BILL BLOG
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
The middle of the week has arrived. It’s Wednesday, and it will be warm. 93 for the high today.
There’s a lot to get to today, so let’s go.
YESTERDAY
Tuesday was all about the French Family Band album release party that was held at the world-famous Station Inn last night here in Nashville. And boy, Stuie, Camille, and Sonny, and the band knocked it out of the park at the Station Inn, which was packed with fans and celebrities cheering them on.
I sat next to my buddy Jimmy Fortune and his wife Nina last night, who has been a champion of the French Family Band since they moved here 6 years ago from Australia and New Zealand. Jimmy often uses Stuie and his guitar player when he’s out doing shows, and Stuie also plays with “Brothers of the Heart,” which Jimmy is also a part of.
And I picked up a little present while I was there.
This album has three songs I helped write, including the current single, “Here Comes the Sun Again,” as well as “Tennessee to Texas,” and my personal favorite, “Empty House,” which Camille slays. They played every song in chronological order last night “live,” and my young buddy Alex Miller even sat in on one song playing steel guitar, as he did for their album.
I surely feel blessed to call these folks friends. And these friends get to play the Grand Ole Opry this weekend!
SPEAKING OF THE OPRY
We lost a dear friend to so many folks. Bill Cody, the long-time morning guy and radio Hall of Famer on WSM radio, passed away at the age of 67.
The news saddened the room I was in last night, as so many at the Station Inn knew him and loved him.
Many years ago, I was hired to take Bill’s place on WSM-FM radio. They wanted to make a change, and I was hired to take his seat. They moved Bill back to WSM-AM, the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry, where he’s ruled the airwaves since. When I first arrived, Bill could not have been more gracious or more welcoming to me, and that’s not always the case when you’re taking someone’s job. It turned out to be the best thing ever for Bill, as WSM is truly where he belonged…and it’s the place he loved.
Several years later, I became the “on call” guy to replace Bill Cody on WSM whenever he went on vacation or needed time off. And it was Bill who had a hand in WSM-AM hiring me. For that alone, I can’t thank him enough. It gave me a chance to work at the legendary radio station, as I had always wanted to.
And, if you listened to the Grand Ole Opry, you heard Bill Cody many times as he was a long-time Opry announcer.
My heart goes out to his family, his co-workers, and to the many who loved listening to this wonderful man on the radio. Rest in peace, Bill.
VETERAN CALVIN SCOTT
Yesterday, I posted about Calvin Scott, the Army Vietnam veteran form southern Illinois that I wrote with who passed away Sunday evening. His song is titled “152.”
I shared the lyrics from his song on yesterday’s blog, not knowing they had filmed me singing his song, with Calvin right alongside me at the concert we had in Marion, Illinois, a couple of years ago, with Freedom Sings USA.
I want to thank Akami Ayers, who sent me the video so I can post it here today for you to see. Here’s the VIDEO with that great solder.
SONG OF THE DAY
With the losses I just mentioned, I’m going to choose this song about loss that I wrote with Jimmy Fortune and Sydni Perry, “HowLucky Am I.” The song that I wrote about my former manager and second Mom, Dean Raymer, talks about how lucky we are to have someone who makes “saying goodbye so hard.” A line that we took from none other than Winnie the Pooh. It surely seems appropriate today. Listen, and you'll hear my friend Jimmy Fortune singing harmony.
SOME BETTER MUSIC NEWS
I got word yesterday that Kristy Cox, who is singing the “Song of the Day,” just recorded two more songs I helped write for her new album that will be out soon. Thank you Kristy.
Here’s a little VIDEO CLIP of Texas artist Payton Howie singing “Truck Bed,” which will be her new single being released in just a couple of weeks, which I wrote with this young artist and my long-time friend Brady Seals. Thank you for singing the “heck” out of our song, Payton!
HEALTH NOTES
A woman with advanced Alzheimer’s regained speech and memories after taking magic mushrooms.
Some Ozempic patients are going to their doctors to fix their floppy, old-looking earlobes after losing weight.
According to the BBC, advanced radiotherapy for prostate cancer will cut sessions from 20 to just 5.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Makes sense, right?
MORE OF THIS PLEASE
Major League pitcher Paul Skenes, perhaps the best pitcher in baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, saw some Little League lights on as he was driving to his place in Pennsylvania. He pulled over, sat on the bench, and watched the kids play. And he stayed a couple of hours signing autographs and playing pitch and catch with the kids. You can imagine how excited those kids were.
A reminder that one can never go wrong doing something just plain nice.
TINY HOME-GONE
In Kentucky, thieves backed up to a tiny home, hooked it up, and stole it. The couple arrived back home and found nothing.
A reminder, maybe not to buy a home on wheels.
FAST ROBOT
There is now a robot that can make 500 burrito bowls, salad bowls, or whatever you want in a bowl, in just one hour. A human can only make 45 per hour.
Yeah, but can it do that for a Mac n Cheese bowl!?
CLEVER
A neighbor hung their laundry to block the view of the 5 security cameras their new neighbors installed.
Hopefully, for their sake, they live in a suburb with no HOA. Because knowing HOAs, they would probably make one remove the hanging laundry, but NOT the security cameras.
HEART WARMING
Watch this great VIDEO of Lainey Wilson finally meeting her childhood hero to whom she wrote a letter when she was very young. Tim McGraw. Pretty cool.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From Zig Ziglar:
“You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic.”
ON A SIDE NOTE
I once took a job in radio, in Milwaukee, leaving Cincinnati, partly because of a Zig Ziglar quotation that was hung behind the receptionist as you enter WMIL Radio, which I could not miss when I entered the building for the first time. That quote is, “He who has the most fun, wins.” I still agree with that philosophy.
TODAY
Well, I’ve come down with a bit of a danged cold, so I’ll be cancelling my songwriting appointment this morning, and will rest up after taking a gallon of Nyquil in an effort to kick this cold’s behind.
Have a great Wednesday!
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