A Celebration of Life...A Veteran's Song...Baling Hay

BILL BLOG

Wednesday August 6, 2025 

 

Hump Day Wednesday is on us. A little warmer in Nashville today as we have a high of 85 degrees on tap.

 

YESTERDAY

Linda Davis, Lang Scott, and I said our goodbyes to a mutual friend of ours, Mark Houser, at his celebration of life ceremony. And it was a celebration indeed.

Mark was a co-writer of mine. He and his girlfriend, Tena Rogers, run Amercianaville, a wonderful venue in Livingston, Tennessee that the three of us have played on more than one occasion. Mark’s “Gospel Train” album includes a song that Lang and Linda sang on, “I Will Stand,” which they performed beautifully at his ceremony. 

 

Mark fought a valiant fight against cancer for 3 years. Before he passed, Mark wrote with me an idea he had titled “Where You Choose To Go” that landed on the same album that Lang and Linda sang on…Gospel Train. He had cancer when we wrote that song.

Here’s the thing about celebrations of life. You find out things about your friends you did not know. I did not know what a great football coach he was. I did not know he was once a teacher. I did not know he was a part-time preacher! I did not know what a “spur of the moment” traveler he was. And I did not know what a horrible driver he was until those chosen to speak, including one of his sons, laid that out there.

 

And I did not know how many lives Mark touched until I saw the long long line of people that came to pay respect to their coach, their teacher, their co-worker, their co-writer, their pastor, and more. He only lived 66 years. But boy, did he LIVE those 66 years. He will be missed by many. RIP.

 

A MARINE’S SONG

I want to share this “live”recording this morning from my Freedom Sings USA friends. This is me singing the song “Seaborn Marine”, the song I wrote about and with 103-year-old Marine Bob Schultz last weekend in Marion, Illinois. Not many folks get to sit with a 103-year-old World War II veteran and write their story into a song.  What an honor. Semper Fi Bob!

 

SONG OF THE DAY

Today I’m selecting the song “Faster Than Angels Could Fly” that Irene Kelley recorded. It was the first song we ever wrote together at her little kitchen table one morning, and the song wound up on her album titled “Benny’s TV Repair” that was named after her Father, who had a little TV repair shop in the basement of their home in Pennsylvania, where Irene is originally from. You’ll hear some great “picking” from the musicians on this song. Enjoy. 

 

HEALTH NOTES

Florida health officials are issuing a warning about the dangers of consuming raw milk after 21 people in the state drank raw milk from the same farm and fell ill.

 

The federal government is calling off around $500 million worth of vaccine development projects that us mRNA technology.

 

Illinois just became the first state to ban AI therapists.

 

HERE’S YOUR SIGN

 

Yep, sometimes you’d have better odds with the dog.

 

SOME TRUTH IN THIS

 

Believe it or not, I did some of that when I was young and growing up, alongside my brothers, Gary & Gene. I learned to try not to be on a hay crew when the bales were wet from rain the night before. I learned to try and not to be the guy stacking in the hayloft. HOT almighty. And I learned to play a few chords, and that got me out of the hayfields. Seems like we got paid the whopping sum of 2 cents a bale back then. Thank God for guitars.

 

FUNNY MARRIAGE THOUGHT

This one from Cindy Garber, who wrote, “What’s the best way to get your husband to remember your anniversary? Get married on his birthday”.

 

Brilliant.

 

FRIGHTENING

Trantulas are on the move, and experts warn they will be swarming during mating season in several states. Look for them in Texas, Arizona, California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and southeast Colorado.

 

Thank goodness Tennessee is not affected. Otherwise, my wife would be living on top of a tall chair until mating season ends.

 

WORTH WATCHING

A bunch of Hall of Famers and NFL pros welcomed this year’s rookie class in a very special way. This is pretty cool…and moving. Check out this VIDEO.

 

TODAY’S HEADLINE

Midget sues grocer. Cites belittling remarks. (Probably settled in SMALL claims court)

 

TODAY

I’ve got a busy one ahead. I’m writing this morning with my buddy Jerry Salley, and then heading to a studio to sit with my friend and producer, Angus Gill, who will be producing a song we wrote with a young female artist from Kentucky named Kylee Paige. I’ll sleep well tonight.

 

Have a great Wednesday!