BILL BLOG
Friday, October 30, 2026
It’s not only Friday, but it’s the last Friday of the month as we head into Halloween weekend.
YESTERDAY
I sat and wrote a new “stone” country song yesterday with Daryl Mosley, who, for the most part, writes bluegrass and gospel songs like this great song of his, “Mayberry State of Mind.”
Before we wrote a note, Daryl told me an INCREDIBLE story about a new friend he made. He posted a bit of the story on his Facebook page, so instead of me trying to recapture what he said, these are Daryl’s words about one incredible day.
Imagine giving a coworker a ride home and it is changing your entire life.
Today I spent a couple of hours with one of the finest gentlemen I've met in a long time. Buell Wesley Frazier was working at the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas in November of 1963. He had trained a new employee named Lee Harvey Oswald.
Oswald and his wife were separated, and she was living near where Frazier lived with his sister. Oswald did not have a car so on Fridays he would often catch a ride with Frazier in order to spend the weekend with his estranged wife and daughters. It was Frazier who gave Oswald the ride into Dallas on the day of the assassination of President Kennedy.
Because of that favor, Frazier was arrested, interrogated, and accused of conspiring with Oswald before finally being released the next morning. But his association with the alleged killer of the president has followed him his entire life.
He and I talked about that day in Dallas but also discussed his life after that, his military service, his family, and more. At 82 years old now, Buell Frazier is a warm, kind, decent man.
He gave me a copy of his book, "Steering Truth." I look forward to reading it. If you'd like to hear his fascinating story, I recommend you pick up a copy too.
Wow. What a way to start a songwriting session, getting to hear a story like that.
And then we wrote a George Jones-type song, because we both love that kind of country music. We would pitch the song to the Possum, but he’s hard to reach these days.
SONG OF THE DAY
The new Kristy Cox album is out. I’m blessed to have two songs on that album, including “Other Side Of The Wine,” written with Victoria Venier and Jerry Salley, from an idea Victoria brought into the writing room.
HEALTH NOTES
A clinical trial found that daily fiber supplementation may benefit people with osteoarthritis by reducing pain, improving muscle strength, and even decreasing the body’s sensitivity to pain.
A California pumpkin patch tied to an E. coli outbreak had to take urgent action after three kids were sent to the ICU.
A new survey is suggesting that the majority of AI users trust chatbots over a doctor’s advice.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
I’m looking for a sign that reads, “More Hair.”
ROLL OUT THE BARREL
Yep, they are celebrating a World Series Championship in Wisconsin. THIS HAPPENED last night at Lambeau Field during the Packers football game against North Carolina.
Does Wisconsin know how to party? Oh yeah. After living there, I can testify. And here’s more proof. In Tampa Bay at one of the bars, Brewer fans went through 1,000 cases of beer, a month’s worth of brew in one day, according to the owner.
And today in Milwaukee, they will have a championship parade that should be off the hook.
PARADES
Milwaukee is a parade kind of town. Lots of festivals, lots of parades. Especially Christmas parades. And here’s a fun story.
My radio partner at WMIL, Scott Dolphin and I were to ride in the Milwaukee Christmas parade in an open-air convertible. In December. It was COLD! The parade began at the State Fairgrounds. Everyone is dressed up in Christmas clothes, hats, you name it.
Scott and I walked up to the State Fair Inn Bar to get in where it was warm and wait until it was closer to the time the parade left the fairgrounds. And when we got there, we noticed there were camels tied outside to a lamppost. When we went in the bar, we noticed three wise men AND Santa drinking beer, and popping shots. You can’t make that kind of stuff up, folks.
So, yes, Milwaukee knows how to party.
WALMARTIANS
Yep, these two were in a Walmart store.
I had to stop at Walmart yesterday, looked in every aisle, but didn’t see them.
CAPTAIN PICARD
Sad to see that actor Patrick Stewart, the greatest Star Trek captain ever, passed away at the age of 86. Great actor. He made for a great Scrooge as well in his version of A Christmas Carol.
And as great as his acting skills were, it was his great voice that got my attention. Man, what pipes he had. RIP.
NO GOOD FORTUNE
Tennessee has just officially banned all palm readers and fortune tellers in over 100 Tennessee cities and towns.
What’s that fortune teller joke?
“Earlier today, I knocked on the door of a fortune teller…
She asked, Who’s there?”
So, I left.
FOR A LAPTOP?
Apple has rolled out a MacBook Pro computer with a touch screen. The 16-inch version will set you back almost $15,000.
I’m going to have a hard time convincing my wife that I really need one of those for Christmas.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From Steve Goodier:
“We don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.”
TODAY
I’ve got the day free, but this evening I’ll be cheering on my friend Caroline Owens at her album release party, and I’ll get to hear her sing “Telluride,” which I wrote with Andrea Pearson, with a full bluegrass band tonight.
And then it’s Halloween weekend. Because we live down a dead-end, curvy road, we’ve never had a trick-or-treater. Because of that, I buy candy anyway, because I know it’s not going in anyone’s bag but my own.
Oh, and don’t forget, we have to set our clocks back this weekend, which I hate. Sigh. Shorter days coming.
Have a great weekend!
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