Statler Stuff

I don't know how I managed to miss this, but I just discovered that the Statler Brothers are inductees into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame this year. There's an induction ceremony in October, here in Nashville. I'm nearly hyperventilating at the thought of going. I've never met 3 of the 4 Statlers, you know. Unfortunately, tickets are $125. Although I could probably get media credentials to get in... there are a couple of problems with that little scenario:

1. I'd have to interview the inductees. And I have never heard of any of the others, nor could I pick them out of a lineup.

2. I'd have to interview the inductees. See the above mentioned note about hyperventilating.

I completely feel like an idiot, because I close out my show every Sunday night on XM 10 with a Statler's Gospel song, and I had no idea this was announced - over a week ago!

In what is clearly a "full circle moment" waiting to happen... when I first moved to Nashville with pie in the sky dreams that I was going to go to work for Jim Owens on the Statler Brothers TV show... I used to moonlight doing catering while I was working at WSMV. One of the places I worked most often was The Richland Country Club. Which is where the induction ceremony is taking place.

In other Statlers News... Jimmy Fortune has announced his annual Fan Cruise for 2008. He's sailing the Eastern Carribbean in March, leaving out of Miami. And his special guest - my buddies Grandstaff!

http://www.jimmyfortune.com/ for all the details.

And finally, Jimmy's 3 day music festival, The Fortune-Williams Music Festival, takes place at the end of this month in Staunton, VA. Where I've still never been. Yet.