BILL BLOG
Friday August 2, 2024
Friday morning with bags packed for a road trip to Huntsville. Hot trip today with temperatures in the 90’s again. Yesterday the heat index hit 110…almost as hot as the chicken they sell here in Nashville.
YESTERDAY
My co-writer Kristy Cox had to cancel our writing appointment yesterday because she came down with COVID, so my day opened up. And that gave me time to put new strings on my old guitar in preparation for several shows coming up on the road. Gosh, if I sounded as good as my Martin guitar, I’d really be something!
FLASHBACK
My friend Bobby Tomberlin posted this great picture on his Facebook page yesterday.
From left to right that’s Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys, Shelly West, Linda Davis, the late B.J. Thomas, Bobby Tomberlin, me, and Ray Stevens. Pretty good story behind this picture taken in a recording studio several years back.
In the year 2017 the city of Houston got flooded…big time. Songwriter Sandy Knox who wrote the song “Does He Love You” for Reba and Linda Davis is from Houston and wanted to help. And so did another Houston native BJ Thomas…Mr. “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”. So Sandy wrote this song “We Are Houston” to help raise money for flood relief for the city and they put together a choir of Nashville singers to help BJ sing it. Very much like a “We Are The World” type of song with BJ singing the lead. And my friend Bobby Tomberlin was nice enough to ask if I wanted to be part of that choir? Did I. It was an honor, and we just had so much fun that day. And the good news is the song did help raise a lot of money for the cause.
Take a look at the VIDEO here. You should see some folks you know singing…like me!
And for the record...B.J. Thomas was an extremely nice man. It was an honor to be part of this song.
THE CHARTS
The Bluegrass Today Gospel Chart just came out this morning and I’m happy to see that I still have 2 songs on the chart. The song “Blue Collar Gospel” from Jerry Salley & The Oak Ridge Boys is still flying high at #2 this week. And “Never Too Lost” from Troy Engle is in at #7.
Congrats to my co-writers on those songs…Jerry Salley and Rick Lang on “Blue Collar Gospel.” And Troy Engle on “Never Too Lost”.
NEW SONG
My long time talented friend Brady Seals put out a new digital album on his website that includes six songs the two of us have written together over the past several years and he’s been putting up some “teases” on the songs over the past few weeks. Check out this one “Deeper Shade of Blue Collar”…a song that my wife Kathy inspired. AND…Brady put a rapper on this version of it that you’ll see when you click on the link.
Never thought I’d be a writer on a song with some “rap” in it. I’ll be out buying some gold chains later today.
SPEAKING OF WIFE
My wife Kathy wound up with a small role in a movie. She filmed her part a few year ago and the independent film will be shown at a film festival here in Nashville August 7. The movie is titled “My Best Friend Depression”…a comedy. So…who knew I married a danged movie star!
And to prove it…here’s my wife’s “head” shot…or in this case her “back of the head” shot taken from the movie shots. This is her talking to the director of the film. Congrats babe!
NEW EVENT
I’ll be in Marion, Illinois come September 6 & 7 with Freedom Sings USA. Myself and the other writers you see on this poster will write songs with local veterans, and then we’ll have a concert outdoors in downtown Marion Saturday evening to sing those songs and honor those veterans we wrote with. Always an amazing experience.
HEALTH NOTES
First cases of West Nile virus in New Jersey have arrived and it’s the earliest on record for that.
In August, Tennessee will be the first state to help families cover the cost of diapers.
A surgeon in New Orleans just listed a food regime to get on to help reduce joint inflammation. Blueberries in the morning, walnuts at lunch, and dark chocolate in the evening.
YEP
Some pets are better than others.
MAN IN BLACK
They are going to put up a statue of Johnny Cash in Washington, DC. The statue will be located in the National Statuary Hall as part of the collection there. Two statues from each state are represented, and Johnny will be one of two from his home state of Arkansas. His will be unveiled in a ceremony on September 24.
I would suggest that they put Johnny’s statue in the middle of a “Ring of Fire”…but they probably would ignore me.
BIG DUCK
This inflatable duckie is coming to a water park in New York. 61 feet tall and it weighs 15 tons. Because who doesn’t need a gigantic duck to look at while they’re floating in water?
IT’S OFFICIAL
Comedienne Maya Rudolph will indeed be returning to Saturday Night Live to reprise her role portraying Kamala Harris.
And they already have a great Donald Trump comedian in ….so I’m waiting to see a very funny debate on SNL between the two.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
Weird Things That Leak Out Of Your Belly Button. (I didn’t read the article…I just am not THAT curious.)
TODAY
I’ll be on the road in a couple of hours headed to Huntsville, Alabama for the 6:30 pm dinner-show at the Jim Parker Songwriter Series held inside a beautiful theater there in Huntsville alongside these great songwriters you see on the poster. It’ll be a long day as it’s down and back…about 2 and a half hours from Nashville. But it’s a really great sow to play and I’m thankful that Jim has invited me like 5 times now to come be a part of it.
Here’s a little VIDEO from the last time I played his show.
Looking forward to the fun that’s coming tonight.
Have a great weekend!
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