July 1, 2026

Hi Gang:

And welcome to the month of celebration!

Our country is celebrating its 250th birthday, I am personally celebrating being a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 65-years, and all of us should be celebrating simply being alive for another day here on God’s magnificent earth. I hope all is well with you and yours wherever you are.

Yep, it’s almost here…our big 65th Opry celebration on Saturday night July 18th. I’m looking forward to sharing this milestone occasion with so many of you. I hope you know how much it means to me that you want to be here. And for those of you who won’t be making the trip, I hope you’ll tune in the festivities wherever you listen to the Opry. It’s going to be an exciting night.

If you were tuned to the Opry on June 2nd, you heard the announcement about another special night coming my way on August 19th when the Academy of Country Music will be presenting me with the Icon Award on their Honors Night. It was a total surprise to me when ACM Chief Executive Officer, Damon Whiteside, came onstage, told me about the upcoming recognition, and handed me the heaviest trophy I think I have ever lifted in my life. I’m very grateful to the members of the ACM, and I’m really thrilled to be part of their big night next month. You can learn more about the big event…and even purchase tickets…at the ACM website.

I’ve been trying to crank out a few more new songs here lately, and I’m excited about several of them. My Opry buddy and bluegrass legend, Rhonda Vincent, tapped into her country roots a few days ago and recorded a new one that Bobby Tomberlin, Will Jones, and I wrote called, “Even If I Tried.” From what I understand, it will be part of her upcoming album. A young artist from France by way of California named Theo Lawrence has released, “Today’s A Good Day” on his latest project, and several more songs that I’ve had a hand in writing are closing in on the recording process. Creating new music is still a big part of what makes me tick.

On the personal side, I finally snuck in a few days of sitting on the beach and staring at the ocean back in June, and it was all that I had hoped it would be. I spent Father’s Day with my daughters, Terri and Jenni, and was able to spend my son, Jamey’s, 48th birthday with him the following week. I even squeezed in a visit with my four-month old great-granddaughter, Nora Jane, before she came down with the chicken pox. She’s doing well, the doctors have called it a “mild case,” so not to worry.
I’ll be on the Opry Tuesday night July 14th to help my buddy, Jamey Johnson, celebrate his birthday (lots of cake coming up!) and then again on the 18th for my big night.

Have a great month, enjoy the “warm” weather, and we’ll see you back here in August.
Thanks for everything.