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Sunset Beach Song...Top Of The Chart...Toupee Smuggler

BILL BLOG

Wednesday February 26, 2025 


Spending this “Hump Day” on the beach. And I’ll be doing a radio interview from the beach around noon today. More on that at the end of today’s Blog.

 

75 degree high on the Gulf Coast today with nary a cloud in sight.

 

YESTERDAY

Another lazy day on Panama Beach.  More sunscreen. SPF 30 if you’re curious.



 

More complete relaxation than I’ve experienced for a while. Every time I come to the beach it takes me a couple of days to fall into that peaceful feeling.  That happened yesterday for sure. The sounds of the waves and the seagulls and the Air Force jets flying over from Tyndall Air Base were mesmerizing.



 

I did finish up a little beach song before the sunset down here yesterday. So, I can say I accomplished something.



 

Then less than 3 minutes down the road from where I’m staying, I found a great little seafood place.



 

There must be a lot of Wisconsin snowbirds who come down here because they had Wisconsin cheese curds on the menu.



 

Delish. I did think it was odd though that the music playing in the seafood restaurant was music of the 40’s and early 50’s. Gene Kelley was crooning “Singing in the Rain” as I bit into my curd. Seems like something tropical would have been the right choice…but it just added something different to the end of my day. 


 

 

CHANGE OF VENUE

I’ll be in Crockett, Texas a week from Friday with Linda Davis, Lang Scott, and our “Evening in the Round” show. We’ve had a venue change for that show. The show will be held now at Bear Hall in Crockett. A 7:30 pm show. I’m hearing they’ve sold a lot of tickets so we’re looking forward to that.



 

And then the next night Saturday, March 8 we’ll be in Marshall, Texas at the Memorial City Hall Performance Center for another 7:30 pm show.



 

TWO WEEKS IN A ROW

Some great music chart news rolled in early this morning. The song “Country Faith” that I wrote with the artist Kristen Leigh Bearfield along with Tim McGraw’s guitar player Bob Minner is sitting at #1 for the second week in a row on David Pugh’s gospel-bluegrass chart.



 

Pretty great seeing this song get that kind of recognition. Congrats to Kristen who recorded the song with gospel great Karen Peck.



 

And on top of that, we found out that the song is nominated for the Absolutely Gospel Music’s Bluegrass Single of the Year as well. (AGM)  Wow.



 

Pretty sure I’ve never had a song sit on top of any chart for multiple weeks, so cause for celebration here on the beach today.



 

SONG OF THE DAY

This is something different. My friend Brady Seals and I wrote with a large group of writers in Gatlinburg at the songwriter festival there a couple of years ago. There must have been at least 10-15 folks in that group writing session that Brady and I conducted. Out of that class came a song titled “Murder, Moonshine, Coal and Trains” which we turned into a great up-tempo bluegrass number.

 

This week one of the writers in the class sent us THIS. And AI generated version of that song. And AI converted into a female contemporary country song. It’s mind-boggling. Had I not known, I don’t think I would have suspected the voices, the instruments, everything was generated through Artificial Intelligence. The music business is changing big time again and I have no idea if it’s for the better. But check out the fake song and see what you think.

 

HEALTH NOTES

The American Health Department is warning of a murder spike to Spring Breakers headed to Mexico. Yep…that would be a big health note.

 

Scientists say that “dessert stomach” lives in your brain. (I’ve been wondering where mine was)

 

Experts say that there were fewer food recalls in 2024 yet more Americans were sickened in 2024 than the year before when there were more recalls. (I know that makes good sense…somehow)

 

HERE’S YOUR SIGN



 A little less is sometimes best.

 

NO BIG DEAL

A massive sinkhole swallowed the car of a police officer’s wife in Philadelphia. The cop’s reaction was, “No big deal. Part of living in Philly.”. What?

 

Running the Rocky steps, having a cheese steak sandwich, and booing Santa Claus at an Eagle’s football game was what I always thought was part of living in Philly. Having a sinkhole swallow my car? Not so much.


 

 

DID YOU KNOW?

That there are pet psychics?  There are. Lot of hair on their couches I would suppose.

 

A lawyer in the UK quit her job to become a pet psychic and charges customers $350 an hour to speak to their animals. And she has a waiting list. Wow.

 

I’m guessing there’s a tarot card reader flipping cards in front of an ostrich somewhere right now as well.

 

EGGS AGAIN

Denny’s is now the latest to add an egg surcharge to their menu. Yep. Your Grand Slam just got more expensive.

 

Egg prices have gotten so high that one Mom proclaimed that she would be painting potatoes come Easter time this year.

 

HIGH TOUPEE

Here’s one for you. Authorities caught a man trying to smuggle cocaine that was laced in his toupee!



 

His mistake may have been when authorities ask if he had anything to declare? When he said, “Not off the top of my head” they became suspicious. At least that’s what I’m going with here.

 

HEARTWARMING VIDEO

Check out this VIDEO of a young 6-year- old fisherman reeling in a 5-pound bass with his Dad. The joy it brings both of them will tug at your heart…especially if you like to fish. The Dad simply could not be more excited for his boy.

 

Watching it took me back to when my own Father used to take me and my two brothers fishing when we were young casting off the shores of some lakes and ponds in Missouri. And it was a celebration every time we were lucky enough to land a bass or perch or bluegill or carp or whatever was pulled up on the end of our lines.

 

My Dad loved to fish. And this video certainly took me back to some great times with him and my brothers Gary and Gene.



 

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

I Haven’t Eaten A Thing In 10 Years And Now I’m Terminally Ill.” (Wonder what brought that on?)

 

TODAY

More beach, but at 12:30 I’ll take a break from the sun and visit with Terry Burford who’s a radio guy in working on KZHE Radio in Magnolia Springs, Arkansas.


 

 

 A mutual friend of ours and a native of Arkansas songwriter Wood Newton just interviewed with Terry and suggested to him that he should reach out to me as well. So today we’ll talk a little radio, songwriting and whatever Terry wants to talk about. And Terry is also a member of the Country Radio Hall of Fame as I am…so I’m sure we’ll talk about that a bit as well.



 

Have a great Wednesday.


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