BILL BLOG
Tuesday January 20, 2026
Tuesday morning, the 20th of January…already. And it’s cold. It’s just 12 above zero as I start this blog. Today’s high will be 35 in Nashville.
All eyes are on a winter storm pushing across the Midwest this weekend. Middle Tennessee could see 3 inches of snow or more. Kroger runs have already started.
I have a “Hits & Grins” show this Saturday night in Lebanon, Tennessee, with Victoria Venier and Steve Dean. Odds are that the show will be cancelled and rescheduled. I’ll let you know.
YESTERDAY
My writing session was with Thomm Jutz and Caroline Owens yesterday at Thomm’s house-recording studio.
Something good always seems to happen with this trio when it gets together, and yesterday was no exception. An unusual thing did happen, though.
Caroline brought an idea with her that she thought was a chorus of a song. And I brought an idea with me that I too thought might be a chorus start for a new tune. Thomm quietly observed, “Maybe we can use both”. Good catch. The two thoughts blended perfectly. I don’t think I would have ever thought of that. It was very fun sitting with those two, stitching those thoughts together into a new song.
LATER THIS WEEK
Both Thomm and Caroline will be playing at the SPBGMA Bluegrass Convention that starts this Thursday and runs through the weekend here in Nashville.
The minute you walk into the Sheraton hotel, you hear bluegrass music…everywhere. It’s up and down the halls, in the big conference rooms, in the hotel rooms themselves, everywhere.
I’m going Friday, and I saw that Thomm is playing in a songwriter round that day at noon, so I’ll go root him on. In fact, I told him I’m going to start the “wave” when he begins playing. And it is worth the price of a ticket to hear Thomm play guitar.
LAST NIGHT
We got our money’s worth with the NCAA College Football Championship played last night in Miami, where Indiana claimed their first national title for FOOTBALL ever. Congrats to the Hoosiers. Proof that anything is possible. The game certainly could have gone either way.
One of the “moments” many are talking about occurred during the pre-game ceremonies when American Idol winner Jamal Roberts kept “checking” his microphone before singing the National Anthem. Someone fell asleep in the ESPN truck and didn’t shut his microphone off. So we kept hearing “check, check, check” on national TV.
I’ve done that on the radio. I’ve left a microphone on when it should not have been. I’ve had listeners call and inform me of that, which is a little embarrassing to say the least. And you thank your lucky stars that you didn’t say something that would be hard to explain to your boss.
I’m guessing someone is having a meeting with their ESPN boss today.
CHECK CHECK CHECK
And I don’t know why singers, announcers, etc. don’t come up with something more creative to say into a microphone when testing it other than “check”. I think there might be a song in that. I guess I’ll just yodel when I’m testing a microphone from now on. THAT would be a lot more entertaining.
LINE OF THE NIGHT
That would go to former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who, in the pre-game ESPN broadcast, claimed that “The Big 10 has an advantage over the SEC because southerners won’t go north unless you pay them”.
Might be some truth in that, coach.
SONG OF THE DAY
Since we’re talking bluegrass music, here’s a bluegrass song Kristy Cox recorded of a song I wrote by myself, “Blue Ain’t Just A Color” on one of her albums a couple of years ago.
Kristy is back home in Australia right now playing the big bluegrass festival in Tamworth, Australia, that ends with an awards show. The winners received the coveted “Golden Guitar Award.” One of those was for the “Song of the Year”, “Finger Picking Good” that features world-class guitarist Tommy Emmanuelle, a song I wrote with her, and our friend Jerry Salley.
BONUS
Check out this VIDEO of Kristy singing part of “God Never Made A Mountain” that I wrote with Josh Shilling and Andrea Pearson at the big festival over in Australia yesterday. Thank you Kristy.
HEALTH NOTES
The Charlotte Observer reports that in just one decade, 170 babies, kids, and teens died in North Carolina after fentanyl encounters.
In South Carolina, officials say the measles outbreak has now spread to Clemson University.
Recent research suggests that Ibuprofen could have anti-cancer properties.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
How could you NOT grab a pew and hear that guy preach?
HANG A PEN
Bic is celebrating its 75th anniversary of making pens. And to celebrate their success, you can now hang a light that looks like a Bic.
Can’t wait to see the overhead lamp they come up with when Kohler celebrates its big anniversary.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
You don’t have to look far to find one. And I’m always amazed at what people actually believe without double-checking. One of the latest being passed around is from some dude who claims the Earth will lose gravity at 9:33 ET on August 12, and as a result, there will be millions of deaths and injuries. They (whomever they is) claim that NASA is hiding this truth from us.
I don’t have time to worry about that. I’m too busy keeping my eyes out for Bigfoot in my backyard.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Anonymous:
“When one door closes, another opens. Or you can open the closed door. That’s how doors work.”
TODAY
My writing appointment for this morning was cancelled, so I’ve got the day free.
Have a great Tuesday!
Comments
Post a Comment