BILL BLOG
Monday May 1, 2023
Monday morning and it’s the first day of May already. And it’s cool! I turned a danged space heater on this morning in my little office space. Just 62 for a high today.
THE WEEKEND FOR ME
Mine started Friday morning with a writing session with one of my “Hits & Grins” partners Victoria Venier and my buddy Jerry Salley. I was in the room with two very busy people.
Victoria had just been to Montana skiing the big hills, and then was in studio producing tracks for an upcoming show at Busch Gardens, in Williamsburg that she and her husband Matt Davenport are producing with their company Davenport Productions.
And Jerry had just been over in Gatlinburg hanging with Dolly and presenting her a couple of IBMA Awards (International Bluegrass Music Awards) for this wonderful recording of the old hymn “Sweet By and By” that Jerry produced and sang on. Pretty cool.
And today Jerry should be standing on the Hoover Bridge outside of Vegas as he and his wife Erin are on a western vacation where they will wind up in gorgeous Sedona for a few days. He’s never been, so I showed him this picture that is the screensaver on my computer of me standing on Devil’s Bridge in Sedona. What a breathtaking place to be headed to. I’m officially jealous!
The three of us dug into an idea I had started Friday morning, and we’re a verse short of a full song so the three of us will get together in June to finish it up.
BASEBALL
Then Friday night I was back catching a Nashville Sounds baseball game. We got a walk off hit in the bottom of the 9th to win the danged game against Omaha! Can’t beat that. I always enter the ball park from the centerfield gate, and the first thing I always see is the back of the gigantic guitar scoreboard we have. Best and most unique scoreboard ever.
And the front of the guitar doesn’t look half bad either.
THE BENEFIT
Last night I was part of a benefit for my friend Gerald Smith “The Georgia Quacker” held at the Commodore Inn here in Nashville. I played in the first set at 6 pm with my friend Janelle Arthur and Donnie Winters.
Janelle was taking a picture of Gerald, as we were both surprised and delighted that Gerald made it out. We weren’t sure as he’s had a real battle with his health and was laid up in a hospital for 6 weeks.
He told me after our set that he was feeling a little better and that was literally music to my ears. I did two songs last night, both written with Gerald, and Janelle did the same. And I played a guitar that Gerald sold last year to honor him. We had a GREAT turnout for him, a lot of great songwriters showed up, and we helped raise quite a bit of money to help Gerald pay for some of his hospital bills. It was truly a heartwarming night for a good guy.
FRANK BROWN SONGWRITERS
I got my official invitation to the Frank Brown SongwritersFestival for this November. This is the “grandaddy” of all songwriter festivals still going strong every year down in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The festival runs November 9-19 this year and I’ll be back with Steve Dean & Victoria Venier and our “Hits & Grins” trio.
I’m not absolutely certain right now which week we’ll be playing but I’ll post that as soon as I know for sure. I’ve been doing this festival for a LOT of years now and it’s always great fun, and the location on the beach isn’t half bad either. See you there…again.
HEALTH NOTES
A big Pharma Giant GSK based in London has seen their shares plummet because sales are way down for COVID vaccines since the pandemic went away. They’re looking for some new drug to offset the lack of COVID vaccine.
While the above is true, here in the states the Pharma guys have made a killing off the vaccines. The CEO of Moderna has 400 MILLION in his stock options alone, and then there’s his salary and perks. His Pfizer counterpart hauled in 33 million in salary last year and then you can add his stock options on top of that.
Meanwhile the US just extended the COVID vaccine requirement for foreigners visiting the US.
MAY DATES
Since it’s the first of May, I thought I’d share a peek at where I’ll be performing this month.
May 4 in Culpepper, VA with “Hits & Grins” Steve Dean & Victoria Venier at the Culpepper High School.
May 6 in West Point VA with “Hits & Grins” at Robinson-Olsson Auditorium
May 11 in Bucyrus, Ohio with “Evening in the Round” Linda Davis & Lang Scott at the Bucyrus Elementary School Auditorium.
May 15 in Canton, Illinois with “Hits & Grins” at the Canton High School Auditorium.
A FUNNY TWEET FROM A MOM
“If you’re wondering if parenting is for you consider this. My 5-year-old woke me up at 5 AM this morning in a panic because his fish wasn’t blinking”.
COMING TO NASHVILLLE
Yet another major entertainment complex will land in Music City later this year. That would be the Tiger Woods “Popstroke” Putting & Dining Adventure. 36 holes of putt putt with some holes indoors and some outdoors combined with a restaurant. Sort of like what the Top Golf folks do…but different. I’ll be checking this place out once it gets here.
SPEAKING OF NASHVILLE
One of the great things about coming to Nashville for a trip is there’s a fairly good chance you’ll see a celebrity or two. Sometimes it’s a surprise appearance. Like this one when Blake Shelton showed up over the weekend and stopped at his new place in our airport “Ole Red” and got up and sang a couple of tunes to a bunch of surprised and happy visitors on their way to somewhere. Only in Nashville folks.
NAKED FOOD
One thing I hope that doesn’t make its way to Nashville is the naked restaurant like they have in Africa. Before they seat you, you drop all your clothes then pull up a chair and you’re handed a menu.
I can only bet that Benihana’s will never do this because the patrons are sitting so close to the grill.
LAUGHING TEACHERS
You know as the late Art Linkletter used to say, “Kids Say The Darndest Things”. Teachers hear those “darndest things” for sure and you know they laugh. One teacher shared this funny story.
I was once teaching a lesson about horseshoe crabs and mentioned they lay 100,000 eggs a season and a boy in the back goes, “Dayuuuum that’s a lot of child support.”
TODAY
I’ll be online writing with Tim Stafford over in Knoxville this morning. Tim,
Becky Buller, and I wrote a song called “Details” that was the title track of
the Nick Dumas bluegrass album that’s out right now, and it’s up for consideration
for “Album of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association. So here’s
hoping we write something that good today as well.
Have a great Monday!
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