Bill's Blog

BILL BLOG Monday June 30, 2025   Monday morning, the last day of June already, and we’re rolling towards the 4 th of July. And it’s likely to be hot.   With that in mind, did you hear that the inventor of the heat index died?   He was 88 but felt like 107.   Some light rain with a high of 88 is predicted for Nashville today.   THE WEEKEND Over the weekend, I found out that two songs I helped write are up for consideration for the Dove Awards this year. “ Blue Collar Gospel ” was recorded by Jerry Salley and the Oak Ridge Boys, written with Jerry Salley and Rick Lang .   And “ Country Faith ” was recorded by Kristen Leigh Bearfield with gospel great Karen Peck singing harmony, written with Kristen Bearfield and Bob Minner .   “For consideration” means it’s in the early stages of the voting, and we’ll have to wait and see if either song makes it to the final ballot. Either way, it’s pretty cool to have the...

BILL BLOG Friday June 27, 2025   It’s Friday morning. Are you ready for the weekend?   It will hit 91 for a high today in Nashville.   YESTERDAY I had an open day pop-up after my writing session was cancelled at the last second. So I spent some time at my publishing company talking about songs that are being pitched of mine right now with my publisher. And we talked about a new song that I helped write that my publisher likes a lot, but thinks there are parts of it that could be stronger. And he was right.   Songwriting is a competitive business, and getting artists to record your songs is always a challenge. Changing a lyric and making it stronger increases the odds a little that a song may find a home. I’m all about trying to make something good…better.   Further down in this Blog today, you’ll read about a lyric change that led to a smash hit because the writers were willing to make a change.   MORE BLUEBIRD I’m...

BILL BLOG Thursday June 26, 2025    Thursday morning arises after a busy Wednesday. It’s ONLY going to be 95 in Nashville today with some possible rain. And that’s good news after the weather folks predicted that it would be over 100 degrees yesterday. Plenty HOT.     How hot is it?   Hot enough that asphalt melted in NYC yesterday and almost swallowed this bus.  YESTERDAY My friend Troy Engle drove down from Pennsylvania with his family to visit a couple of colleges for his daughter. And he found time to write a wonderful idea he brought with him from Amish country, with me, and I’m surely glad about that.   Troy lived in Nashville for years, and he wrote songs and played with the late Tom T. Hall …and then Eric Church , and then Patty Loveless , and on and on. Big acts hired him a lot because he’s a multi-instrumentalist and can play banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, steel guitar…you name it.   If his two...