In fact checking myself, I discovered that James Island was not named after Confederate Captain George S. James. It was named after King James II, King of England, born 1633, died 1701. My apologies. "Stories with a Beat" Just the other day I released the latest edition of "Stories with a Beat," a video podcast, featuring Nashville stalwart Marc-Alan Barnette on my Don Wall Productions YouTube Channel. The Birmingham native is celebrating 37 years in Nashville as a songwriter, artist, and...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
"Stories with a Beat" Just the other day I released the latest edition of "Stories with a Beat," a video podcast, featuring Nashville stalwart Marc-Alan Barnette on my Don Wall Productions YouTube Channel. The Birmingham native is celebrating 37 years in Nashville as a songwriter, artist, and most recently, teacher. His slogan is "You Don't Choose Music. Music Chooses YOU." Our video features a lot of MAB's original music, cuts with major artists, and tips for anybody coming to Nashville with...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
Walking at Radnor We saw wild turkeys I started writing this on Halloween with the foliage falling. Kimberly has gotten serious about completing a book of fiction, so she's writing every day. She's joined writers groups in Nashville, including The Porch, Sisters in Crime Middle Tennessee, and she volunteered at the Southern Festival of Books. The book she's writing is a mystery crime novel set in Hong Kong, where Kimberly visited in her 30's. Her heroine is her alter ego, a spunky, intuitive,...
almost 2 years ago • 8 min read
Don playing his songs for Charlie Murphy one last time "O Death, Wont You Spare Me Over Til Another Year..." Sung by Ralph Stanley in the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now I know why my grandfather always read the obituaries first when he read the afternoon newspaper at our house before supper. When you get to a certain age, friends and colleagues start falling out on a daily basis. Recently I lost two of my closest friends, Charles Murphy and Ken Collins. Charlie was a...
about 2 years ago • 8 min read
Don playing his songs for Charlie Murphy one last time "O Death, Wont You Spare Me Over Til Another Year..." Sung by Ralph Stanley in the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now I know why my grandfather always read the obituaries first when he read the afternoon newspaper at our house before supper. When you get to a certain age, friends and colleagues start falling out on a daily basis. Recently I lost two of my closest friends, Charles Murphy and Ken Collins. Charlie was a...
about 2 years ago • 8 min read
Don playing his songs for Charlie Murphy one last time "O Death, Wont You Spare Me Over Til Another Year..." Sung by Ralph Stanley in the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now I know why my grandfather always read the obituaries first when he read the afternoon newspaper at our house before supper. When you get to a certain age, friends and colleagues start falling out on a daily basis. Recently I lost two of my closest friends, Charles Murphy and Ken Collins. Charlie was a...
about 2 years ago • 8 min read
Don playing his songs for Charlie Murphy one last time "O Death, Wont You Spare Me Over Til Another Year..." Sung by Ralph Stanley in the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now I know why my grandfather always read the obituaries first when he read the afternoon newspaper at our house before supper. When you get to a certain age, friends and colleagues start falling out on a daily basis. Recently I lost two of my closest friends, Charles Murphy and Ken Collins. Charlie was a...
about 2 years ago • 8 min read
Don playing his songs for Charlie Murphy one last time "O Death, Wont You Spare Me Over Til Another Year..." Sung by Ralph Stanley in the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Now I know why my grandfather always read the obituaries first when he read the afternoon newspaper at our house before supper. When you get to a certain age, friends and colleagues start falling out on a daily basis. Recently I lost two of my closest friends, Charles Murphy and Ken Collins. Charlie was a...
about 2 years ago • 8 min read
Redbud in full bloom by Kimberly Birthday dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy 70 in the 20's - 20 in the 70's Kimberly and I celebrated my 70th birthday in Nashville. I played a showcase at the Copper Branch and we shared a wonderful meal at Maggiano's Little Italy. I saw a clip of Joe Walsh saying he had more fun in his 20's in the 70's than he's having at 70 in the 20's. Funny line Joe, and I'll steal another one of yours, "Life's been good to me so far." The 1970's were an amazing decade for...
over 2 years ago • 5 min read