June 2, 2025
Hi Gang:
Well, school is out, the swimming pools are open, fireflies and mosquitos will soon be swarming, and summer can’t be far away. I hope yours is a great one!
Lots of summertime excitement in Whisperville what with the release of our Barbra Streisand-Tim McGraw duet cut on “I Love Us” coming on June 27th. Some of our more traditional country music fans are probably wondering why I’m so up in the air over a song of mine being recorded by a pop singer, but this is not just any ol’ pop singer. Barbra Streisand is beyond an icon, and her recordings have been known to sell in the many millions of copies. You may or may not agree with her outspoken social and political stances, but there’s no denying her talents as a singer. And her teaming up with Tim McGraw lends a welcome country touch to her much-anticipated new record.
Her album, titled “The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume Two,” features other superstars like Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and more, but ours is the only country-oriented recording among them. I’m awfully proud of it. hope you’ll like it when you hear it.
I’ve had lots of songwriting activity lately with new recordings by not only Barbra and Tim but by Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, the Chuck Wagon Gang and others. It’s such a blessing to be able to continue writing songs after all these years, and a gift that I would never take for granted. I still get excited when someone records a song of mine and stakes part of their career on something I have helped to create.
What else is going on? Well, July 15th is shaping up to be an especially exciting night for me at the Grand Ole Opry. That’s the night I will be the recipient of an Opry Member Salute tied to the 100th birthday of the Opry. My salute happens to coincide with my 64th anniversary as an Opry member which makes it even more special. My former singing partner and dear friend, Mary Lou Turner, will be coming in from Branson to sing with me and help us celebrate, along with some folks from the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame. Remember last year when they honored me with their beautiful Lifetime Achievement Award and I dropped it backstage and broke it? Well, they’ve had a shiny new crystal trophy made for me and will present it to me onstage on “my night.” I certainly didn’t expect them to do that, but they’ve done it and I’ll be thrilled to finally be able to display it.
Quite a few of you have told me you plan to come in for the festivities, and I’m looking forward to visiting with you all. Following the show, we will have a fans ‘n friends gathering backstage with refreshments and fellowship. If you’d like to join us, click on this link to get your name on the list: (Insert Link)
CMA Fest cranks up again here in a few days, and our city will be overflowing once more with country fans from all over the world. I won’t be taking part in any of the events per se, but I do plan to be on the Opry June 3rd for two shows and again on Saturday night June 7th. We have a third Opry night this month scheduled for June 21st.
On a personal note, I’m awfully proud of my granddaughter, Hallie, who is not only writing songs and ushering at the Opry House, but who has been elected by her classmates to serve as president of the student body at her high school for 2025-26. She will be a senior, and this is quite a way for her to top off her final year.
span>Before I go, let me wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day on June 15th. May you spend “your” day with those closest to you. Hopefully, I’ll get to be with my kids and as many of my grandkids as possible. Of all the things I might be, being Dad and PawPaw is my favorite of all.
Have a good rest of your month and we’ll see you back here in July. Thanks for everything…
