Country Music’s Gentle Giant Don Williams Returns With Unearthed Single “How Can I Miss What I Never Had”

Don Williams never really left. He just had more music waiting to be found.

“How Can I Miss What I Never Had” is out today, the latest single from ‘EPILOGUE: The Cellar Tapes,’ the newly unearthed 12-song collection arriving May 29 via Craft Recordings. Written by Bob McDill, one of Williams’ most trusted collaborators and a fellow Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, the track carries all the understated warmth and emotional clarity that defined Williams’ best work. His unmistakably warm baritone is front and center, unhurried and deeply felt, exactly as it should be. Listen here.

McDill and Williams built one of Nashville’s great creative partnerships. McDill penned “Amanda,” “It Must Be Love,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me” and “(Turn Out the Light And) Love Me Tonight,” all central pieces of Williams’ catalog and all reflective of a shared instinct for restraint and timeless storytelling. “How Can I Miss What I Never Had” fits naturally alongside that body of work. Longtime co-producer Garth Fundis, who collaborated with Williams for more than four decades and played a central role in restoring and completing this collection, puts it plainly: “The sincerity shines through in this CLASSIC vocal performance by Don matched with the songwriting of Bob McDill. For the life of me I cannot recall how this track could have been overlooked, never before included on an album. Almost lost…but not now.”

Drawn from recordings captured during Williams’ defining 1979 to 1984 era, ‘EPILOGUE: The Cellar Tapes’ is a 12-track archive that fills in a remarkable chapter of country music history. Williams charted 56 singles across his career, including 17 number ones, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010. He passed away in 2017, but his influence runs deep through every generation of artists drawn to authenticity and genuine songcraft.

‘EPILOGUE: The Cellar Tapes’ Tracklist:

  1. Try Me Again
  2. You Came True
  3. I’m The One (Alternate Version)
  4. Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight
  5. I Wish I Was Crazy Again
  6. I’m In Love For My Last Time
  7. Spinning Around
  8. A Matter Of Time
  9. I’m The One (Original Version)
  10. How Can I Miss What I Never Had
  11. Goldy’s Gone From Golden
  12. Growing On Me