteller whose music embraces crooked roads, open hearts, family, sorrow, and hard-won joy. From intimate reflections to an irresistible closing anthem, these are songs that meet us in the fullness of being alive.

In Episode 17, Clay explores the enduring songs of Don McLean, beginning with the mystery, memory, and cultural sweep of “American Pie.” Through “Vincent" and lesser know selections, he reveals a songwriter equally at home with history, love, loneliness, and the passage of time.

In this songwriter profile, Clay celebrates Robin and Linda Williams, the beloved Virginia folk duo whose partnership has spanned more than fifty years. Through songs of home, longing, love, loss, humor, and resilience, he explores Robin’s gift for storytelling, Linda’s luminous musicianship, and the personal history that has kept him returning to their concerts for decades. Listen closely to the lyrics: these are songs that speak from one heart directly to another.

A change of pace and a dip into nostalgia: three songs each from two beloved bands whose names have faded but whose sounds haven't — Little River Band and Three Dog Night. Along the way, a memory of leaving one life for another and discovering a musical revolution already underway. Lyrics, harmony, and a little celebration to close.

Join us for another episode of Words that Sing. In this episode Clay's selections are a post-independence day reflection on the songs and words that shape his ideas of who we are and where we have been.

This episode of Words That Sing, features Jackson Browne, one of the great songwriters of memory, longing, conscience, and the road. Browne’s songs have a way of sounding personal and universal at the same time — intimate enough to feel like a confession, but wide enough to hold a generation’s questions about love, loss, justice, and what it means to keep going. Clay reflects on Browne’s gift for making words sing with emotional honesty, moral seriousness, and a kind of restless beauty.

Join us for another episode of Words that Sing with you host Clay Hipp.

In this episode of Words That Sing, Clay explores the idea that music can speak even without lyrics. Moving from “songs that sing” to “notes that speak,” the episode invites listeners to hear instrumental music as a form of expression, memory, mood, and mystery. Featuring reflections on pieces by the Kruger Brothers and John Mackey, this episode is an invitation to listen more slowly and consider what music may be saying beyond words.