Random Thoughts For Today....

A lot of topics to cover in this one. Does anything really surprise anyone anymore? Seriously, sometimes you just can’t make the news up.......

CREEK WOOD WINS!

---Back in 2002, Creek Wood High School opened in the north end of Dickson County. Ever the kind hearted diplomat that I am, I always referred to the school as a “White Bluff” school, knowing full well that just infuriated folks in Charlotte and Vanleer. In all honesty, I wasn’t trying to be a smart-aleck, but the local radio station that covered the Red Hawks was a White Bluff one – so that was my basis for that. In 2009, the team began playing Dickson County to start off the season. The first game was semi-close, each year since – not so much. But, for a series to be a rivalry - it has to be more than one sided. This past Friday, Creek Wood got their first win over the Cougars, 17-13. It was a big night for everyone on Jones Creek. Cougar fans, there’s always next year. It was a fun night for football – regardless of which side you were on....

MILEY-GATE

----I just might let a few people down here, but I have never been a prude. However, Miley Cyrus’s appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night was a little much. I was joking on Facebook that it made Madonna and Britney Spears look like the Lennon Sisters off the old Lawrence Welk Show – and that is saying something, as some of those ladies’ performances on the same show were legendary. That being said, there actually is a line one shouldn’t go over, and Miley did that. The ironic thing is that in spite of all the ire that she raised among people, it probably did help her profile. As of tonight, two of the top ten downloaded songs on iTunes were....anyone? Miley Cyrus.

AS THE RADIO BROADCASTS

---- I got an unusual amount of feedback last week concerning my blog regarding radio. It’s something that has provided me with a lot of career highlights – and personal highlights over the past twenty-two years. Most of the friends I have made have stemmed from the fact that I have done some radio work. I miss it on a day-to-day basis, but I have been so blessed in other areas. My favorite part about being on the air is without a doubt the relationships that you make with those you work with – and ones you broadcast to. Right now, I am involved with four different stations (sort of), and I am happy to still have a toe in that water.

TWO YEARS AND GROWING

----It was two years ago this week I started my job with Billboard. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that much time has passed by. I am truly blessed to get to do what I do for a living. I have gotten to interview some of the biggest stars in the business, and made some of the best friendships I have ever made. I have often written about wondering whether I am in the class of such people as Tom Roland, Wade Jessen, Deborah Price, and others like them, I still wonder, but I am trying to earn that reputation each day. I am doing what I have always wanted to do. Nobody enjoys what they do anymore.

REALIZATIONS

---- Life has a way of letting you know certain things about yourself. Over the past few years, I have written quite a few blogs about the soul searching that I have done since my divorce. Being alone makes you learn a lot about yourself. Some of that is good. The crazy thing about finding some of those answers is that you wind up at the beginning all over again. I’m 39 years old, and have told myself all my life that I have to have a romantic relationship in order to be happy. I have learned that instead of “a,” the key word is “the.” And, believe me, that’s not taking a shot at anyone. That’s me realizing that I sometimes feel as clueless as I ever have been about the kind of person I want. Some days, you want Betty Crocker. Other days Betty Boop. I hope I find that magical combination at some point in my life – but not to prove to anyone else I can---for myself. Until then, these laptop keys are my companion. It’s not exactly romance, but it’s safe. And, safe sometimes is a pretty good place to be. It’s ok. I’m ok. And, that’s something I never thought I would have said about myself in 1997...2002, or today.

Going to close this blog by offering a word about some very special people that I have gotten to meet recently. There is a group of my friends in Jackson, TN that are organizing an event called Bone Appetit. It’s an event that will take place on October 13 at the West Tennessee Farmer’s Market. It will feature some of the greatest culinary experts in the mid-south, including the chef from the legendary Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Andreas Kisler, among others.

The event will benefit an organization called the Downtown Dogs Group. It’s a 501(c)(3) no-kill rescue that is operated by a couple of angels named Michelle James and Emily Strope. They are committed to the idea that all neglected and abused dogs, regardless of age, breed, health or temperament issues, deserve a chance to have a full and happy life with a loving family. They have never had a fund raiser before, as they have done it all themselves – even down to the finances. This is an event worth making the trip to Jackson, TN for. If you want to take a look at what they do, go to www.DowntownDogsGroup.com – Be prepared to have your heart lifted at the work they do. I know I was!

Voices From The Radio

Last week, I tipped the hat to several in the business who work in the same vocation as myself. I didn’t mention all the great writers in this town, and I didn’t even start to talk about the incredible people who work publicity. But, as I said, Nashville is full of some very talented people. Some you know, and some you don’t. With that mindset, I wanted to tip my hat to a few people who have been influential in what is my first career – radio. I have been doing it in one form or another since 1991. While I never developed one of those classic “Five in a row, back to back” voices, it’s something that I love very much. Whether it be on WDKN for eighteen years, playing the classics on WSM Radio via the Interstate Radio Network, or on my home since 2009 – WNKX, I love communicating my love of music and broadcasting to the listeners. I started to think about some of my biggest influences in the radio field. Now, indulge me somewhat – because a lot of these people / stations (seven, at least!) have ties to a certain three letters.....but that was what I was influenced by......

First of all, four names from WDKN.....

Hank Walker – To be in radio, you’ve got be trained by someone. Because, nobody walks into a station and knows what they are doing immediately. When Jackie Rhodes hired me in April 1991, this is the man who taught me. He was a very interesting person. He was handicapped, and walked with crutches, but you would never have known it. The thing I remember most from Hank Walker (if, indeed that was his name – after all, how many people are actually named “Coyote” that are on the radio?) was how to saw the call letters. It’s not “W,” it’s “Double-U”.....Radio people know exactly what I am talking about.

Gordon Rhodes – My first PD. I have worked under five in my career. I will tell you the biggest thing I learned from Gordon was to not sweat the small stuff. And, indeed, it’s all small stuff. There were a lot of times I would get uptight and worry about stuff going on at the station. Gordon had a language all his own. Not going to say anymore than that, but he was one of a kind. A Redskins fan, but I can’t hold that against him. I remember on Thanksgiving afternoon 1993, the Dolphins beat the Cowboys when Leon Lett touched a missed field goal attempt – giving the Dolphins one more chance. Line 3 – the studio hotline, which I was led to believe that God called in on from time to time, began to blink. I knew. Do I answer it or not? I did, and the voice said “How ‘Bout Them Cowboys!” Thanks for the memories, GR, and thanks for being a good C.S....I Mean P.D.!

Ken Loggains – I have a very scattered approach to life. I can misplace my phone while holding it in my hand. Trust me, I do things like this. But, we all have one co-worker that you just have an uncanny chemistry with. I might have two or three, but with all due respect to anyone I have ever worked with, I have never learned as much about radio – and being a professional than I have from Ken Loggains. Remember the TV Show “Mash?” Hawkeye and Trapper John / BJ made the most out of the Korean War by poking fun at everything around it. Small market radio is much that same way. You have to love it to do it a long time, and there’s things that you crack a few jokes about. If the first two hours of your day consist of four updates of the obituaries, you’re going to have a warped sense of humor. Ken, for eleven years, you were my BJ / Trapper / Hawkeye (depending on who I am!). You’re still “Velvet” in so many ways!

Marcia Campbell – Out of all the people I have worked with, nobody has taken their talent to the top any higher than Marcia, who does overnights on WSM-AM. We have known each other for over thirty years, as we used to ride Bus 51 together. (I seem to remember a bus driver who didn’t have a lot of hair who drove that bus that I have done some radio with! Well, I can drop the hair jokes, can’t I?) We have kind of been woven around each others’ lives a lot – especially since 1995. One night on her “All Nighter,” she talked about learning “so much” from me? I shudder to think what those lessons might have been....but I am proud of her, and consider her one of my best friends anywhere.

Keith Bilbrey – If I had never listened to Keith Bilbrey, I might have become a doctor or a lawyer, and never had financial difficulties because of the salaries non-performers in the business tend to make. If I had never listened to Keith Bilbrey, I would probably have never gotten involved in radio in the first place, and gone where that has led me. He would take my phone calls as a strange pre-teen, and have a lot of patience doing so. Almost thirty years later, I still find myself coming out of a song the way Keith Bilbrey does. Well, not exactly. The great ones make it seem so easy, and he is the greatest in my book!

Hairl Hensley – Of all the golden voices I have heard in my life, if I could sound like anyone – it would be Hairl Hensley. A longtime fixture at WSM Radio, Hensley exuded all the proper diction that you needed to be in radio. As great as Eddie Stubbs is, and he truly is, I still miss being that thirteen year old, and hearing that magical voice in the evening hours. Radio sounds a lot different after dark, and Hairl was the perfect voice for evenings at WSM. In ninth grade, I shadowed him for my Business class. I still remember him giving me some of the news copy from the station that day. A gentle heart – as well as a gentleman!

Mark Mabry – Again, another WSM tie here. He did afternoons on 650 somewhere in the mid 1980s. At 3:35 each day, he would host “Mark’s Trivia,” which would be the time I would be getting off Bus 51....there that comes up again! I used to run his phones ragged.....but an early influence, for sure!

WBDX – OK, going to back away from WSM for a second. White Bluff got a radio station in the early 1980s, and for awhile, they broadcast until midnight. As a kid, I remember hearing this deep-voiced jock talk about the weather in the “Bluff City.” For a kid, that was some cool stuff - especially at 11pm!

Kyle Cantrell – As a broadcaster, Cantrell is one of the best – henceforth his work on Sirius / XM. But, as a programmer, I have to admit that I stole more programming ideas from Kyle Cantrell than anyone else. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, after all. I remember interviewing him on the morning Johnny Cash died in 2003. That was a big moment – one where you realize what an impact certain people have on you.

Shannon McCombs – In the 1980s and early 1990s, there were two female voices in town that stood above the rest- Lisa Manning and Shannon McCombs. Manning was on many different stations during that period, while Shannon was “Miss 103 KDF.” She had the perfect voice, and the perfect personality. People loved her. Then, in the 1990s, she started doing some TV work, and people found out that she did not have “the face for radio,” as the old joke went. One person who is as beautiful inside as out. I get to say that I know Shannon McCombs now.....but better yet, she knows me! That’s pretty cool within itself!

And, I’ve got to tell you about that bus driver of Bus 51 in Burns, TN. Randy Tidwell is someone I’ve known since 1980. He was my PE Teacher at Burns Elementary. Since 1991, I have spent more Tuesday and Friday nights with Randy Tidwell on the road broadcasting ball games, or working the board during the games. Just like knowing Ken Loggains has made me better, there are few people that I respect more than Randy Tidwell. He is class personified, and whether it be via Frank Becker, Jim Anderson, or Ed Sheley, I always love seeing if we can come up with something on-air to make him think we’re crazy. Whether it be “Randy Tidwell Bobblehead Night,” or “Autograph Night with the ‘Voice of the Cougars,” we’ve tried some crazy stuff. And, throughout it all, he’s still a classy person. Probably thinks we are just a little bit weird, but...we are. Or, at least Becker!

Well, that does it for my look at my radio influences. I appreciate you indulging me, but I wanted to share some of my memories with you!

Nashville - It's A Town Full Of Talent!

I am very blessed to be able to cover the careers and lives a lot of talented people. So many artists that I consider myself to be a big fan of, I have gotten to talk to. Then, there are the newer acts that are just starting up. Those are always fun – because you simply never know if one of those that you cover wind up being superstars down the line. To be a part of that story is always something you don’t take lightly.

But, what people don’t realize is there’s a lot more to it than you might think. What I mean by that is there are tons of talented people in this town who you don’t know – unless you grew up like I did – reading liner notes or Music City News or Country Music.

First of all, there are the publicists. These people are the ones that writers work with about as closely as any in the business. Over the past few years, many of these have become among my closest personal friends. Their job is to gain the most coverage for their clients – and it’s not always easy. Whether you are a superstar, a legend, or a newcomer, there are always more demands for your time than you can deal with. That’s what publicists do. They weigh everything out, and try to give that artist the maximum coverage for their time. Some of their job requires what journalists don’t like to hear – saying the word “No.” An artist is just like the rest of us – they have their good days, their bad days, they get sick, they have arguments with their significant other, and may be not on their game that day. They have to decide when an artist can or shouldn’t talk to the media. The juggling act they balance is pretty amazing. I’ve witnessed it first-hand, and you have to have one heck of a psyche to survive. Journalists can be a moody bunch of people (not including me, of course. I’m always a pleasure to be around!), so you have to make sure they are taken care of, and I have seen a few artists get upset with their PR teams as well. They earn their checks, and do it well. Do I have a favorite publicist? Of course! It’s that one that got me my most recent interview! Seriously, they may not write or sing a song that gets on the charts, but the talent is as much there as it is for anyone else.

Then, there are my compadres, if you will. One of the most enjoyable aspects of what I get to do is the company I keep while doing it. This town is full of some of the greatest journalists anywhere. I have to admit, sometimes I feel like I just stumbled in through the back door, and if I don’t tell anyone I’m here – I just might be able to stick around for awhile. But, the fact that Robert K. Oermann, Wade Jessen, Tom Roland, or Holly Gleason knows who I am is pretty cool. I sometimes wonder how I represent myself because I don’t consider myself to be in the class they are. I am a fan, first and foremost. Don’t get me wrong. I take what I do seriously. I think I’m ok at it. But, I enjoy getting to interview people like Reba, Kenny Rogers, Keith Urban, and Carrie Underwood because....I am a fan. It influences every word I write. I was ten years old, and spending my allowance on the $4.96 cassette rack at K-Mart.

I consider it an honor to be able to communicate my passion to you the reader – and friend. Whether it be the retro feel of a project like Lee Ann Womack’s There’s More Where That Came From or Bakersfield -the latest masterpiece from Vince Gill and Paul Franklin – to talking with Carrie and Tim about their latest albums, I love telling you about projects you need to know about. The biggest compliment I get isn’t about how great or eloquent my words are – if you’ve ever read the afore-mentioned Ms. Gleason, she can do things with words that I can not only not do – but never will find out of their existence, but it’s when someone tells me they have sought out a record because of something I’ve written about it. That’s cool. Because, that was me. I may not be the greatest....but don’t doubt my passion. Whether it’s the Oak Ridge Boys 40^th Anniversary Tour, Sheryl Crow’s upcoming Country album, or the unbelievable experience of seeing Keith Urban in concert, it’s there.

And, there are so many great writers in this town. I mentioned four, but there are so many more – Vernell Hackett, Deborah Price, Bob Paxman, Jessica Nicholson, and I could go on and on....At the end of the day, it’s all about passion, and this town exemplifies that word....more than the average fan has any idea! I’m just honored to be in the mix. Now, I’m going to the back of the room – just so nobody knows I’m here!

Reporting from Jonesboro, Arkansas, this is Chuck Dauphin - a Keith Bilbrey wanna be!

Cowboys Stadium Has A Name

After four seasons, Cowboys Stadium is no more. Team owner Jerry Jones last week announced that the naming rights have been acquired by AT&T.

The jokes have already started.

You know how the communications giant brags about having fewer dropped calls than any other carrier? (Well, unless you live in Hickman County, Tennessee or Bacon County, Georgia – two places I am very familiar with.) Not too long after the announcement, someone posted on Facebook “Will there be fewer dropped balls in the house that Jerry built?”

I know that person. It was me.

OK, before my fellow Cowboys fans – like Rosie Bradford – disown me – let me say this: You have to possess a sense of humor to be a Dallas supporter. At least since 1996 - the last year the ‘Boys won a title. Since then, we have witnessed the following: Michael Irvin laying motionless at the Vet while the classless Eagles fans cheered his career-ending injury, Dave Campo. Quincy Carter. “Bobble-gate” at Seattle. The 2007 13-3 season that ended, thanks to the “New York Football Giants.” (The only time I will reference them that way.), and that doesn’t include the heartbreaking losses of the past five seasons. Typically, Dallas does not play bad much of the time. They are just uneven. Tony Romo can go 27 for 38 for 376 and 4 scores for five weeks straight. Then, with 2:13 on the clock – and from the five-yard line, his pass to take the lead against the Redskins / Giants / Eagles is in the end zone---and it is INTERCEPTED!

But, this is not an attack on Romo. We have a running back named DeMarco Murray, who has a clause in his contract that he can only play six games per season because he likes being on the injury report. Then, there’s the defen....Oops...Well, last season was better from a cornerback point of view. In 2011, I could have scored on the secondary. They have gotten better, but even in my post-surgery state this summer, I think I could put up a 100 yard game against the front – take away the play of DeMarcus Ware – arguably the best lineman in the league. We do have Jason Witten, and for all of his early struggles, I’ve got to say Dez Bryant had a great season in 2012, and hope that he can continue.

But, Tony Romo, it’s time. Did Troy Aikman deserve credit for every win he tallied as the Cowboys’ signal caller? Well, he did have that back named Smith whose 32-yard run to midfield with 4:32 left in the fourth seemed always to seal the deal if it wasn’t already. And, when the other team had the ball, they had to deal with names like Charles Haley, Darren Woodson, and a cornerback named Deion. However, when he had to deliver....he did.....By his fourth season, Aikman had his team in the Super Bowl. And, if he or another team member made a mistake, you didn’t see him sitting on the bench with a half-smile and a cap turned around backwards.

But, that was yesterday. The Cowboys open up their pre-season on Sunday night against Miami at Canton. Football time in America. Yipee!

But, let a couple of heartbreaking losses pile up, and I guarantee you that I won’t be the only one comparing the Cowboys to their stadium namesake’s slogan. AT&T Stadium – Where you have more dropped balls than any other NFL Stadium. Ha Ha Ha. (Hey, I’ve got to laugh. It’s how we cope!)

A Place (and an Album) Called Bakersfield

It’s a “place called....Bakersfield.

Today, MCA Nashville rolls out what could very well be the most important album release of 2013 with the new effort from Vince Gill and Paul Franklin called Bakersfield.

OK, Einstein, you might be asking? Why is this album so important? Well, let me tell you. The music from Nashville is very good these days – maybe as diverse as ever. I’m not one who considers myself a doom and gloomer that ‘Country Ain’t Country’ anymore. (Honestly, I could do a blog about how Country Music has never been “Country Music,” but I digress!)

But, there is still something magical about the history of the business for which I work in. And, to me, nothing stands apart more than the era of Country Music so richly defined by acts like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. It was Country Music...in technicolor. The guitars were a little twangier, and so were the vocals. The harmony was so richly (a play on words as a tribute to Don Rich!) defined on those great Capitol Records that featured the name of Owens. And, let’s face it, Merle Haggard was....and is the best singer-songwriter that has ever come down the pike. Just like with a Don Rich telecaster riff, when you heard the Strangers kick off a Haggard record – you knew. Whether it was crusiing down the four lane, or Saturday night in a club, the Bakersfield sound just made you feel good.

That’s why this album is so important from a musical and historical level. What we are doing now is great, This and deserves to be celebrated. But, there’s an old saying that says ‘To know where you’re going,you’ve gotta know where you’ve been.’ Preach it, brothers! This music deserves to be heard by the masses, and kudos to the artists and the label for releasing it. It would have been just as easy for Vince Gill to have released a contemporary album in hopes of getting airplay – which would likely sound amazing as it would have been for MCA to turn this project away at the door. But, label head Mike Dungan and staff didn’t do that.

Instead, fans can head to the store – or click online today, and be taken back in time. And, that’s a good thing, because people need to know this music – and the artists who made it breathe. Bakersfield. Vince Gill & Paul Franklin. Add it to your collection today! I plan on buying a copy – even though I have one. It’s THAT important.

So, why are you still reading this? Seriously, it’s that good!

Just Around The Corner....

A change is in the air.

You can feel it in the Mid-South this morning. I, for one, welcome that change. If you haven’t noticed, the temperatures around here have been very pleasant over the past couple of days. It almost reminds you of....Fall.

I say that very well knowing that it’s going to be a permanent thing – at least for the moment. There’s no need to break out the turtlenecks or the sweaters just yet.

But, it is around the corner.

In the south, (and it is likely true of other places, but I have never lived there!) there is a beautiful energy about the time of year that takes place from September on. Football is back in full swing, the weekends typically see many on the road to enjoy the cooling of the temperatures and the changing of the colors. There’s such things as hayrides and chili suppers, and if your nose doesn’t pick up the scent of apple in some form or fashion – your sense of smell is likely impaired somewhat. In addition, slowly but surely you see the infiltration of Christmas colors in stores everywhere. I think what always attracted me to the fall in the past was that in my former line of full-time work, the world slowed considerably in the summer. That has not been the case this summer. It has flown by. Work-wise, the past couple of months have been the best – and busiest of my life.

Lord willing, adding my newspaper work that picks up in the fall, I will stay as busy this fall. I am definitely looking forward to it.

But, alas, it is July 29. This weather, as glorious as it may be, will not last. Highs are forecast for the 90s by the end of the week. But, one can look forward to what is just around the corner, can’t they?

THANK GOD I DIDN'T HIT DELETE!

Sunday was an interesting day. I heard a saying once that everybody has a story. That kind of goes without saying, as we all have experiences that make us who we are. But, there’s a thin line that sometimes separates us from being in a different place. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have that gift, I say things I sometimes shouldn’t, and if the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were to walk into wherever I was at, my mind would wander. But, in a sense, this is my witness. It may be the strongest example in my life of God’s power to change you – and to take you to a different place than where you’ve been. I never thought it was worth sharing until yesterday when I had lunch with a friend of mine who told me that somewhere out there someone might appreciate this. At the very least, I do consider it one of the greatest examples of God being there in my life – when I didn’t think he was. And, it shows just how what we think of as a simple choice can affect our whole life.

It was the summer of 2011. For close to a year, I had been living in Georgia. To say that I had great memories of the town where I lived would be a lie. Life hadn’t been the best for a couple of years, and moving to Georgia really seemed to knock the wheels off of the car. By August of 2011, things had reached a point where it wasn’t going to get better. I had no idea what was going to happen in my life, but it was apparent that more change was on the way. While I had gotten back involved in Church that summer, my faith was still very shaky, and I had no idea where I was going to be or wind up next.

While my living situation wasn’t great, I do have to stop the story for just a second. I did have a job with THE NEWS COURIER, a newspaper in Alma, GA. My experience in Alma was the best part about living in the land of the Bulldogs. I made some real good friends, and wrote about everything – music and sports, but also politics, and also some human interest stories – which really helped me to grow as a writer. I had also reconnected with Church, attending at the Alma Church of Christ, and had made some good friends there.

So, I was at work this day, trying to keep my mind focused on work. I checked my email, and there was a message saying “Special Opportunity” from Billboard Magazine. As a member of the CMA, I was used to receiving such emails from the magazine’s marketing department trying to sell subscriptions to members at a discounted rate. Nine times out of ten, I would have just deleted it and gone on about my business.

You know how I mentioned earlier about that “Thin Line” between your actions that can have so much influence on your life? Well, this was one of those. It just so happened that it was lunch time, and I didn’t waste any time taking my break. So, I didn’t delete it. I went to eat, came back, and finished the day. That night, I was covering a high school football game in a town I could probably never find again. At halftime, I decided I would check my email.

That email that I was so sure was simply marketing was something vastly different. It was from one of the editors of the magazine asking about my interest in a position with them. I wish someone had a film of that moment. I’m sure I was as bewildered as I had ever been in my life. Billboard Magazine? Someone was playing a joke on me was my first thought. This was the magazine I had bought at B. Dalton Booksellers at Hickory Hollow Mall as a kid, after all. To be honest, I had never dreamed about writing for Billboard because I didn’t think I was of that caliber. (Sometimes, I still don’t, but I am trying to earn the honor.) So, it wasn’t even anything I thought about.

To make a long story short, the editor and I talked the next day, exchanged emails over the weekend, and on Monday – I was the newest writer for.....Billboard Magazine, and in less than two weeks was back in Nashville. Since then, I have been blessed with so many incredible career experiences in my life.

I said this was my witness. So, let me explain. I had went through some experiences that really shook me to the core. There was a part of me that really believed that things were never going to work out – career wise or other. And, with more changes forthcoming, what was going to happen? How close was I to deleting the email without opening it? I wonder about that. Thankfully, I don’t know the answer. Some of you might just say it was fate. I disagree. Something besides my stomach stopped me from deleting it. God knew. I can debate for at least two minutes what I want on a Subway sandwich, so you can imagine me with a major decision. This was one of those jobs that I couldn’t say no to, and I’m glad I didn’t. Since then, there have been a few times where I wondered how I was going to make it. But, at each interval, something would come up. Charity from friends? An extra freelance job? Sure, that’s what it was, but I also view it as God’s handiwork.

I am writing this because I know we all have our struggles. We all have our moments where you wonder if God is listening to your cries while in what you percieve to be as the wilderness. I know I did, but I can tell you he’s there. I know this first-hand. Since I made a decision to turn back to him that summer, he has had his hand on me in a way I couldn’t begin to describe. I still wonder about the non-career stuff. I grapple with that each day. I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.....but I have also learned that it has to come on his time and not mine. God is there. He hears you, and he won’t let you down. I may not be able to quote you as much scripture about it as I should be able to, but I know it’s true. He has been there for me – but, he was all along. Sometimes – to look out over the mountains, you have to have spent some time in the valley, I guess to fully appreciate the view. It’s true in career, and I hope it will be true personally, as well.

So, the moral of this story is to believe....in God, life, but also in yourself. I have said before that there are better writers than I.....Nashville is full of them. There are better radio people than I....all over the country, but nobody loves what they do ANY MORE than I. I didn’t say ‘as much,’ because this business is full of people with passion from some of the most talented people you would ever meet. But, trust me, I know I am blessed! So, don’t ever lose faith. It will happen. Just believe.

A Beacon Whose Light Brightly Shines

Back in the 1970s, Donna Fargo enjoyed a huge hit with a song called “You Can’t Be A Beacon (If Your Light Don’t Shine).” The lyrics of the song talk about the example that one sets in their lifetime. This morning at Church, I thought about those words as the preacher – in his weekly pew notes – talked about things that as Christians, we don’t want to be. So, I started thinking about the right example that we need to sit, and there are several that have done so for me....but I wanted to shine the spotlight on someone this week that deserves to be there. Her name is Dean Gray.

I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve known her. I guess, since I started going to Church in 1982, it would be sometime around then, but more importantly, I can’t think of a time that I didn’t know her. She and her husband Ben had gone to Church at Burns for years even then, and three decades later – though she has been sick as of late – she can still usually be seen in one of the pews there.

One way you could describe her is a “brass tack.” She will tell you what she thinks in a New York minute. More often than not, you’d do well to listen to her words. She’s lived a lot of life in her years. From raising children to watching her husband get sick and sicker over the years, and she’s had her own health issues as well. But, in all my years of knowing this wonderful lady – I have never heard her once complain about anything she has gone or is going through.

On one of my recent conversations with her, we were discussing a situation that both of us have encountered in our personal lives that was very similar. I – the novice in life – was having a lot more of a problem with my reaction to it than she. She looked at me and said ‘Chuck, sometimes you’ve just got to let it go. People make their choices. You can either let it get to you or move on to another place.’ Looking back, I see she was right. I’m still trying, but further along that road than I used to be.

While there may be times where she gets down – whether from missing Ben or this family member or friend – she’s one of the most determined people I know. You might keep her down for a day or so – but she is going to get around it – and she does. I asked her one day about that fire, and she told me if she didn’t try to keep on keepin’ on, life would pretty much come to an end. And, just last week, I was reminded about how strong that spirit is. She had been in the hospital for a few days, and due to my own recent sickness – I hadn’t been by. I called her on my way to work last week, and once again, I was trying to call to cheer her up – and like always, I got the better of the call. ‘Chuck, you made my day. I love you,’ she said. I was not too happy with how the latest battle with my blood sugar was going, and in those moments, I forgot it all.

You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine. Those lyrics have never been more true in describing Dean Gray. I know of few who shine any brighter. I love you bunches. Get well. The back pew doesn't look the same without you!

A Second Chance

Two Days.

The mind can be a very dangerous or lethal thing. I found this out first hand, and it scared me to death – sort of.

As you know, I recently spent a week in the hospital – largely due to my mismanagement of diabetes – which I have been battling since 2005. There have been times since then that I have done ok with it....and times that I haven’t. The latter times have been partly due to insurance – or the lack thereof. I am not justifying anything other than to say that if you don’t have insurance, it’s easy to say ‘Screw it.’ Doctors – and nurses – work hard for their education, and deserve to be rewarded what they do. But, the health care system is flawed. When you are scared to go to the doctor for financial issues, there’s a problem – whether that’s me or anyone else.

But, as I was being admitted to the hospital for an infection in my toe, the doctor in the ER said ‘If you would have waited a couple more days, you wouldn’t be here.” I was also severely dehydrated the last couple of days before I went in. The words resonated in my head a little, but (since this is an honest blog, I am going to ‘Keep it real.’) My first thought was “Really?”

Understand that I was not trying to push the fast forward button into eternity. I wasn’t. But, there is a subconscious side to each of us – whether we want to admit it or not, and mine caught up with me. As I have written over the past couple of years, there have been several mistakes I have made. And, nobody kicks themselves any harder over them than I do. I wish that I just could look at a situation, cuss at it, and walk away....but I don’t. I hold it in. We all make financial mistakes, and I’m probably not done with that any time soon. I am not the first person to ever be divorced. It feels like it sometimes, but I’m not bad because of it. But, all the years of depression over it just kept me going further and further down a road that I didn’t know I was going down. The idea of walking away from such a rubble was a lot more tempting than I ever thought – I guess.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to have to learn some new things. Balancing insulin and diet – and not getting madder than a hornet if the numbers don’t reflect what I have honestly tried to do. If you are a diabetic, you know what I mean. You eat something low in carbs, you walk a mile, and you check your sugar – thinking ‘This is going to be great....’ and the numbers don’t make sense, and I would go off and stew about it. That has happened to me quite a bit over the years, but I’ve got to handle that better.

Walking – even though, everything should return to normal within time - There’s a toe that will not be there – but I am dang lucky that’s it. It could have been – and should have been much worse.

But, the biggest reprogramming for myself has to be....me. Letting the past go, and admitting where you were wrong...and when you might have been a victim of circumstances. That – more than adjusting to a carb count, leaving the Chinese buffet alone (except occasionally), and taking “care” of myself is going to be the big thing.

But, it’s not optional. I’ve got to do it. I have been blown away by the amount of cards, calls, emails, FB Messages, and tokens of generosity. My family and friends have made it clear that they want me around. So, I can’t walk away from that. More importantly, I don’t want to. So, it’s up to me. That’s a big statement, isn’t it? But, it’s the truth – and it’ time for me to work at it. It’s not going to be easy – and advice – if you have it – is welcomed – but it’s time for a “New” Chuck Dauphin. I guess, technically, past due......

WHAT A WEEK!

This week...was a week. And, the strange thing is I can’t talk about it. But, there were a few different things that happened over the past few days that have kind of shocked me. Since I was nine or ten, I have always had kind of an idea about what I wanted to do when I grew up – after one gets past wanting to be President! That’s all I studied about when I was a teenager – music. I bought every book, cassette, magazine I could. I even got in trouble when I was in eighth grade for reading a certain magazine when I was in English class. The magazine? Billboard.

It’s because of things like that, and shadowing Hairl Hensley at WSM for my ninth-grade General Business class that I consider myself very blessed to do what I do. I am not the best radio person in the world. My voice never reached that magic “low” that a lot of the top on-air voices have. I am not the best writer. At media events, I see writers who are smarter and a lot more brilliant than I could ever hope to be. That all being said, the one thing that I will say that I have is that nobody – past or present – takes what they do as seriously or with as much passion as I do. I want my readers / listeners to know about...the new Dailey & Vincent, Lady Antebellum, or Darius Rucker disc. I want them to know that it’s a travesty (IMHO) that Buddy Killen isn’t in the Country Music Hall of Fame or that Larry Gatlin isn’t in the NSAI Hall of Fame, or that Don Rich might have been the best guitarist to ever pick up a silver Fender Telecaster. I love what I do...and getting to tell you about it.

At the same time, a lot of the career highs in my life have come when things were going off the track in other areas. My career, some of the opportunities it has given me, and getting back involved in Church has at least given me some hope that life gets better. And, it has. But, there are times you wonder....if maybe if you’d taken a right here, or a left there, where you would be. Then one night this past winter, as I was on the bed writing in front of the small heater in the room, that yes, things could be different. But, I was doing the one thing in the world that I knew I was good at...and also the one thing that made the nights a little more fuller....and happier. So, since then, I have tried to trust a little more...

Then, a week like this one happens. A couple of opportunities came my way today that shocked, humbled, and honored me. It was one of those days that made me realize that I am where I am supposed to be. I just had to share my emotions with you...though I can’t share the info just yet...but I will. I guess we all need those days where we need to know we’re on the right track. Not planning to move to Martha’s Vineyard or anything like that, and to be honest, these opportunities aren’t exactly money-related per se, but I am excited about the future. Just have to keep working at it. I’ve even been able to deal with the term “single” again. God will take care of that too. Faith – it’s a novel concept – and one I’m still trying to grasp!

Farewell, Mr. Jones!

Over the past few days, there have been countless mentions and memories mentioned concerning the passing of George Glenn Jones. Of course, my job required that I write what has amounted to several stories so far on the legacy of the artist known as “The Possum.” I can only hope and pray that I have done him justice.

But, long before I was writing or on-air for a living, I was a George Jones fan. As I have written before, I was a strange kid. I was listening to Country Music exclusively until I was fourteen, and one of those artists was George Jones. Now, I am not going to say that I was a major fan from the first listen. But, when I was about eleven years old, he released a song called “The One I Loved Back Then.” That hooked me, and as I got older, I began to research more and more of his music. By the time I was fifteen, I had many of the classics he had recorded some thirty years before in my collection.

As a teenager in the age of Jackson (Michael or Janet) and Guns ‘N’ Roses, what was it about his music that appealed to me so? In his songs, Jones sounded like the ultimate underdog. He wailed like he was down to his last dime – or almost his last breath. He sang about pain and heartbreak like nobody else. People talk about Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard being (quote) “bad ass,” well, maybe. But, did either one of them take a Tennessee State Trooper – and WSMV Channel 4 – down Interstate 65 in the middle of the Six O’Clock news? Not saying it was a moment he was proud of twenty years later, but it also proved that if he was going to go down, he was doing it in Rock & Roll style!

But, thankfully, he didn’t. Due to the love of a woman named Nancy, he rebounded strongly, and though there were still some struggles, the George Jones of 1995 was better than 1985, and his 1999 SUV crash seemed to end his long struggle with his demons. Over the past couple of days, it has been mentioned how sad it is that George Jones – the greatest living Country singer – had passed away. And, I’m not disagreeing. But, the true sadness is that Nancy Jones lost her husband. Georgette – and his other children lost their father, and others lost their grandfather, brother, or friend. But, at 81, more than any artist the term “cat with nine lives” fittingly described Jones to a tee. In those eight plus decades, Jones lived a life that few of us will ever come close to approaching. How many times do you think the Tennessean or the Nashville Banner had the Jones obituary written and waiting from 1978 or so on? In 1994, maybe, when Jones had heart surgery that turned out to be very serious? And, the 1999 crash – though he did bounce back quickly, was a lot more serious than most knew. The fact that Nancy had stood by her man and helped him to quieten his inner demons made the announcement of his passing Friday morning.....surprising. He had toned down his act so well that we thought he would live forever.

As a fan, he touched my life many times over. Whether it was professing his undying love in “When The Grass Grows Over Me,” hoping for another chance at love in “Someday My Day Will Come,” or singing about the wrong turns in life that one takes in Billy Yates’ masterfully written “Choices,” he gave us so many classic recordings that will live forever. My favorite? That’s almost impossible to say, but one that would have to place high upon my list would be “Where Does A Little Tear Come From,” a # 10 hit from 1964. Brilliant yet simple. Seek it out. The only thing is, that search might take you to “I’ll Follow You Up To Our Cloud,” “These Days I Barely Get By” or “Wine Colored Roses,” and then, there are the album cuts......Don’t get me strarted!

So, tonight as I sip my Pepsi Max (a “bad ass” I am not), and listen to his recordings while I write this.....I think about the lyrics of one of my favorite cuts – a song he recorded with the Sweethearts Of The Rodeo back in 1991....

How Many Times Have I Stumbled Or Lost My Way Again

Bitter Tears Have I Cried Even Knowing Deep Inside

How Much Sweeter The Journey’s End....

Let Me Face The Road I Must Travel

Let Me Feel The Cold And Heat

Let Me Walk In The Sun Till My Journey Is Done

Let Me Taste The Bitter With The Sweet.

You want poetry? It doesn’t get any better. Rest in peace, Possum! Your music will live on!