Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 5 August 2026

THE BLUEBIRD EXPERIENCE—A SONGWRITER SHOWCASE

Nashville talent came to Sioux Falls this past Saturday night with “The Bluebird Experience—A Songwriter Showcase” at the Military Heritage Alliance. VFW Post 628 sponsored this free show for the entire community; it was disappointing that so few took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the stories and songs of Jimmy Yeary, Leslie Satcher, and Tim Nichols.

The Bluebird nightclub in Nashville is known for its songwriter nights, where both established and wannabe songwriters perform their songs for a crowd that contains music industry professionals looking for songs, singers, and songwriters. Many performers credit the Bluebird with giving them a start in the music business.

We had the rare opportunity to experience that atmosphere, as the three songwriters sat next to each other on the stage and took turns singing their songs after describing the origins of each one. Leslie Satcher moved to Nashville from Texas in 1988 with the dream of getting her songs recorded. She was offered a songwriting contract and, she told us, “That’s when I found out songwriting was a real job.”

Asked if she knew Jason Sellers, she was thrilled to think he might record one of her songs. No, it was his wife who wanted to record. The wife! Then she learned “the wife” was fellow Texan Lee Ann Womack. Lee Ann’s recording of “A Man With 18 Wheels” (co-written with Bobby Carmichael) put Leslie on her way as a Nashville songwriter. She later wrote a song about her mother and aunts, “When God-Fearin’ Women Get the Blues,” and Martina McBride recorded it. Leslie sang both songs for us. I enjoyed her Texas accent and her storytelling. She will be back in South Dakota on October 17 for the Wild West Songwriter Showcase at the Mountain Grand in Deadwood. I wish I could be there to see her show.

Tim Nichols, a 2017 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, commented in his introduction, “Behind every successful songwriter is a shocked mother-in-law.” He recalled listening to an audiobook, wondering why he continued following a boring character named Texas Jack Carmine. Until Texas Jack needed to get out of Texas and decided to flip a coin–heads California, tails Mexico. That line gave Tim a song idea, and Mark Sanders helped him write “Heads Carolina, Tails California,” which became a massive hit for Jo Dee Messina.

Jimmy Yeary told us the story of getting a Kenny Chesney cut. He was at a writer’s retreat in San Diego when David Lee Murphy called and said Kenny Chesney had asked for a song. David wanted Jimmy to help write it. Jimmy really wanted his name on a Chesney hit, but the timing was bad. A fellow writer said it would be a waste of time to fly back to Nashville. Jimmy pointed out that neither of them had a Chesney cut. He flew to Nashville, wrote “Til It’s Gone” with David Lee Murphy and Rodney Clawson, and was back at the retreat by the next afternoon. He later called the fellow writer and asked, “Do you have a Kenny Chesney cut?” The writer said, “You know I don’t.” Jimmy said, “Well, I do.”

Leslie good-naturedly pointed out that Jimmy had skipped Tim and taken an early turn. They left him out of the next round and were even again.

Tim calls “I Never Lie” by Zach Top “the most nominated song I’ve ever written.” He, Zach, and Carson Chamberlain wrote the song that was nominated for Grammys, CMA awards, and an ACM award but didn’t win any of them. I’m looking forward to hearing Zach sing “I Never Lie” when he comes to Sioux Falls on October 15.

Jimmy is proud of Drew Baldridge for being the first country artist in history to independently earn a chart-topping hit without being on a record label. Drew, Jimmy, and Cameron Jaymes wrote that historic song, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter”

Tim wanted to educate us with a new vocabulary word—interpolation. Cole Swindell recorded “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” which he had written with Thomas Rhett, Jesse Frasure, and Ashley Gorley. Interpolation in music involves recreating a recognizable part of a previously released song. What impressed Tim is that the original songwriters get half the credit for the rewrite. I think it’s a fun and well-written song. Jo Dee Messina tends bar in the video.

Leslie sang us a song that was not a hit. During a songwriter session in Texas, someone mentioned something about Wichita Falls not being in a song. Leslie took the challenge and started writing “I’d Never Put Wichita Falls in a Song.” After two verses about being in love with a man, she was told the third verse needed to be traumatic, with someone getting killed, because the song was so bland. She refused to kill anyone, so she sang about her man running off with her sister and “I’ll never put Wichita Falls in a song.”

After almost an hour and a half, the songwriters said they had time for one more round. I expected these last songs to be significant hits, and they were. Jimmy began the round with the story of Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck.” He mentioned an NPR interview with Paul Monti, and I remembered writing about it on Memorial Day in my newsletter: “The song idea came to Connie Harrington after listening to an NPR interview with Paul Monti, father of Medal of Honor recipient Jared C. Monti, an Army staff sergeant killed in Afghanistan in 2006. During that interview, Monti was asked, ‘How do you cope?’ He said, ‘I drive his truck.’ Jessi Alexander and Jimmy Yeary joined Connie in writing the song. Paul Monti didn’t know he had inspired Brice’s hit song until Connie invited him to Nashville. Monti died in 2022.”

Then it was Leslie’s turn, and I knew the song would be “Troubadour.” She didn’t talk about writing it with Monty Holmes; her story was about the recording session. Of course, she waited in suspense to hear that George Strait had recorded her song. The recording session was in Jimmy Buffet’s studio in a boat at the end of a pier in Florida. She said many artists enjoyed the privacy of the location, and George liked being able to pull his boat alongside and not be noticed. The bass player called her later to tell her the song had been recorded and what had happened prior to the session. George and his producer, Tony Brown, were sitting on the pier discussing how to record the song, when a group of tourists walked by. George and Tony were wearing ballcaps, sunglasses, tank tops, shorts, and flipflops.

One tourist walked over to George and said she’d like him to settle a bet. He asked, “What can I do for you, ma’am?” She explained that her husband had heard George Strait was recording that day in a building on the pier. She didn’t believe it, and her husband bet her $250 that it was true. So was George Strait recording there? George told her, “Ma’am, you can tell your husband he owes you $250. George Strait is not recording in that building today.” She happily thanked him and walked off.

When it was Tim’s turn, I missed who was wearing the t-shirt that said, “Music is the reason I get up every afternoon.” It might have been his shirt. Anyway, the story began with a friend who received a medical diagnosis of incurable cancer. Trying to adapt to the shock, he went skydiving. Then he learned the blood work had gotten mixed up, and he didn’t have cancer. He was hooked on skydiving and eventually made 700 jumps. Tim and Craig Wiseman wanted to write a song about how bad news can change your life. “Living and dying” didn’t make a good title. One of them suggested, “How about live like you were dying?” They worked on it for a while and then went home. Craig called at 10:30 that evening when Tim was downstairs in his mancave, and they finished the song.

Tim’s comment that songwriters always want their great songs to go to a famous artist reminded me of how disappointed Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet had been when the unknown Randy Travis recorded “On the Other Hand.” (That turned out well.) Tim didn’t have a similar experience. “Live Like You Were Dying” went to Tim McGraw, who already had twenty number one hits. It won a Grammy for Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman in 2005 for Best Country Song.

After 22 years, the songwriters still hear from people who were affected by “Live Like You Were Dying.” Tim told us about one woman who hadn’t talked to her father in fifteen years. When she heard the line, “I gave forgiveness I’d been denying,” she immediately called her dad. They reconnected and have had a good relationship since. Tim ended the show with, “That is way cooler than winning a Grammy.”

NEWS

The New York Times reports the death of Violet Hensley, 109, on August 7 at her home in Yellville, Arkansas, in the Ozarks. Born Mary Violet Brumley in central-western Arkansas in 1916, she learned from her farmer father how to play fiddle at age 12 and how to make fiddles at 15. She eventually handcrafted 73 fiddles; she played No. 4, made in the 1930s. After marrying Adren Hensley in 1935, she stopped performing and building fiddles to raise their nine children. To make ends meet, she was a cleaning lady at a hospital for many years. She re-emerged in 1962 by winning second place in a talent show. By the time she turned 99, Ms. Hensley had performed old-time mountain music at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri, for more than 50 years.  She’d appeared on TV programs such as Captain Kangaroo, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee.When fiddler Tim Crouch read in her 2014 autobiography, Whittlin’ and Fiddlin’ My Own Way, that she had long dreamed of performing on the Grand Ole Opry, he called banjo player Mike Snider, who brought her onstage at the Opry on August 6, 2016. She performed twice more on the Opry and was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame at age 101. Her husband died in 1997. They have 32 grandchildren, 85 great-grandchildren, 29 great-great-grandchildren, and two great-great-great-grandchildren.

Jo Western, wife of Johnny Western, posts on Facebook that their daughters surprised them with a 60th wedding anniversary party on August 9.

The name of Marty Robbins is alive and well in El Paso, Texas. KTSM-TV reports the recent groundbreaking of the Sun City Lights project at Marty Robbins Park. The project costs $1.29 million and will include an outdoor amphitheater. El Paso City Rep. District 6 Art Fierro said the “Marty Robbins Western theme” was the community’s idea: “The community of District 6 met here a couple of years ago in the rec center and shared their ideas, shared their vision, and from there it was put together by the creativity of the city staff to develop this final product.” The project is expected to finish in early 2027 with a ribbon cutting and live entertainment in the amphitheatre.

Renowned steel guitarist and record producer Tommy Detamore, 70, died unexpectedly on August 5, reports Texas Music Map. Cause of death has not been announced. He grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, and started playing steel guitar while in college. In 1981, he moved from Virginia to Texas to work with Darrell McCall. A year later, he became Moe Bandy’s steel guitarist and toured with him for seven years. He also backed Johnny Bush, Ronnie Milsap, and Clay Baker before turning toward studio work full time. In 1991, he opened Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, Texas, and ran that studio for 35 years. Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Robert Earl Keen, and dozens of others recorded there. Tommy Detamore is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.

Crystal Gayle was recently in Winchester, Kentucky, filming the first episode of a TV series at Winchester Café, a Main Street diner set to open soon. Finding Kindness will air on the Faith & Family channel and will stream on Apple and Amazon Prime. Crystal told WinCity Voices, “I’m excited to be on the show”; it aims to “bring some goodness into the world.” She reminisced about her first Grand Olé Opry performance at age 16, when she filled in for sister Loretta Lynn. Loretta’s husband, Mooney, talked her into going on stage because Loretta was ill. Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadours backed her, and she sang the Marty Robbins hit, “Ribbon of Darkness.” Born Brenda Gail Webb in Kentucky, she grew up in Wabash, Indiana. Owen Bradley of Decca Records told her he could record her after she graduated from high school, but she needed a different name because he already had Brenda Lee. For a last name, she changed the spelling of her middle name. Her new first name came as a result of Loretta noticing a Krystal hamburger place and telling her, “That’s it. That’s who you are.” Crystal jokes, “So, yes, I’m named after a hamburger.” She and husband Bill Gatzimos live in Nashville, as do their children. Crystal is on tour this summer, with shows in Texas, California, Nevada, and elsewhere.

An Acoustic Evening with Lacy J. Dalton and Friends will take place October 15 at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. Lacy J. Dalton is celebrating her 80th birthday. “I’m calling this my ‘Not Dead Yet’ Birthday Bash,” she says in a press release. “I’ll be 80 years old on October 13, and we are celebrating in a grand way on October 15^th. I’m proud to have made it this far. Not everybody can say that.” Some of those joining her are Jimmy Fortune, David Frizzell, Terri Gibbs, and Dale Poune. The evening will benefit her 501(c)(3) Let ’em Run Foundation, dedicated to rescuing and providing sanctuary and homes for America’s wild horses and burros. She says, “I don’t live in Nashville and only make it back every couple of years, so I want to officially announce that this will be my last Nashville performance… maybe… who knows… could be! I’m kidding!”

One year after Jeannie Seely died, her “Pennsyltucky” Cumberland River cottage home is open for private songwriting sessions, small gatherings, and intimate events. According to MusicRow, Jeannie set up the Jeannie Seely Trust to own and maintain her house for this purpose. Artists can create inside the cottage and on the screened porch overlooking the Cumberland River–where Jeannie recorded her weekly Sundays with Seely program for SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse. Her piano, awards, photographs, records, and personal mementos are on display throughout the cottage. Jeannie performed on the Grand Ole Opry 5,397 times, more than any other artist in the show’s 100-year history. Inquires for writing sessions at “Pennsyltucky” can be made by emailing JS***********@*****st.net.

Johnny Owens, youngest son of Buck Owens, pays tribute to his father’s legacy and the Bakersfield Sound with a new single, “Act Naturally,” the first release from his forthcoming full-length tribute album. A press release quotes Johnny as saying, “To the world, Buck Owens was a country music icon, but to me, he was simply Dad. This year marks the 20th anniversary of his passing, the 60th anniversary of his landmark album Live at Carnegie Hall, and on August 12, he would have celebrated his 97th birthday.” The 10-track collection will feature classics from every era of Buck’s career, including “Big in Vegas,” “Together Again,” and “Streets of Bakersfield.”

Johnny Wayne Bellar, 71, of Ashland City, Tennessee, died August 5 at Riverview Post Acute in Ashland City. Born in 1955 in Springfield, Tennessee, he won a dobro competition after graduating from high school, and it led to him performing with The Stonemans. He was an original member of The New Tradition and played with them for three years before going solo. According to his obituary, he performed at Opryland, Bluebird Café, and many other local spaces, remaining active in the Nashville area as a songwriter, demo player, and performer. His music could be heard on numerous commercials. He was the opening act for Slim Whitman’s Australian Tour and a featured performer for the “Masters of the Steel String Guitar.” His most memorable stage performance was at Wembley Stadium for the Queen of England. Per his wishes, no services are planned.

Here’s a late notice on the death of Canadian country music personality Blake Emmons, who died March 8 at age 81. PennLive Patriot-News reports his real name was Bruce Mackenzie, and he was a native of Toronto. In 1974 he hosted the CTV series Funny Farm, billed as Canada’s answer to Hee Haw. He also hosted The Country Place, as well as game show Chain Reaction. He hosted the ACT Telethon for Camp HE-HO-HA for disabled children in the 1970s and helped develop the Telemiracle telethon.

“I Don’t Care” is the second Randy Travis recording being released from the vault. Randy and Michael Curtis wrote the song. Longtime producer Kyle Lehning discovered it in the vault and then remixed and remastered the recording. It’s been 40 years since Randy’s debut multi-platinum album, Storms of Life. According to a press release, Randy will wrap his More Life Tour this fall, after already touring over 54 cities and 24 states. Tickets are available at randytravis.com.

The Possum’s” 95th Birthday Celebration at The Nashville Palace will honor George Jones on what would have been his 95th birthday. Nancy Jones, George’s widow, tells Country Now, “George’s actual birthday is the 12th, but that falls on a Saturday and so many of my friends are out touring and making a living, so I decided to make the event the next day so they could come and be part of it.” The September 13 event is being held in the Randy Travis Room, beginning at 4 p.m. The artist lineup will be announced later. Proceeds will benefit Concerts 4 A Cause and The George Jones Scholarship at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), both of which support charitable initiatives and the next generation of musicians.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 inductees, reports Country Now. Taylor Swift won the contemporary songwriter/artist category. (Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, and Phil Vassar were also nominated.) The other honorees are veteran songwriter/artist Lyle Lovett, veteran songwriter Bruce Channel, and contemporary songwriters Shawn Camp and Lee Thomas Miller. The five will be formally inducted during the invitation-only 56th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala this fall.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has inducted 255 members since its establishment in 1970, and the New York-based Songwriters Hall of Fame has inducted 510 members since its founding the previous year. Billboard reports that 42 individuals are in both Halls of Fame, with only seven being women: Felice Bryant, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Cindy Walker, and Taylor Swift. At age 36, Taylor Swift is the youngest inductee in the history of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the second youngest in the history of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Stevie Wonder was inducted in 1983 at age 32.

During his Last Call: One More for the Road – The Finale concert on June 27, Alan Jackson was presented with a plaque to commemorate his recorded music catalog totaling 85.5 million RIAA-certified units sold in the United States. His RIAA certifications began with his 1990 debut album, Here in the Real World, and continued through his 2021 single “The Older I Get.” According to Country Now, the plaque has a permanent home at Alan Jackson’s Silverbelly Whiskey Distillery and Museum, a new dual-themed facility in downtown Nashville.

Country Now reports that Sugarland is hitting the road for “The Ride or Die Tour.” The duo last toured in 2024 with Little Big Town. This tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Enjoy the Ride album. The 26-city visit kicks off October 1 in St. Augustine, Forida, and wraps up in Dallas on November 21. The tour includes the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on October 13 and the Summit Arena in Rapid City, South Dakota, on October 16.

Artists and music created entirely by artificial intelligence are making inroads in country music. Taste of Country reports, “AI-generated music has become increasingly easy to create, thanks in part to platforms that allow users to generate original songs with a computer. These are not AI ‘deepfakes,’ where technology is used to imitate the voice or likeness of an established artist.” Those are covered by Tennessee’s ELVIS Act. No artists’ voices are being copied here; music can be created from scratch and released under a made-up name. A study from AI-generator Kapwing found three country acts — Owen James, Breaking Rust, and Cain Walker — have generated $994,000 in sales, with 120.7 million Spotify streams and 117.2 million YouTube views. The three “country acts” are also in the charts. Kapwing found 494 chart entries for Owen James, 407 for Breaking Rust, and 399 for Cain Walker.

The latest person invited to join the Grand Ole Opry is Charlie Worsham, according to MusicRow. Vince Gill issued the invitation onstage at the Ryman Auditorium. A Mississippi native, Charlie made his Opry debut in 1997 as a 12-year-old Junior National Banjo Champion. He later studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston before becoming a solo artist who opened for artists such as Brad Paisley, Old Crow Medicine Show, Taylor Swift, and Kenny Rogers. Charlie is an in-demand session musician and currently a member of Vince’s touring band.

“We’re just waiting until we have an open spot to have the wedding,” Reba McEntire recently told E! News. “Get it planned. Print those invitations.” She and Rex Linn became engaged in 2025. Work gets in the way, with their busy schedules putting a wrench in their plans. “We have a blast together,” she said. “We work together, and we rehearse together. We carpool together. So, we’re always together.” She added that they love the same things: “We love the country way of life, the western way of life. We love movies. We love television.”

LETTERS

Jackie Allen Thomas, now in the Ozarks, writes, “Wow, what a great newsletter!! Your trip was great and congratulations to Bill Anderson. Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures.”

Ron Wood writes, “I hope I’m one of MANY who send you Well Done as thanks for the great writing about your trip to Nashville. The photos add a nice touch to show that families do continue, but not necessarily as famous country music people. I have been working with Tom Bradshaw of California to add a bit to Tom’s project to document the work of Jeff Newman who died in a private plane crash some years ago. Jeff Newman was a great player of the pedal steel guitar and did MUCH to teach many others how to play that instrument. His most famous teaching was through his seminars given around the country and at his home studio in Tennessee. Bradshaw’s plan is to have all of Jeff’s material gathered at a university somewhere, where it will be available for others to check out and benefit from. Thanks for your fine newsletter. When planning these writer trips, you must plan quite some time in advance to line up all those you meet with for visits?”

Diane: It’s a combination of planning and things falling into place as they happen. For example, the Malpass Brothers concert was unexpected. We bought tickets at the last minute, as did Alana Young.

Jack McCarty says, “Been a subscriber for some months now… this is the best newsletter yet. Really cool trip you took to Nashville. So good to hear about the various people you met. Thanks for sharing with us these great stories.”

Bob Jennings says, “WOW!! What a Trip that was. And the Drive must have been nice seeing the countryside, Lots of Country Music Stars to meet and visit with. Your Trip Report gets a Superior Rating!!!”

Byron Fay writes from Canton, Ohio, “As always, a great newsletter. It brought a smile to my face seeing Jaybird Drennan remembered in your newsletter. As someone who has lived in Canton, Ohio, for decades, I would hear Jaybird on the radio every day. Not only was he a great ambassador for country music here in Ohio, but he was a wonderful individual who was very involved in the Akron community. I might also add that he was a great singer, especially with gospel music.”

Frank Gerard says, “I loved your newsletter this month, as always. This one was especially interesting to me because I’ve been in touch with, or have been trying to reach, several of the names you mentioned. It sounds like you had a great trip.”

Terry Burford of KZHE Country writes from Magnolia, Arkansas, “Great newsletter – I really enjoyed the unique way you told your travel around Nashville stories. And save those Hank Williams records. Country music is gonna rise again.”

Dominique ‘Imperial’ Anglares writes from France, “Thank you very much for that summer Country Music Newsletter. Greetings for your kind ways to Alana Young, Faron’s only daughter. Just like you, I’m glad all that material has a good home and will be preserved. Bless your sweet soul. Warmest regards from your French friend.”

Martha Moore of so much MOORE media says, “Oh gosh, I missed your trip!! Darn!! BUT I see you met my long-time client Alex Miller.”

Joseph Allen says, “I appreciate seeing a picture of Weldon Myrick’s wife. I remember Weldon playing on some Tom T Hall records. He had his own unique playing style that enhanced Tom’s songs.”

Ed Bentley explains, “Jon Philibert, my long-time co-writer from the UK, mentioned you assumed I am also a UK guy. Not true, although we have been writing for maybe 15 or 20 years. I am a good ole American guy—Buffalo, New York. Thanks for all you do.”

Diane: Sorry about that, Ed. Thanks for the correction.

Nancy Hone Fiskum says, “Thank you for your newsletters. They are very interesting. It gives me a bigger picture of you and a window into a world I did not know. Thank you for the huge efforts you put into your newsletters.”

Cor Sanne writes from The Netherlands, “I was happy to see Alex in your latest Newsletter. Thanks for so much information. We met him a few weeks ago in the small town of Breim in west Norway. Alex blew us away. Alex is the real deal. He’s country!! This word country is too often used by many who do not know at all what country really means. They do not have the heart to experience it. Young man Miller from Kentucky could be saving this genre. He’s such a nice and spontaneous guy. A great singer, a real good guitar player and a walking library. He arrived at the hotel in Norway after 15 hours travelling. He checked in and took his luggage to his room. He came down with his guitar and started to sing in the hotel yard since the weather was fantastic. Soon he had others playing and singing with him. I did too and together we sang songs such as ‘Kentucky’ (Everly Brothers) and some Hank and Lefty songs. Alex is cut from the right tree!!! Hope you can use the picture.”

Alex Miller, Cor Sanne, and Joke Yark

Bobby Fischer in Nashville says, “Celebrated my 91st birthday Wednesday with relation friends and co-writers. Great fun. One card from my son said you can cross dying young off your list of stuff to worry about. I enjoyed every scene you described in the trip to Music City you took in the last newsletter. You really make the most out of your life. Good for you. Proud of your service and talent.”

Marvin Young, cousin of Faron Young, writes from Shreveport, Louisiana, “I just put my family research on the Youngs (and Faron Young is in it) at the Shreveport library off East King Highway.”

Brenda Sharp requests, “I would like to subscribe to the newsletter, but I’m blind and can’t locate where to subscribe using my screen reading software (JAWS). Would it be possible for someone to sign me up please?”

Diane: You are signed up, Brenda. Glad to have you in the group.

COUNTRY MUSIC DISC JOCKEY HALL OF FAME – 2005

Lonnie Bell was born in the coal mining community of Enterprise, West Virginia, in 1924. His father gave him a guitar when he was eight years old, and he practiced singing Jimmie Rogers and Carter Family songs. In 1940, at age 16, Lonnie quit school, and his parents signed a release that allowed him to join the U.S. Navy. His Catalina (PBY) squadron transferred from Newfoundland to the South Pacific in December 1941. First stationed in Hawaii during the war, he transferred back there in 1949. He announced his first DJ show on station KAHU in February 1953 and became the first country DJ in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1959, while assigned at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington and producing an evening radio show, he discovered Loretta Lynn singing at an American Legion Club in Bellingham, Washington. He paid her $25 a night to sing in his band. Petty Officer Lonnie Bell retired from the Navy in 1960 and moved to Montana, where he joined Montana’s Mighty 790 KGHL in Billings. He was inducted into the Montana Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2014. He died in 2022 in Billings, Montana, at age 98.

Coyote Calhoun, born Jim Battan in 1953 in New York, started his radio career in 1969 at Country station KRBB in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. He then worked at rock and pop stations until joining WAMZ in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1980. He received dozens of national awards and was still there in 2005. After retiring, he returned to radio in 2023 with “Coyote J’s Sunday Night Cemetery of Rock” from 7 p.m. to midnight on WJLX in Jasper, Alabama. He lives in the Birmingham suburbs. Now 73, Battan says, “When I start something, I run with it until it dies, or at my age, until I die. I expect I will do this for a good while.”

Dan Hollander, whose father helped him build a broadcasting station in their home when he was ten years old, began his radio career in 1964 as a part-time announcer at WKDF in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1969, while stationed with the U.S. Navy in Iceland, he appeared on Armed Forces Radio. He then worked at WDXE in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, as Program and Music Director from 1969-1987, when he moved to WLLX in the same town. His career spanned over 60 years, and his work helped shape country music radio. Today, he remains a respected figure in the country music broadcasting community.

Johnny “K” Koval began his fifty-year radio career in New York, at WMBO in Auburn and WOSC in Fulton. His next stop was Georgia, serving as program/music director at WACL in Waycross, WTJH in Eastpoint, and WPLO in Atlanta. He then moved to Nashville where he worked at WENO, WSIX, and a long tenure at WSM. He was nationally syndicated on The Nashville Network Radio Network and the Music Country Radio Network, and he conducted hundreds of interviews with legendary country artists. Johnny K died from complications of cancer in 2011 at the age of 77. He lived in White House, Tennessee.

Bob Mitchell, born Walter Detweiler, was one of the first Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) board members. He was best known for his time at KCKC in San Bernadino, California, where he worked from 1966-1993 as an on-air personality and Operations, Music and Programming Manager. In 1993 he became Promotions Director on KHOZ in Harrison, Arkansas. The station served the Branson, Missouri, market. He was on the air weekdays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm., and he conducted interviews with the stars who appeared in Branson. His daughter, Curb/Word Entertainment VP/Promotion Jeri Cooper, says, “Radio is all he ever wanted to do and loved it so much that, after studying to be a Mennonite preacher, he left to take his first radio job. He wasn’t allowed to listen to music as a child, but he snuck a small radio into his bedroom, put it under his pillow at night and listened to WIBG/Philadelphia and DJ Bobby Mitchell – who inspired his radio name.” He died in 2020.