BILL BLOG
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
And a good Tuesday morning to you. A welcome high of 49 today in Nashville.
YESTERDAY
It warmed up a little, finally, in Nashville. Most of what was left of the snow from the big storm melted away. And yet we still have thousands of folks sitting with no power, and some may not see it until this weekend, two weeks after the ice storm hit. The storm, and the struggles of those who lived through it, those who helped others, the recovery, the effort of the linemen and linewomen, is the stuff of a documentary waiting to be made, warts and all.
And with the sun coming out and temperatures warming, you can really see the massive cleanup ahead just from downed trees alone. Our place included.
Meanwhile, in Florida, more than 2,000 frozen iguanas have been removed. At least we don’t have that worry in middle Tennessee.
It’s become such a thing in Florida that Palm Beach now has a Class A baseball team named…guess what?
Yep, the Frozen Iguanas. I may have to buy THAT baseball cap.
TELLURIDE
I found out last week that the “Telluride” song from Caroline Owens that I wrote with Andrea Pearson is tied for the most-played song right now on SiriusXM.
That little bluegrass hit keeps chugging along. Great news to hear.
TRUCK BED
It was also great hearing the news that young Texas artist Payton Howie, with whom I wrote for the first time a few weeks ago with my buddy Brady Seals, is going to be recorded on February 9. One for one! Here’s a little acoustic TEASE of that song from Payton, singing just a bit of it with her guitar.
Thanks to my buddy Brady for inviting me to that writing session.
FREEDOM SINGS USA
I put songwriter retreat dates on my calendar for Freedom Sings USA, the organization that pairs Nashville songwriters with our veterans, writing their stories into songs, and then performing them in a concert to honor those veterans. Here are the dates so far for 2026.
February 12 & 13 in Greenville, Indiana.
April 16-18 in Ana, Illinois.
May 27 & 28 in Elmhurst, Illinois
June 30-July 2 in Junction City, Kansas
July 17 & 19 in Heyworth, Illinois
August 7-9 in Shiloh, Illinois.
And there will be more dates to be announced soon.
LAUNCH DAY
Today is the official launch date for my wife, Kathy Whyte’s first book, “Subtle Frequency”! A lot of hard work, patience, and dedication went into making this happen, and now it’s finally here…worldwide. You’ll be able to find it in book stores, online, everywhere. I am so happy for my wife. From a thought to a book distributed worldwide by Simon & Schuster. I hope you’ll consider ordering a copy and help us spread the word. Congrats baby!
SONG OF THE DAY
This one is from bluegrass artist-fiddle player Carley Arrowood, who at one time played fiddle with my friends Darin and Brooke Aldridge. She’s now a solo artist, and she recorded the song “Deeper in Love” that I co-wrote with Josh Shilling. Josh knew her and sent the song. She loved it and then just slayed our song in the recording studio. Thank you to both Carrie and Josh!
HEALTH NOTES
Chicago health officials are warning residents to be alert for symptoms of meningococcal disease after several recent infections were reported in the city. Two people have already died as a result of the infection.
Research shows that taking vitamin D plays a role in slowing biological aging.
New research from the American Cancer Society’s peer-reviewed journal “Cancer” found drinkers with an average lifetime alcohol intake of 14 or more drinks per week had a 25% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer and a 95% higher risk of developing rectal cancer compared to those with an average of less than one drink per week.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Who knew?
SUPER BOWL AD
The Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks is this Sunday. Here’s another Super Bowl COMMERCIAL featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales. It wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without them.
MOVING AWAY
According to Moving.com, South Carolina, Idaho, and North Carolina saw the biggest gains from folks moving to a new state in 2025. The states that lost the most folks were Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and California.
TOSS THE COIN
The famous Trevi Fountain in Rome is now charging tourists $2 to toss their coins into the iconic fountain, in an effort to deal with the overwhelming number of tourists.
My wife and I tossed ours in this beautiful fountain a few years ago…for free.
And as impressive at this fountain is, I think I was more impressed with the Gelato they were selling in a store nearby.
VALENTINE ADVICE
From a female runner who says, Find you a husband you can call mid-run and say, ‘I ran too far away to loop back, I need a ride home.”
Don’t make the mistake of telling her to catch an Uber ride home. Don’t ask me how I know this.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From George Carlin:
“Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.”
TODAY
I’ll be writing with Jimmy Fortune this morning, my first writing appointment since the ice storm hit. Jimmy, the former Statler Brother, just got off the big Country Music Cruise, allowing him and his wife, Nina, to miss all the weather fun back here in Nashville.
My friend Lang Scott sent me this picture of Jimmy posing as “The Bod” on the cruise ship, an inside joke about how Jimmy calls himself “The Bod” jokingly. Made me laugh.
Should be a fun morning catching up with “The Bod” and writing something new today, and getting back in the groove again.
Have a great Tuesday!
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