BILL BLOG
Friday, August 28, 2026
Here comes the last weekend of August. It’s Friday. 89 for the high today in Nashville, but by next Tuesday we will soar back up to near 100 again. And some folks are already into their pumpkin spice drinks.
It’s not fall yet, y’all!
YESTERDAY
I’m guessing that yesterday a lot of songwriters sat down and wrote songs about Dolly Parton. And when I sat down to write with Adam & Amy Pope, they had a Dolly idea, and so did I.
And even though we knew that our song would be one of many, we chose my idea and wrote, “Like Dolly Did.” Sometimes, you have to write what’s on your heart. The three of us felt so strongly about it that Adam and Amy took the idea home last night and made this DUET VIDEO of our song. Thank you Adam and Amy!
EMCEE WORK
I found out yesterday that I’ll be the official backstage announcer for this year’s Trop Rock Music Awards in Gulf Shores Thursday afternoon from 2-4:30 pm. This is part of MOTM (Meeting of the Minds), the world’s largest gathering of parrot head fans.
Happy to do this, as these awards shows are always fun. Trophies are handed out, and a lot of great Trop Rock music is performed by a lot of the nominees and past award winners. Looking forward to the emcee duties, and I’m also looking forward to playing a couple of shows at this year’s festival as well.
MORE DOLLY
And to show how popular she is, the top 3 songs on the Spotify chart right now are all Dolly songs.
SONG OF THE DAY
The new Jenny Tolman album “Music City Mutt” is out today.
And today’s song is one I wrote with Jenny and her husband Dave Brainard that’s dedicated to Jenny’s mom, Kathy. It's pretty special when an artist like Jenny invites you to help write a song that's so personal to them.
The song is titled “California Girl.”
Jenny’s mom was born in California. When she grew up, she had a Farah Fawcett hairdo and a black Trans AM sports car. And then she met her husband Steve, who was born and raised in Boston, a die-hard Red Sox fan. All of that is covered in this song.
HEALTH NOTES
Two employees have died after a cluster of malaria cases emerged among workers at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. (That got my attention as my wife and I have been in that airport)
According to a functional medicine expert, there may be 3 things that contribute to aging. An unhealthy diet, exposure to toxins, and chronic stress, trauma, and disconnection.
Speaking of aging. A startup claims it’s found a drug to make your blood young. And it’s looking for influencers to give it a try.
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Amen!
LAKE OF AMERICA
That’s what President Trump wants us to start calling Lake Ontario now. This after he renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
At this rate, I figure we’ll soon have the Eiffel Tower of the U.S.
EATING OUT
Expensive isn’t it? And it’s hard not to notice it when you look at your bill. The other night I was at a show where they served food. A plain cheeseburger with fries cost me $27.
One observant customer noticed that a cheap restaurant calls it “mashed potatoes.” An expensive restaurant calls it “a velvety potato mousseline infused with truffle essence,” and charges $42 for a tablespoon.
I’m this close to going back to my childhood when my mom would pack my school lunch in a brown paper bag with a fried Spam sandwich in it.
META
Meta Platforms has agreed to a landmark $18 BILLION settlement with 48 U.S. states and territories to resolve allegations that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to be addictive and harmful to teenagers.
One reporter said, “It wasn’t META who put a $1,000 phone in a kid’s hands.” True.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From comedian George Carlin, who correctly observed:
“Everyone smiles in the same language.”
TODAY
I’m in the writing room with my young producer friend Angus Gill.
And joining us for the first time is my longtime “Hits & Grins” partner Victoria Venier.
First-time co-writes are always interesting, and it will be interesting to see what we come up with today.
Have a great weekend!
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