BILL BLOG
Tuesday September 16, 2025
Tuesday is here…and once again it’s a “pack a suitcase” kind of day with a trip to Chattanooga coming up. More on that at the end of today’s Blog. 89 for a high today in Nashville.
YESTERDAY
Alex Miller and I wrote again yesterday at the publishing company in Hendersonville, where the two of us write for Billy Blue. We had a fun time writing a traditional country song from an idea Alex brought with him. And that’s who Alex is. The former American Idol is from Kentucky, and his love for country runs deep.
I know this as well as anyone, as I was blessed to have had Alex’s first single release years ago, “Don’t Let The Barn Door Hit You”, which is about as country as it gets.
What made yesterday memorable, though, was the fact that Alex got locked in our writing room after I left for a bathroom break. Locked solid. Two sets of keys, 4 or 5 grown people, a lot of jiggling on the handle before FINALLY, after a good 5 minutes or more, the door popped open. We got a good song, but a better laugh from the “hang” yesterday.
HALL OF FAME
A reminder, if you happen to be here in Nashville this coming weekend, come join me and my friend Steve Dean at the Country Music Hall of Fame for our noon songwriter show on Saturday. It’s a 45-minute show, and we do Q&A in the middle of the set, that’s always fun. Admission is free to the Ford Theater with your paid museum ticket.
SONG OF THE DAY
I’m choosing this great duet from Jeannie Kendall that she recorded with Roy Acuff Jr. on her last record, which included 4 songs that I helped write. Talk about a blessing. This one is titled “Lovers Moon” that I wrote with my friend Irene Kelley, and Jeannie, formerly of 'The Kendall’s duo with her Father Royce, just slayed this little love song. Thank you, Jeannie.
HEALTH NOTES
A potentially severe mosquito-borne virus is surging in the US at levels above normal. The CDC reports nearly 500 infections as mosquito activity has a late summer peak.
Fall-related deaths have had a big spike for seniors over the past years. Experts suggest that the cause may be related to certain prescription medications.
A study claims that cannabis use is on the rise for pregnant women, despite serious fetal risks.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Yep. True.
THE EMMY’S
The award show had its best TV ratings in 4 years. Host Nate Bargatze may have had a lot to do with that. No comedian is hotter than Nate right now, and he’s “clean”. It’s actually harder to do “clean” comedy than dirty in my opinion.
Good for Nate, who plans on retiring from stand-up comedy soon and concentrating on TV, movies, and other things, like building a couple of theme parks…one of them being here in Nashville. True. Something that would remind folks here of the old and beloved Opryland Theme Park.
I watched some of the Emmys. The highlight for me was when Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson sang “Go Rest High On That Mountain” for the “In Memoriam” segment of the show.
But I did miss this funny “Everybody Loves Raymond” reunion moment on stage. Watch that HERE.
UNCLE HERSCHEL IS BACK
Yesterday, Cracker Barrel started remodeling from the new concept back to the old one that so many love. Cracker Barrel stores that have not seen the change won’t have to do anything. But the new is officially out, and the old is back in at Cracker Barrel.
Nice to see a company that actually listened to its customers. Although I still think an “Uncle Kracker Barrel” store would have been cool.
ChatGPT
That’s not going away. 100 million users now, many of them using it as a search engine over Google. It’s used for problem-solving and for creating messages and e-mails. Those are the top 2 uses as of now. And I know some songwriters who use it as well, looking to jump-start song ideas, or even create whole songs.
I’ll share a crazy, and kind of frightening story about how much ChatGPT is being used.
Earlier this year, 5 other Nashville songwriters and I were hired to write songs with employees of a big insurance company as a competition. Each songwriter had 30 minutes in a room full of employees, six different times, to write a verse and a chorus. Parody songs. We were assigned songs to write. The two I had were “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus, and “She’s In Love With The Boy” by Trisha Yearwood.
Two of the rooms I walked into wanted to write their lyrics using ChatGPT. And I was not the only songwriter that happened with. So instead of writing something original with a hit songwriter in Nashville, they chose to ChatGPT the idea.
As I said, it’s not going away.
PRIME
Oh no. Amazon just announced huge Fall savings coming up October 7 and 8 for their annual online event. So, come October 9…if you need empty boxes? I know someone who will have plenty of them.
My wife calls that “doing her part”.
ICE CREAM
Admittedly, it’s my weakness. I do love ice cream. So I was curious to see what the top ice cream stores are in America. According to an online publication, Uncast, these 5 have the best sales in America.
5…Carvel
4…Dairy Queen
3…Braum’s (never heard of that one)
2…Cold Stone Creamery
And the most popular is Baskin-Robbins with all those flavors.
My personal favorite came in at number 11…and that would be Bruesters. A place that my brother Gary and his wife Kay put me onto years ago when I visited with them at their home in Pennsylvania at the time. For dessert, they served up some Bruester’s “White Raspberry Truffle”.
Despite that, my all-time favorite is the kind we used to make when I was growing up in Missouri on the back porch or in the backyard. Still.
SPEAKING OF FOOD
You can now get all-night delivery from Waffle House. Yep. You can order through DoorDash and get some “scattered and smothered” at 3 AM if you’d like.
When I’m on the road with Linda Davis and Lang Scott, our “Evening in the Round” go-to after-concert stop is Waffle House.
One of the great things about this habit is this funny song I got out of watching folks at 2 AM in a Waffle House, titled “Midnight At The Waffle House” that I wrote with Brent Burns, who recorded it. With classic lines like, “Bacon Beacon”…and “It’s a Tarantino movie, midnight at Waffle House”.
TODAY’S HEADLINE
Planes Forced To Land At Airports. (I have suspected this for years)
TODAY
I’ll be sitting in a dentist’s chair for a while. After all these years, it’s still not something I love doing. Geez.
Then it’s time to pack, as tomorrow I’ll be at the IBMA Festival (bluegrass) for the first time. The festival is going on all week in Chattanooga. Billy Blue Records (the label I write for) will have a great showcase tomorrow afternoon featuring some of my favorite bluegrass artists, including some who have recorded my songs.
And then Thursday night is the awards show where the song I helped write, “Blue Collar Gospel” from Jerry Salley and the Oak Ridge Boys, is up for the “Gospel Recording of the Year”, written with Jerry and Rick Lang.
Should be a fun couple of days.
Have a great Tuesday!
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