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Quiet New Year...Ray Stevens...A Look Back

BILL BLOG

January 1, 2025

 

Wednesday…bring with it the very first day of a New Year. Time flies don’t it?

 

YESTERDAY

A lazy New Year’s Eve day around the Whyte House. My wife and I called our daughter Heather over in Germany to wish her a Happy Birthday…yep a New Year’s Eve kid. She and her husband Casey were in a theme park in the Netherlands called “Efteling” to celebrate the occasion. The two of them took us there when we were over in Germany last year so in our minds at least…we could picture where they were at. More on the Germany trip at the end of today’s Blog in the “Looking Back” section.



 

TWEAKING

I also spent a little time on the phone with producer-writer-singer Jerry Salley who is recording a song I helped write with my friend Andrea Pearson tweaking some lyrics of that song that young-talented bluegrass artist Caroline Owens is getting ready to record on her next album. Heck of an up-tempo tune and we wanted to make sure we have it just right and ready for the recording studio.



 

SONG OF THE DAY

Today’s song is a parody that I wrote with comedian-songwriter Cledus T. Judd that he recorded. This one is “Man Crush” a parody of the huge hit “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town. Our version is all about Tiger Woods who Cledus is a big fan of. Enjoy.


 

 

HEALTH NOTES

The CDC says 2024 was the worst year for stomach virus outbreaks on cruise ships in a decade.

 

British researchers have developed an AI tool they say that can identify people at risk of severe heart condition.

 

116 clinical studies agree that the average time one needs to exercise to lose weight is 150 minutes per week.

 

SOME KIND OF T-SHIRT



 

WEIRD LAW

Did you know that South Carolina has a law still on the books that says it’s illegal to keep a horse in a bathtub?  True. I hate that because I’m playing a show in South Carolina later this month and I was SO going to do that! Dang!

 

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

$5 million dollars’ worth of vehicles have been stolen at the Dallas Airport between 2023 and 2024 by an organized theft ring. 142 vehicles in the terminal area.

 

Official warn, “Park in a well-lit spot, lock your doors,, remove valuables or keep them out of sight, and make sure any alarm or tracking system is active”.

 

Wow. I see more Uber rides to the airport.

 

HE SAID IT

From the late funny man Robin Williams.

 

Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?”

 Great question.

 

NICE MAN

I’d never read this until this morning but the now late President Jimmy Carter would go down the aisle shake the hand of every passenger on any Delta flight he was ever on.  It says something about the man doesn't it?

 

RETIRED

Ray Stevens at the young age of just 85 just performed his last “live” show at his club here in Nashville Caba Ray. He will continue to record music but is stepping away from the stage.

 

Gosh. My friend Brent Burns and I will be forever grateful that he recorded the song we wrote “Retired”. 

After Ray finished recording the song he called me at the house and invited me to come to his studio on Music Row to hear it. And it was just me and him with him smiling and telling me how much he truly loves the song.  He sang it on his TV show a couple of times as well. 

And he pulled up at Lulu's where my co-writer Brent Burns was playing in Gulf Shores along with his friend Phil Everly of "The Everly Brothers" and Brent sat in the car with the two of them and heard the song for the first time. 

Those are the kinds of memories that stick with you. Thank you Mr. Stevens.



 

 WICKED

That movie just became the biggest grossing musical ever over the weekend. The previous record was held by “Mama Mia” which made $611 million worldwide. My wife and I contributed to that success. You're welcome. Good movie. 


 

 

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

DUI Suspect Busted In Rolls Royce…With Baby Monkey Wearing A Onesie In Front Seat. (I can't make this kind of stuff up folks.)

 

LOOKING BACK AT 2024

Well, it was a blur. Filled with many blessings and a of travel and music.

 

I traveled quite a bit with our “Evening in the Round” show starring Linda Davis with her husband Lang Scott and myself and celebrated a big anniversary for the two of them with dear friends to celebrate them that was pulled together by their daughter Hillary Scott and husband Chris.


 


 

Special night.



 

Once again I played several shows with “Hits & Grins” featuring Victoria Venier & Steve Dean. We got to play at Dollywood again in the big Palace Theater and that’s always fun.


 

 

I was blessed to write with several veteran’s this year all across the country for our Freedom Sings USA group. And that is such an honor every time.


 



 

I played at or on the beach multiple times on stages with the Gulf of Mexico behind me in the warm sun. 


 

 

Add to that all the songwriter rounds and other types of show…and I was pretty busy.

 

I had several of my songs recorded…a few #1 songs…a couple of  songs on a #1 Billboard Albums from Darin & Brooke Aldridge.



 

And I had a song on the Del McCoury album that got nominated for “Best Bluegrass Album of the Year”.


Plus, the legendary Oak Ridge Boys sang on a song I wrote with Rick Lang and Jerry Salley Blue Collar Gospel” that turned out to be the very last song that Joe Bonsall of the “Oaks” sang before he passed this year. The sang it with Jerry Salley.



 

My wife worked hard on a great book she’s written and the good news is it is very near completion and should be released this year. So proud of her.

 

She and I did make a trip to Germany and spent 2 and a half weeks with our daughter and son in law. We saw a lot of beautiful places in Germany.



 

The Netherlands


 



And three incredibly beautiful days in Austria in a little town that a lot of scenes from “The Sound Of Music” was filmed. And we got to spend some much needed quality time with our kids. 

 



 

I lost some dear friends as all of us do every year and I miss them.

 

So thank you to friends and family and loved ones and so many others that made 2024 so great. Now on to a great and healthy New Year.

 

TODAY
On this first day of the New Year I’m online tweaking a mostly written song for an artist named Casey Penn in Arkansas along with songwriter Brent Baxter who's in Missouri...so we'll be online for a short bit this morning doing that.

 

And then I’m turning my attention to all the College Bowl games.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

 

 



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