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New Song Being Recorded...Thank You Marion...CMA Nominations

BILL BLOG

Tuesday September 9, 2025

 

Tuesday morning it is. Sunny with a high of 83 on tap for Nashville today…comfortable.

 

YESTERDAY

I wound up sitting in on a writing appointment at the last second with my friend Wil Nance and Angus Gill out at Wil’s little writing cabin. It’s been a while since I sat with co-writers and came up with nothing. It does happen, and that happened yesterday. It was great company to be in, but nobody seemed to have an idea worth writing…so we didn’t.

 

So if y’all have a good idea for a song, you should have sent it to us yesterday!

 

IN STUDIO

However, while I was sitting in that writing session that wasn’t going anywhere, I got a text from producer Jerry Salley telling me that he was recording a song of mine for the new Rick Lang project.



 

That’s a song Rick and I wrote sometime last year, and it’s great to see it being added to this great new album that he and Jerry are working on.

 

FREEDOM SINGS USA

I just want to share one more photo of the stage I was on Saturday night in Marion, Illinois, for Freedom Sings USA with songwriters…L-R…Steve Dean, Bill DiLuigi, Irene Kelley, Me, and Bobby Tomberlin.



 

Again, thanks to the city, the organizers, and all the folks that came out and listened, and honored our great veterans from the southern Illinois region.



 

SONG OF THE DAY

Something funny from my friend Cledus T. Judd. The first time I ever wrote with Cledus was a rewrite of a song of mine. I met him and his producer, Chris Clark, at Warner Bros. on Music Row. They were looking for ideas for the next Cledus comedy album, and I knew it was on me to come up with something they’d like.

 

I suggested several titles, and was getting nowhere. Nothing was lighting them up. Finally, I told them I had an odd, funny song I had recorded on my “live” from the Bluebird album “Off The Wall” titled “If IHad Boobs”. They asked me to sing it to them, and I did, and they laughed. Cledus suggested we rewrite it to fit Kellie Pickler, who had just won “Dancing With The Stars” that year and had apparently had a little plastic surgery done. So we rewrote part of my song into “If I Had Kellie Pickler’s Boobs” with the Grammy-winning “Grascals” singing the background harmonies.

 

I actually read a quote later from Kellie saying how funny she thought the song was. It’s amazing sometimes how a song gets on a record. It landed on the Cledus album, “Polyrically Uncorrect”.

 


HEALTH NOTES

Researchers are saying a better Ozempic is on the way. A version that aims for a 30% weight loss with less side effects.

 

A group of researchers is looking for Chagas disease, also known as “kissing bug” disease, to be ranked as an endemic in the United States. It’s a parasitic condition transmitted by the blood-sucking “kissing bug” that has been reported in 31 states.

 

Some researchers say eating a late breakfast can lead to physical and mental health conditions such as depression, fatigue, and oral health problems.

 

HERE’S YOUR SIGN



And bring back the salt shakers while you’re at it!

 

CMA AWARDS

The nominees came out yesterday for the CMA Awards. The girls led the way. Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson, and Megan Moroney each garnered six nominations.


 

However, 4 of the five nominations for Entertainer of the Year are male artists. Those nominees are Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson.

 

This year’s award show will be on ABC on November 19.



JOKE

My wife yelled from upstairs and asked: “Do you ever get a shooting pain across your body, like someone’s got a voodoo doll of you and they’re stabbing it”?

 

I replied: “No”.

 

She responded: “How about now”?

 

HARD TO BELIEVE

Jeopardy is about to launch season 42. 42 years of questions I can never seem to answer.


 

 

“I’ll take NO CLUE for 200.

 

FALL FOLIAGE

A list of travel experts has named Tennessee as the best place to check out the colors of Fall. Smoky National Park would be a “must” for those into that sort of thing. But it does get crowded. And then there are the bears you have to keep your eyes out for. Which leads to this bear “warning” poem for those who hike.

"If it’s brown, lie down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, say goodnight.” Pretty sure nobody wants to walk upon a Polar Bear in the Arctic. 


 

 

FUNNY DOLLY

Check out this old video of Dolly Parton interviewing an old boyfriend. Her contagious personality in on full display in this funny THROWBACK-INTERVIEW. (Scroll down and you'll find it)

 

LET THEM EAT CAKE

Believe it or not, this is a wedding cake.



 

For real. I’d be truly amazed if it weren’t for the fact that my daughter Heather once made cakes that you’d think could not POSSIBLY be cakes.



Or this one.



 

And this one that she made still blows me away.



 

I have zero clue how they do that.

 

TODAY’S HEADLINE

Spanish Man Breaks Record For Fastest Backward 100 Meters In Women’s Heels. (Yeah, but can he do it in a pair of Crocs?)

 

TODAY

I’m off to write with Rick Lang, who is in Nashville for a week’s worth of songwriting and recording, as I mentioned at the top of today’s Blog. Rick comes into town about once a month from his home in Maryland to do this, as he’s constantly piling up songs for future recording projects.

 

Rick, Jerry Salley, and I will all be in Chattanooga in a couple of weeks for the IBMA Awards with our fingers crossed, as the song “Blue Collar Gospel” from Jerry and the Oak Ridge Boys is up for “Gospel Recording of the Year”. Wouldn’t mind if you kept your fingers crossed as well.



 

Have a great Tuesday!

 

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