BILL BLOG
Friday June 13, 2025
Friday! Bring on the weekend.
The high will be 83 today in Nashville with light rain on tap.
YESTERDAY
I wrote with Bobby E. Boyd for the first time in a long while. I met Bobby years ago when he invited me, Linda Davis, and Lang Scott to do a songwriter show with him here in Nashville. Shortly after that show, we wrote together for the first time. It was nice to have him reach out to me after all those years had rolled by and ask if I’d like to write again with him? Oh yeah.
Bobby wrote “In Pictures” for Alabama. “Working Man’s PHD for Aaron Tippin. And he wrote a song that changed his life for the better forever, “The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts.
He told me yesterday that he was writing for a publishing company and not having much luck. So much so that he had to take a job as a roofer, and that broke his heart and dimmed his spirits. It can be that kind of business for sure. But then one day he walked into his publishing company at the time, and one of his co-writers on “Broken Road” told him that Rascal Flatts had just recorded that song and that it was going to be a single. Bobby had a pretty emotional reaction to that, of course. He no longer had to be up on a roof banging away with a hammer in the hot Tennessee sun.
For songwriters, we kind of know that what they say is true. “It only takes one”. That’s true, if it’s the right one. That certainly is the case for Bobby with that wonderful hit.
We had a fun day catching up and writing a new tune together.
GRAMMY NEWS
Interesting. The Grammys just added “Best TRADITIONAL Country Album” category following Beyonce’s ridiculous win for “Best COUNTRY Album” this year. Good idea.
“Texas Hold’ Em’” was the big COUNTRY song off that album, but to give Beyonce a Grammy for Best Country Album would be like giving Billy Graham an award for “Best Catholic”.
And on a similar note…if you want to hear a great cover of “Texas Hold’ Em”…check out this version from the great a cappella group Home Free singing it with the girl trio Chapel Heart.
SONG OF THE DAY
“Walk With Me Today” is one of my favorite gospel songs that I’m a part of. Written with Irene Kelley, it’s one of the very first songs she recorded. She put it on her “Benny’s TV Repair” album, the album named after her Father, Benny, who had a repair shop like that where Irene grew up in Pennsylvania in the basement of their home.
The song, though never a single, was pointed out and praised in a couple of great bluegrass reviews when it came out.
HEALTH NOTES
A study finds that children’s cereals are now saltier, fattier, and sweeter.
Research is showing that losing weight could reduce chronic disease later in life.
Meanwhile, experts are saying that rising food prices in the US is getting in the way of healthy eating.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
The Doctor is in…but he’s not seeing stupid people today.
UBER LEFTOVERS
People tend to leave things in the backseat of their Uber rides. Here’s a few of those things…for real.
A Star Wars light-saber.
A puppy. Uh huh.
A clown nose.
And $500 worth of “live” fish.
Gather your belongings…and especially your fish folks when you step out of the Uber ride.
GOD WINK
One man survived that horrific Air India crash that claimed 241 lives. Just one. Seat 11A. Things that make you wonder, “why me”?
DOLLY TRIVIA
Did you know that Dolly Parton’s Dad once cussed out a pastor for bringing rattlesnakes while the kids were performing at church? True. It’s those kinds of stories that inspired the song “Religion Scares The Hell Out Of Me” that I recorded on my “Off The Wall” album, recorded at the Bluebird Café.
Listen for the “serpent” reference in the song.
AND DID YOU KNOW
That when Reba lost her entire band in the horrific plane crash many years ago, Dolly called and offered her band so that Reba could fill her dates and continue her career. Vince Gill made Reba the same offer.
My dear friends Lang Scott and Linda Davis became members of Reba’s newly formed band and played for her for several years. And of course, Linda became Reba’s duet partner on the award-winning “Does He Love You” duet, which our “Evening in the Round trio performs at every show with a guest singer.
And then to bring this story full circle…later on, Reba sang “Does He Love You” with guess who? Uh huh. Dolly Parton. Check out this VERSION of that great duet hit.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
That would be today. It will be hard not to stop at a Krispy Kreme as they will give you a dozen of their donuts for just 13 cents today. There goes my diet.
AI COMMERCIAL
Did you see this? A complete AI-generated commercial that ran during one of the NBA finals games. All of it fake. Every bit of it. Actors, voices…you name it. Check THIS out.
It only cost $2.000 to make, and it only took a few days to make it using Google’s new text-to-video generator.
Don’t just believe everything you see and hear these days. And don’t believe that the person on the phone trying to sell you something is real either.
SPEAKING OF FAKE
How about the guy who must have too much free time on his hands? He sneaks FAKE products into stores. Yep. Here’s my favorite.
TODAY’S HEADLINE
Statistics Show That Teen Pregnancy Drops Off Significantly After Age 25. (Pretty sure that’s accurate.)
TODAY
I’m writing with friend Rick Lang, who is in town from out east doing a week’s worth of songwriting. I think I’m his last co-write of the week before he heads back home this weekend.
Then tonight my wife and I are headed to the Opryland Hotel to see our friends Linda Davis and Hillary Scott receive the Jeannie Seeley Award for influencing women in a positive way.
I can’t think of two women who deserve that kind of recognition more.
FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
It is that. Here’s to all the great Dad’s in the world…like mine was. Donald Payne Whyte.
Have a great weekend.
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