2009


	A few weeks before Christmas, my friend Gary Pigg called and asked if he could set up some singers to come in an do some caroling. What a great idea!!! We added musicians... more singers and even THE GLORY BUGLES!!! What an absolutely fun show! Picture at left: l-r: David Bechtel, Steve Pippin, Wayne and Nan Gurley, Emily Robertson, me, Lisa Bevill, Jeff Amann, Alan Root Robertson (next to Jeff), Carol and Gary Pigg, Bonnie Keen and Gene Miller. -Dec 20
	A big part of Christmas time is getting old friends. Such was the case December 6th. Ric Blair and his band came in to play some LIVE Christmas music... Celtic style. It was wonderful. Find Ric at www.blairband.com. On the band's last song, Phil Keaggy arrived and sang a duet with Ric. Pictures at left, l-r: John Mock (Irish whistle), Melanie Parobek (Celtic fiddle), me, Phil Keaggy, Ric Blair, Rich Courtney (bass), and Joe Curat (percussion).
	November 29th was a very busy day! One the phone from California was our old friend, Bob Bennett. Bob has just released his first Christmas CD, "Christmastide". It was so very good to get caught up with Bob. We haven't seen his face on the radio in a few years now. Also on the phone was Rick Heil from SonicFlood. They also just released a new Christmas project. Dropping by the studio was Buddy Greene and Randy Shaw. Randy is with the Nashville Rescue Mission. We talked about the impact of the mission and the importance of all of us taking part.
	Sometimes it's just wonderful to get with an old friend. Such was the case with Cheri Keaggy. When I invited her to be on the show, her response was that she didn't have a new project to talk about. I told her that we would just play those wonderful familiar songs of hers and catch up. Cheri's first CD was made up of several worship songs she would lead at her church in California. After moving to Nashville with her family (including husband Eddie- Phil Keaggy's nephew), she continued to blossom as a gifted singer/songwriter. I have always enjoyed Cheri's visits. I particularly liked this visit... Cheri brought her mom with her. Visit her at: www.cherikeaggy.com -Nov 8

One of Healing Hands International
e great things about my job is that I get to meet some pretty wonderful people and introduce them to my listeners. When I met Amy Stroup, she was in college. She has and continues to blossom into a very talented singer/songwriter. One of her songs was just featured on a network TV show. Amy took part in a trip to Guatemala earlier this year. The purpose of the trip was to shoot a documentary on the lives of people in this country not many of us know much about. Leading the trip was filmmaker, Scott Moore. Scott has much of his life invested in Guatemala. In fact, he and his wife have adopted two boys from there. Check out: www.athentikos.com/ to learn more about this film and how you can take part. -Nov 1

	Remember those great songs: "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", "Nights Are Forever Without You", "It's Sad to Belong ", "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again", and of course "Love Is the Answer"? The incredible pop duo England Dan and John Ford Coley recorded those tunes in the mid-to-late 1970's. John Ford Coley has a wonderful story to tell. Raised in a strong Christian home, he wandered spiritually for 28 years before returning to those roots... and with great passion. I enjoy so much hearing John talk about his return to his faith. He still sings those old, wonderful songs (he sang "Night Are Forever..." live for us!). But he is also not ashamed of who he is in Jesus. Visit John's web site at: www.johnfordcoley.com -Oct 25
	I love this woman's heart! Michele Pillar, not only an incredibly gifted singer, songwriter, author and speaker, but she also founder and works tirelessly with a local charitable organization, "Closer to Home". Agencies in and around middle Tennessee know of this organization and they are frequently called upon to just help folks in need. CtH holds just one fundraiser each year. We joke every year because by the time Michele visits the show to talk about the event and push for ticket sales, they are already almost sold out. Visit the Closer to Home website and check out some of the great work these folks are doing. www.closertohomebenefit.org -Oct 18
	A monumental event took place on Monday, October 12 at the new Barn Theater at Nashville's famous Loveless Cafe. "The Concert of the Decade" featured some of Christian's finest. Local attendees filled the venue as countless others watched online. This was billed locally as a "Save the GMA" event. The Gospel Music Association has financially suffered a great deal in recent years. Joining us on October 11th was GMA board member and former co-founder of the band DeGarmo & Key, Eddie DeGarmo. Also joining us was Gabriel Aviles, GMA VP of Marketing & Business Development. The discussion centered around the concert as well as how even the casual fan of Christian music could become a member of the Gospel Music Association. Visit www.gospelmusic.org to learn more.
	As a rule, I don't interview book authors. It's not that I don't like books or their authors- it's simply that we are a Christian MUSIC program and our guests are typically Christian artists (altho some who may be authors as well). Months ago, I invited Bonnie Keen to join us on Sept 27th. She asked if she could bring a friend she wanted us to meet. Meanwhile Bonnie got booked for that Sunday and we made a new friend! Alicia Britt Chole was/is a delight! We talked about her book, "Finding An Unseen God" and her former atheism. Find Alicia at www.truthportraits.com
	What a morning!!! Marty Roe and Jimmy Olander from Diamond Rio joined us to share from TWO up coming projects!... Their new CD, "The Reason" and the book telling the story of Diamond Rio, "Beautiful Mess". These guys have sold over 10 million albums in their two decade history. I love their story because thru it all, they have stuck together (no personnel changes) and most important- they live their lives as believers in Jesus both on and off stage. Check them out at www.diamondrio.com Top right: Marty Roe. Bottom right: Jimmy Olander. -Sept 13
	Several weeks back, I heard about Ginny Owens' new project, "Say Amen" and listened to this wonderful CD of Hymns. They are done "Ginny's way" which suits me just fine! I highly recommend "Say Amen" and my friend, Ginny Owens. Find her at www.ginngowens.com . -Aug 30
	When he was a little boy, if you would have asked Jonny Diaz what he would be when he grew up, he no doubt would have answered, "a baseball player". And why not? He's the youngest of four brothers who were all ball players. In fact, his brother Matt plays for the Atlanta Braves. While at Florida State in Tallahassee on a baseball scholarship, God called Jonny to music instead. I am so glad. Jonny's style is a breath of fresh air. His CD, "More Beautiful You" was released in May. Connect with Jonny at www.jonnydiaz.com . -Aug 16
	I have been looking so forward to having The Annie Moses Band on the show for some time. Every bit of music I've heard from this incredible family is simply nothing less than amazing! Simple story, great-grandmother Annie Moses was quite a woman. Grand-daughter, songwriter and singer Robin meets musician Bill Wolaver. Six very talented kids later, we have The Annie Moses Band. The band was to take place in a benefit concert later that week. Oldest siblings Annie and Alex came in to chat and share some insights into their love of music. These two received training at Juilliard School of Music. Their music is diverse and an absolute JOY to hear and enjoy. I told them that next time they would not be allowed back into the studio with instruments and more family members. Live music from The Annie Moses Band... that would be something! -Aug 2
	I love to hear Ashley Cleveland sing. Her style is hard to define yet so easy to enjoy. She has so much passion for what she does. I've know for a long time of her love of hymns, but in this latest release, "God Don't Never Change", we get in on her joy for old black spiritual music. What a treat! A bit of a departure from our usual Sunday morning fare but still a listening delight! Find Ashley at : www,ashleycleveland.com -July 19
	July 5th brought us a true Christian music veteran. Bob Farrell along with his wife Jayne created some of the music that defined CCM. Farrell & Farrell recorded from the late 70's into the early 90's. Bob continued to write for others and, with urging from family and friends, recorded "Collections" which includes some older F&F favorites as well as some new songs.
	Always a welcome guest to the show, Jim Cole joined us on June 28th. No specific topic, just lots of great music and talk about things on Jim's mind. Find Jim at: www.jimcoleonline.com
	It's rare for a radio show to promote another radio show. Such was the case June 21st when we featured "Tokens". Technically, at this time, Tokens is not actually on the air, but several shows have been recorded. It's a wonderful eclectic mix of live music, skits, and interviews designed around a particular subject. Tokens' host, Lee Camp joined us as well as special guest on the upcoming Tokens' taping later that week Ron Block. Ron is also a member of Alison Krauss' band, Union Station. Pictured left: l-r: Lee Camp, me, Ron Block.
	I always look forward to having live music on the show and it doesn't come any better than with a visit from Buddy Greene and Pat Flynn. They had a concert that evening up in Hendersonville but spent 2 hours with us as a "warm-up". -June 14
	This was quite a morning... Phil Keaggy, Ken Mansfield and Chuck Girard!!! Phil and Ken were taking part in a "Beatle-Day" concert that week. Ken invited Chuck to join us. Fine with me! Ken, if you will recall, was an executive with Capitol in the 1960's. The Capitol roster included The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell, The Beatles, and many others. Ken was hand-picked by the Beatles to be the president of Apple Records in the US in 1967. He has some great stories as well as an incredible conversion experience. Check out his latest book: "Between Wyomings" released just two days after this show. Left picture: l-r: Phil Keaggy, me, Ken Mansfield, and Chuck Girard. -June 7
	Two visits already this year, this lady is very busy! Chonda Pierce was recently elected president of the Christian Comedy Association. They were holding their annual conference in Nashville that week and kicked of the week, that Sunday night, with a comedy show. It was great fun! I felt like a lion tamer... it was SIX comedians on one side of the board and ME on the other!!! Top picture on the left: Leland Klassen, Teresa Roberts Logan. Zan, me, Chonda Pierce, Thor Ramsey, and Bone Hampton. -May 31
	It's been WAY too many years since Alan Root (Robertson) was on the show. Alan is a self-proclaimed "kids musicianary". There is a great difference between being childish and child-like... Alan calls us to the latter. His style is infectious and draws in children- no matter how old we really are! -May 24
	Curt Collins dropped by on May 11th. His latest CD, "Another Day" was the subject. This is Curt's sophomore project. You can find out more about this Arkansas native at www.curtcollins.com
	It's good to make new friends and that's exactly what we did on April 26th. Meet Carl Cartee Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Carl grew up in North Carolina and has enjoyed worship music a great deal of his life. Now a worship leader here in Nashville, Carl also tours and conducts worship seminars. Visit him at www.carlcartee.com
	GMA Sunday is always so much fun! It is the kick-off to Gospel Music Week in Nashville. Of course, the climax is the Dove Awards which was on Thursday night at the Grand Ole Opry House. On the GMA Sunday, we got a visit from our old friends, The Classic Imperials. They were featured in a showcase the next night in which they announced they were changing their name to Still Standing. Original Imperials member Armond Morales told us of the days they backed Elvis, Jimmy Dean and others. There's some rich music history there! Next, Dove Award Show producer Steve Gilreath gave us a rundown of this year's show. This show was wrapped up by a visit from John Schlitt (former lead-singer with Petra) and President George W. Bush impersonator John Morgan. He signed his book for me with the close, "Blessifications". I'm sure the real president would be proud! Pictures.. upper left: Classic Imperials with Rick Evans, me, Dave Will, and Armond Morales. Left center: John Morgan (as the pres!), me, and John Schlitt. Lower left: Steve Gilreath. Upper right: The Imperials on the air. Lower right: John Schlitt and John Morgan. -April 19
	Jim Cole and I have been good friends for many years now. We were once neighbors when we lived in East Nashville and he was starting out in the business. It's nice to be able to call on that friendship now and then and have Jim on the show. He is a great deal of fun to hang out with but he is also very thought provoking. Jim joined us on Palm Sunday (April 5th) . Subjects ranged from his young grand daughter listening over the web in Boston, to his call to be a spiritual advisor to a death-row inmate. He's a singer and a songwriter, so he sings about life and talks about these triumphs and pain thru his songs. Because of his uncanny resemblance to James Taylor in his singing and playing style, he wrote a song (which he performed for us) called, "I Am Nor James Taylor". Visit Jim Cole online at: www.jimcoleonline.com.
	I remain extremely proud of this lady... Bonnie Keen. Her remarkable story has taken her to some pretty lofty highs and some very deep lows- yet she is vibrant and passionate about her faith and her love for God and His people. A very gifted singer, songwriter, author, speaker, as well as baton twirler! She is a very special lady indeed and I love having her on the show. -Mar 29
	To have a good show, you HAVE to have great guests! That's a given. Little did I realize when I got a call from Michele Pillar one week and told her I had an opening in the next Sunday (March 22) that she would take it and give such a powerful story and testimony to God's love in her life... past and present We played old songs, talked about old time and things coming up. This is a most exciting time in Michele's life and i am very proud of her!
	The resurrection of Jesus... a most center point of what we believe and face it folks, if it's not true, we're wasting our time! The fact is, it IS true... Jesus DID rise from the dead. This is the theme of a brand new project "Resurrection Worship"- a concept CD inspired by the DVD series "The Easter Experience" by Thomas Nelson. Project producer Vince Emmett brought together some extraordinary talent to this CD: Rebecca St. James, Phil Keaggy, Jamie Slocum and some many others. Pictured at left are two more artists: l-r Phil Joel, me, Ginny Owens, Jake Larson (publicist), and Vince Emmett. Click here to learn more. -Mar 15 By the way, it was also the day after my birthday!
	What great guests we've been having lately! That trend certainly continued March 1st with the visit of three out of four members of Avalon. Their greatest hits project had just been released with a new song included. We expected a call any minute from Jeremi's very pregnant wife that "it was time". Fortunately, the call did not come during the show. We missed Melissa Greene who had a solo gig that morning. These are quality people who are welcome ANYTIME. Pic left-right: Jeremi Richardson , me, Janna Long, and Greg Long.
	I've made it clear that I love Point of Grace! They've been visiting the show since their first project was released in 1993. Over these years we've seen some changes with Terry Jones and Heather Payne leaving and Leigh Cappillino joining. Now something new and exciting, country music fans have joined longtime CCM fans in embracing Point of Grace's music. On February 22nd, Denise Jones, Leigh Cappillino, and Shelley Breen dropped by to catch up and talk about the latest project, "How You Live -Deluxe Edition" (some great new songs plus an acoustic version of the title cut). We were also very excited that the ladies brought along their guitar player (and Leigh's husband, Dana) for some live music. You can check www.YouTube.com to see these live performances. Pictures: top left: Denise, Shelley, me, and Leigh. Bottom left: the girls sing and Dana plays.
	I can't think of a much better show than one that includes a visit from Phil Keaggy. The guy's got more music going than anyone I know. As usual, Phil brought in a home-made CD labeled "For Brian" which contained tracks he was working on and new stuff he had just finished... some of which we played on the air. Of course, Phil bringing his guitar made this wonderful visit even more special. He played a song he wrote from Psalms 40. -Feb 15
	I am so very impressed with this young lady. Rick Cua brought Anadara to us a year and a half ago. Her second project now out: "A Little Closer" reflects her love for God and her heart for others. I loved it that she brought her guitar and sang a song from the project LIVE (although her husband, Rocky, had to run home since she broke a guitar string... nice to be in Nashville!!!). Find her at: www.anadara.com -Feb 8
	Jamie Slocum visited us on January 25th. His new project, "Dependence" won't be released until mid-April but WE got a sneak peak! Already the title cut has topped the charts for weeks. Learn more about Jamie at: www.jamieslocul.com .
	January 18th brought us a good friend... Chonda Pierce. She has a DVD taping coming up at the Ryman in a week or so. It is always such a pleasure to have Chonda with us. She brought us a new friend as well. Zan (short for Alexandra) will be taking part in the taping. She's also a very funny woman! Watch for this new DVD when it comes out, "This Ain't Prettyville!". Keep an eye on www.chonda.org. Left picture, l-r: Zan, me and Chonda. Upper right, Chonda's husband David looks on as Chonda speaks. Lower right: Zan