BILL BLOG
Monday, August 3, 2026
Welcome to the first Monday in August. And the weather folks warn that there will be more record heat coming at us all month. Although it’s not all that uncomfortable in Nashville today. The high will be 83 degrees.
BACK TO SCHOOL
The yellow school bus will be rolling past the house today, as it’s the first day of school here. And yep, some Moms are celebrating.
THE WEEKEND
Friday morning was spent writing with my talented friend Angus Gill, who had asked me to join him and a young artist named Brady Harris to write a song for an album project for young Brady.
I didn’t ask, but I’d guess Brady to be 19 or 20, full of that kind of youthful energy, with his whole world in front of him. I wanted to buy some of it.
Brady has a band in Mississippi, but he’s got eyes on Music City. I brought an idea he loved, and I’m pretty certain this song will be on the album he and Angus are working on.
It’s always fun writing with young talent.
BAREFOOT
My Paris, Missouri buddy Becky Denton just put up a short little tease of our song 'Barefootin' that she’ll be releasing soon as her next country single. This one makes you tap your toes and think about those summer days when you kicked your shoes off and danced. Here’s the VIDEO.
A MOONSHINE BLESSING
The song “Moon Shines On The Still” from Dailey and Vincent that I wrote with Laura Leigh Jones is still sizzling on the bluegrass charts. It had gone number one, slipped down the charts, and then all of a sudden, it’s found life again on the Bluegrass Today Chart and sits at #2 for the second week in a row!
Love how Dailey and Vincent just slayed this song. Thank you for the little musical gift that just keeps on giving.
AND MORE GOOD MUSIC NEWS
The French Family Band single “Here Comes The Sun Again” that I wrote with young Sonny French and our friend Angus Gill has now been the #1 song on the Australian Country Chart for FOUR weeks in a row now.
Wow. That’s first. They just keep playing in Australia, where the French Family Band is from, although they are all citizens of the United States now for several years.
Unreal.
EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT
The Christmas movie, “Music City Mistletoe” that came out last year is now available on Prime, YouTube and a couple of other streaming platforms.
I had the pleasure of writing the title song for the movie that you hear a piece of in the movie, and then the entire song at the end over the credits. I wrote it with the producer of the movie, Shantell Ogden, and my longtime co-writer buddy Steve Dean.
So add this one to your Christmas movie list this year. Here’s the movie TRAILER.
NEW SHOW
I’ll be playing a solo-songwriter show next February 6 at the historic Merom Camp and Retreat Center in Merom, Indiana.
Folks up there have restored the Center and turned it into an entertainment venue.
I love it when towns restore old buildings into something that can be used again.
The venue seats 216 people, and I’m looking forward to seeing some folks in that venue come next February.
SONG OF THE DAY
I’m selecting another Brent Burns song that we wrote together that’s pretty funny. These days it seems everyone owns a gun, including Grandma in this song, “Grandma’s Got a Glock.”And it's a Christmas song!
I’ll be doing a couple of “live” shows with Brent in September. We play the Biloxi Box Set Festival for a bunch of parrot heads on the beach of Biloxi on September 11.
HEALTH NOTES
The ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite has affected more than 10,000 Michigan residents, the hardest hit of all the states in the US.
A woman had to take her dog to the emergency room after the dog ate 2.4 pounds of gummy worms.
The American Red Cross is pleading for blood donations amid a shortage they say of ‘crisis levels’
HERE’S YOUR SIGN
Right. I just happen to have two Holsteins in my pockets right now. I’ll drop one in at a time.
NO GRANDKIDS, BUT…
My daughter Heather, who has now moved into a new home in Yuma, Arizona, with
her Army pilot husband Casey, sent me and my wife a picture of one of our two
“grandcats.
Say hello to Nova, who is adjusting to the heat and desert in Arizona.
YOU’RE ON CAMERA
If you’re buying a home, that may well be the case. Sellers have cameras in their house, and they use them to see and hear what their real estate agent or potential buyers may be saying when they check out their homes. As many as 56% of buyers admit that’s the case.
So be careful of what you say when you see someone’s bathroom painted in ugly polka dots.
JEANNIE SEELEY
The longtime Grand Ole Opry star passed away this year. Jeannie was a great songwriter as well as a staple of the Opry. Her home sits on the Cumberland River, and now her home is going to be available for songwriters, which is a pretty cool thing. I can imagine how happy that would make her.
Though I never got to write with Jeannie, even though we tried several times but just couldn’t match calendars, she did record a wonderful song I wrote with my friend Jenny Tolman and Dave Brainard titled “Who’ll Be Your Fool.”Click the link, and if you know where to look, you'll see me in this.
I spent a wonderful day in the recording studio when that song was recorded. She was not only talented, but she had a very quick wit and was funny. And she was not afraid to push boundaries. She was the first female artist to wear a mini-skirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage, which caused a bit of controversy back then.
The songwriters who will now get to write their songs in her house will certainly be inspired by her memory.
AND THEN THERE’S THIS
In the running for the worst ever performance of our National Anthem. I give you Martha Reeves. She certainly made the top 5 list of all-time worst. Yikes. She gave Roseanne Barr a run for her awful singing money. Makes you wanna say, "Bless her heart."
NO CELL
A new poll reveals that 77% of us agree that cell phones should be banned in schools. I know the past couple of generations have somehow gotten by without them; I'm pretty sure today’s kids could adjust as well.
BIG APPLE
First, his couple climbs to the top of the Empire State Building in NYC.
And then over the weekend this guy climbs to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, plants a flag, then jumps off the bridge naked as the day he was born.
He survived somehow. But what the heck are they putting in the bagels right now in New York City?
ZAC BROWN
You might want to catch a Zac Brown show sooner rather than later. He’s giving away cruises at his shows! Last night he announced at his show at Fenway Park in Boston that he was giving away a cruise for two for everyone in attendance. Check that out HERE in this news video.
The cruise ship is the Margaritaville at Sea.
I’m thinking Jimmy Buffett is smiling down from way up there right now.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
From Unknown:
“Everyone says follow your dreams. So I went back to bed.”
TODAY
I’m online writing with my East Coast bluegrass friend Rick Lang today. Rick always brings a good idea or three, so it will be fun chasing one of those ideas into a song today.
Have a great Monday!
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