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Texas Shows...a #1 Song...Freedom Sings

BILL BLOG

Monday March 10, 2025

 

Monday morning and I’m back home in Nashville and my clock has moved forward. Warmer temperatures have also arrived, and we’ll have a high of 68 degrees with the sun today and then almost 80 degrees for a high tomorrow!

 

THE WEEKEND

Friday I was in Crockett, Texas for the first time. Yep…Davy Crockett was here. Linda Davis, Lang Scott and I were in Crockett for a show on Saturday night and we saw a lot of Crockett around the town including the Davy Crockett bar.



 

Yep, complete with the rifle and coonskin cap above the bar. And I knew we were in true TEXAS bar when the sport that was on the TV was not baseball, basketball, hockey, or football. It was rodeo.



 

Love that. And then I really knew we were in the Lone Star State when Lang and I passed a place that was selling lawnmowers AND ammo. Well, it is John DEER season y’all. And I have to say a Zero-Turn mower with a gun rack mounted on the back is kind of “Texas” awesome.

 

 FRIDAY NIGHT

We played at Bear Hall in downtown Crockett. Originally the place was a garage way back in the 40’s and has been converted into a performance venue now. And Bear Hall was packed with folks who got into our “Evening in the Round” show.



 

Our thanks to the wonderful staff and volunteers that towhouch great care of us. Especially Ann Walker who hired us after seeing us at a talent showcase in Indianapolis a couple of years ago and thinking we would be a nice fit for their concert series.



 

We just had the best time doing our show there and folks were just so warm and kind. All three of us are hoping they’ll have us back again.


 

 

SATURDAY

On the way to Marshall, Texas we stopped for lunch at what has become one of my favorite places to eat in east Texas.



 

A mix of seafood, cajun, Mexican, and more all in one place that has cool memorabilia on its wall like this.



 

I grew up fishing with my Dad and brothers and the ole Lucky 13 was one of my favorite fishing lures that came out of my tacklebox. I’m betting bass are still hitting on those bad boys.

 

SATURDAY NIGHT

Just another great Evening in The Round Show. This time we were at the beautiful Memorial Hall in Marshall, Texas.



 

It’s just a pleasure to play in these refurbished theaters that have so much history.



 

It was originally built in 1927 to honor the men and women who lost their lives in World War 1. And then it was lovingly refurbished many years later.



 

Linda’s hometown of Carthage, Texas was just 20 minutes or so away and a lot of her family members were in attendance as were my longtime friends Don and Madeline Williams. It was great having all of them in the house.



 

Our thanks to the executive director Glenn Barnwell for booking our show after seeing us at a showcase in Indianapolis a couple of years ago.



 

And thanks to all who bought their tickets and came and enjoyed the show. We could not have had a better time!



 

SUNDAY

After about a 9-hour drive or more, I got home early in the evening and unpacked but I left the suitcase out for another trip coming up.

 

UP NEXT

I’ll be in Huntsville, Alabama this Friday and Saturday with Freedom Sings USA where I and a few other songwriters will be paired up with a veteran to write their story into a song. Saturday night we’ll have a concert that is free and open to the public to honor and salute those veterans. Looking very forward to sitting with the veteran they choose for me this weekend.



 

SONG OF THE DAY

Adam and Amy Pope are in the recording studio with my friend Darin Aldridge producing some new tracks on them. At least one of the songs will be one that Adam, Amy, andIf wrote together. Today’s “Song of the Day” is “Playing Patsy” that I wrote with Adam. In fact, it was the first time we had written together and this song came out of that session. Turned out so good as you’ll hear when you click on the link.


 

 

GREAT MUSIC NEWS

The song “God Never Made a Mountain” by Kristy Cox went to #1 on the Bluegrass Today Chart over the weekend…the big bluegrass chart that so many bluegrassers follow. I got a text in Texas from a songwriter friend offering up “congratulations” on my #1 song and I had no clue. It’s tied with 3 other great songs right now at the top of the chart.



 

The day Andrea Pearson, Josh Shilling, and I wrote that song we all thought it had a chance to do well. Has it eve?. Thank you to Kristy for her performance and thank you to my friend Jerry Salley for producing the heck out of it and for singing harmony on the chorus.



 

AND THEN

I got another wonderful text Friday evening from Becky Buller who’s been “Songwriter of the Year” for the International Bluegrass Association. She’s won several awards actually.



 

She was texting to tell me that Greg Blake, the “Male Vocalist of the Year” in 2023 is going to record a song the two of us wrote a few years ago that will be on his new album called “Darby’s Mandolin”. I told Becky to text more often! Thank you to Greg and Becky.



 

HEALTH NOTES

Over 200 people are now infected with measles in Texas.

 

Researchers have concluded that those with type A blood are more likely to experience an early-onset ischemic stroke…caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain…while those with blood type O have a lower risk.

 

A new study is suggesting that daily Omega-3 supplements combined with exercise may slow aging.

 

SIGN



 Guilty as charged.

 

EGGS

The DOJ is launching a probe into sky-high egg prices and possible restrictions that might be driving the price up so high. Egg prices have doubled over the past year alone. Wonder if my financial guy can add chickens to my portfolio.

 

At our “Evening in the Round” show in Marshall, Texas I jokingly asked the crowd to buy enough of our CDs so that we could afford to buy a dozen eggs when we got home. And they did!

 

ELECTRIC MILES

Experts are saying new battery technology that’s coming soon would allow an electric car to go 1,000 miles before needing to be recharged. Right now 7% of Americans own an electric vehicle.

 

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

Starvation Can Lead to Health Hazards. (Pretty sure that’s correct information there)

 

TODAY

I’ll be getting resettled after the roa -trip to Texas and back. I will be spending some time working on songs that I’ve written with veterans over the past few years. Tomorrow I’ll be recording three of those songs with my friend Steve Dean and for the organization Freedom Sings USA. Later this year those songs will be on a CD that you can purchase if you like on the website to benefit the organization so that we can continue to write songs with our veterans and honor them.

 

Have a great Monday!

 

 


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