Bill's Blog

BILL BLOG Friday January 31, 2025   Friday morning and it’s the last day of January already. Rain in Nashville…adding to the rain we had yesterday with a high of 66 today.   YESTERDAY I took my friend Brent Burns to the nationally syndicated “Big D & Bubba” show here in Nashville where he sat in and sang a couple of funny tunes. One of those being “ Trailer Park Sexy ” that the two of us wrote. It gave Brent a chance to mention that he will be the Grand Marshall of the Mardis Gras Parade this year in Gulf Shores where lives. The theme of his float is “Trailer Park Sexy” so my friend will be dressed like “ Cousin Eddie ” of the Chevy Chase “Christmas Vacation Movie”.   There goes the Gulf Shores neighborhood. He’ll have a bunch of Parrot Head women walking alongside his float with HUGE curlers in their hair…etc. Should be memorable.   For me it was great to see my friend Jonathan Shaffer who is now producing the “Big D & Bub...

BILL BLOG Thursday January 30, 2025   Thursday morning at the Whyte House. A 55 degree high on tap today in Nashville with a little rain.   YESTERDAY My friend Brent Burns is at the house getting ready to hit the recording studio again and we spent part of the day celebrating his debut at the Bluebird Café on Tuesday evening which was memorable…and a bucket list item for my friend. The evening could not have gone better.   But most of yesterday we were going over new songs that we’ve written together that Brent is about ready to record starting later today. Some funny songs, some beach songs per usual for him. Our mutual friend Dave Frances came over in the evening and charted out all the songs for the musicians. Dave is the session leader. Plays bass, guitar and a few other instruments and these days he travels with the great Don McClean and gets to play bass on iconic songs of Don’s like “Vincent” and “Bye Bye American Pie.” We couldn’t ...

BILL BLOG Wednesday January 29, 2025   Wednesday morning be here and it’s going to be spring like with sunshine and a high of 62. No complaints here.   LAST NIGHT What a special night last night at the Bluebird Café. My friend Brent Burns was in the songwriter round with me and my “Hits & Grins” musical partners Victoria Venier & Steve Dean and it was Brent’s very first time to play at the Bluebird.   Both his son and daughter made the trip…the son from Gulf Shores and the daughter from Texas and Brent had several of his fans in the house as well. And as they say, “he done good”. It made me really happy to be a part of making this happen for my friend.   And hour and a half flies by when you get the chance to play at the Bluebird and boy did it ever.   And my friends Linda Davis and Lang Scott came out as well and got up and sang a Lady A song that the three of us sing in our “Evening in the Round” shows “ I ...

BILL BLOG Tuesday January 28, 2025   Tuesday morning…gearing up for a songwriter round at the Bluebird Café tonight.   Beautiful day in Music City coming up. Sunshine and a high of 58. By Friday we’ll be getting up near 70 for a high.   YESTERDAY I was in a studio with bluegrass artist Caroline Owens and my friend Thomm Jutz yesterday out at Thomm’s studio that’s a part of his home out in the country. The first time the three of have sat together. I had a feeling there might be some chemistry there as Caroline has some shades of the late artist Nancy Griffith and some Alison Krauss (her musical hero) in her voice, Thomm played out on the road for Nancy as her guitarist for many years.     And it was quickly obvious my hunch was right as the two of them hit it off over music and old valuable guitars that Thomm has MANY of that Caroline could pick up and play like a kid in an expensive candy store   And within three h...

BILL BLOG Monday January 27, 2025   Monday morning has rolled around. Does anyone else hear this song in their heads every time Monday shows up? Just me?   The winds have died down finally in LA helping firefighters…but now officials are worried about heavy rain that could cause mudslides. Truly a case of “if it ain’t one thing it’s another.”   Here in Nashville today we will hit a high of 47…but 60 degree temps are coming this week.   THE WEEKEND Mine started Friday with songwriter Shantell Ogden who was out visiting her parents in Yuma, Arizona…they’re snowbirds. So we wrote an idea she wanted to write online doing that old Zoom thing. Shantell is working on a Christmas movie that she’s going to start filming here in Nashville in a couple of months. We’ve written a couple of songs toward that project. Here’s hoping that one of those lands in her little movie.   SATURDAY I went to big bluegrass convention Saturday after...