BILL BLOG
Monday August 26, 2024
Monday morning and it’s and we’re starting the very last week of August and it’s bringing a heat wave with it. 96 in Nashville today and then 100, 102, and 103 days to follow. Wow. Meanwhile in northern California they got snow in the mountains as did some of the Pacific Northwest.
THE WEEKEND
Mine started Friday morning with a writing session with Katrina Burgoyne a new Mama with a little one no more than 3 months old or so. So she’s trying like crazy to balance a life of being a singer-songwriter and a Mom all at the same time. Not an easy task for sure.
But she’s doing it and Friday she brought A very fun idea into the writing room that we tackled. Might wind up on a new EP that she’s working on and if so I’m probably going to have 3 of the songs that I wrote with her on this project including “Wife Trial” that gets great reaction she tells me wherever she plays. We’ll see.
Either way, it was fun catching up with her and her new life…and writing a fun tune together.
GREAT CHART NEWS
The “Talk of the Town” album from my friends Darin & Brooke Aldridge went to the #1 spot on the Bluegrass Weekly Chart this weekend after having been #1 already on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. And that means it's been the number one album on that chart for 2 months in a row!
I’m beyond happy to have 2 song on this album that’s now available on vinyl.
“Wildflower Too” that was a #1 song for Darin and Brooke that the three of us wrote.
And “Where You’ll Find Me” that I wrote with Lauren Mascitti and Kristen Leigh Bearfield. It’s great to see this album getting this kind of recognition.
GOSPEL CHART
And then the new Mountain Bluegrass Gospel Chart came out and look what song is #1 again!
Yep. “Blue Collar Gospel” from Jerry Salley & The Oak Ridge Boys which is the title track on the Blue Collar Gospel Album…Songs of Rick Lang written with Rick and Jerry.
And then “God Never Made A Mountain” by Kristy Cox that I wrote with Andrea Pearson and Josh Shilling is in the #8 spot…and the song has not yet been released as a single.
AND...even better it's the #4 most downloaded gospel song on the Radio Music DJ chart!
Somebody pinch me. That’s just a bunch of good news this weekend.
PYTHAGORUS
That was the name of an old Greek philosopher credited with many mathematical discoveries. But it is also the name of a young talented bluegrass band from Johnson City, Tennessee.
These talented musicians just recorded a song that I wrote with Tim Stafford titled “Old Gray Stone” that will be on their first album out the middle of next month. Tim teaches bluegrass music at Eastern Tennessee State University and the kids in the band were in his class. So he pitched our song to them when he found out they were going to record an album. How about that! Thanks to Tim for doing that…and thank you “Pythagoras” for recording it!
UP AHEAD
The road schedule starts getting busy this coming weekend. Here’s a peek at what’s ahead.
This Saturday night August 31 I’m at Starstruck Farms in Lebanon, Tennessee with “Hits & Grins” with my friends Steve Dean & Victoria Venier.
(Pic)
September 5, 6 and 7 in Marion, Illinois with Freedom Sings USA.
September 12 in Lufkin, Texas with Linda Davis & Lang Scott and our “Evening in the Round” show.
September 27 in Woodlands, Texas at the Dosey Doe Big Barn with “Evening in the Round”.
September 28 in Corsicana, Texas at the Palace Theater with “Evening in the Round”
October 2 & 3 in Orange Beach, Alabama with Freedom Sings USA.
October 4, 5, 6 in Pensacola at the Pensacola Songwriters Festival.
FUNNY QUOTE
From Homer Simpson.
“You tried your best and failed. The lesson is, never try.”
HEALTH NOTES
There’s a rare, deadly equine virus that is spreading in NY and can jump to humans via mosquitos.
Free COVID tests and treatments will be available again this Fall.
Cigarette smoking just hit an all-time low according to a new survey where only 11% said they light up.
LIVING OLDER
The CDC folks just listed the life expectancy age for every state in the union. According to them you’ll live the longest if you reside in Hawaii. (no kidding) Average age expectancy on the islands is 80.7. Hawaii is followed by California,, Minnesota and then Washington.
Lowest life expectancy is in Mississippi at just 71.9 years followed by West Virginia, Alabama, and Kentucky.
SPEAKING OF OLDER
How about 102 year old Manette Baillie from Suffolks, England who just jumped out of airplane over the weekend?
In her youth she was in the Royal Navy and her husband was a paratrooper. This was her first time jumping herself. And I love what she says about living to be old. “Keep busy, be interested in everything, be kind to those around you and let them be kind to you, and don’t forget to party”.
Duly noted.
JACKSON
HOLE
In beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming things have gotten so out of hand with
tourists trying to take selfies with wild animals that the town has released
this humorous “Selfie Control” PSA to help those kinds of idiots determine how far they
should be from a bison or elk or moose with horns when taking a danged selfie.
I wrote a song titled “Get Over Your Selfie” that kind of covers the stupidity of taking so many of those “look at me!” pictures that folks can’t seem to resist taking. Check out this VIDEO version of that song if you want a chuckle at that kind of insanity.
RELIABLE CARS
A consumer advocate Geoff Cudd has driven hundreds of cars. He just listed the cars with the “best” and “worst” value.
Best: The Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.
Worst: The Jaguar XF and the Mercedes S Class.
Wonder where this one ranks?
LOOKING FOR A JOB?
Hopefully you have the skill set needed.
TODAY
I’ve got today free of anything that I “gotta do” before the calendar gets jam packed with appointments and show dates on the road. So I’m going to just enjoy that and brace myself for what’s coming.
Have a great Monday!
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