Songlife Weblog

One of my favorite parts about visiting Romania was enjoying the food, and warm hospitality of the people we met along the way. I was delighted to discover that many of the dishes enjoyed by Romanians are also part of a hearty Southern U.S.A. style of cuisine. Combine that with influences from the Mediterranean and the German, and you end up with a culinary delight all its own in Romania. For breakfast, our host hotels provided a lavish feast fit for kings that was pre-negoti

Traveling through Transylvania - A Tennessean's Perspective rail tracks in Racovita, Romania As a U.S. Arts Envoy from the great state of Tennessee, I felt like I had a lot in common with the Romanians, even before our visit. For one thing, there are said to be 3 distinct parts of Romania, and our State of Tennessee also has 3 distinct parts, each with its own unique cultural differences, represented by the three stars on our flag. Of the three regions in Romania, I was able

Christmas Market Magic in Romania - U.S. Arts Envoy Day In the Life Cluj Napoca Romania Christmas Market at Night It came as a surprise to me that Romania as a country counts itself as having over 90% Christian population. The local people take great pride in their culture and traditions, and commonly participate in the wonder and magic that is a Christmas Market. For those like me who had never visited such a market, it was a revelation of beauty and communal celebration of

I have been preparing for this trip to Romania for months, learning the beautiful Romanian language and reading everything I can get my hands on about the culture, history and people. Arts Envoy visits are mission driven toward achieving certain goals. Our mission in Romania: to conduct interactive keynotes and team building workshops to target audiences including: Embassy affiliates, industry leaders, shareholders, and creative stakeholders. We will also provide our educatio

People often ask me what I do as a U.S. Arts Envoy, so I thought the occasion of the United States' 250 year birthday, and the U.S. Embassy Bucharest including me in their Freedom 250 campaign, is the perfect opportunity to talk about my trip to Romania. A Day in the Life of an Arts Envoy in Romania An Arts Envoy is a citizen ambassador with a specific field of expertise that works closely with counterparts in other countries where the U.S. has an active Embassy. My mission i

Honored to be part of the U.S. Embassy Bucharest’s #PassTheStar Freedom 250 series! In this reel, I share what it meant to visit Romania as an Arts Envoy—writing songs with incredible people across the country and celebrating our shared values of family, community, and creative tradition. Stay tuned as I take you through workshops, Christmas markets, songwriting sessions, and the warm Romanian hospitality that made it unforgettable. Thank you to the U.S. Embassy Bucharest

Today celebrates the 10 year anniversary of my dad, hit songwriter Kim Williams crossing over the rainbow bridge. Even though he died and left this Earth on February 11, 2016, he is still with us in our hearts, leaving his musical legacy behind for us to enjoy for always. I thought today was a good opportunity to list off a few of the accomplishments Dad has achieved since he passed away: 1) He was honored by the State of Tennessee with a formal proclamation signed by State

Entrepreneurship and Education: The Power of IP featuring Nashville Songwriter Amanda Colleen Williams, is the theme of the official U.S. Chamber of Commerce case study titled “ Rhythm & Rhyme: How Intellectual Property Enables Creators ." The study highlights Williams' experience as an artist entrepreneur and educator, shining a light on the economic powerhouse generated by creators with a strong foundation in intellectual property. Click image to read full case study on

What do Elvis Presley, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield and Neil Diamond have in common? Bobby Wood, of...

Had a blast serving as a judge for the Sing Your Heart Out competition at the Williamson County Fair yesterday afternoon. If you thought...

On the Town: An Evening of Heritage, Community and Music at The Franklin Theatre supporting Williamson County Heritage Foundation Jun 30

You might wonder what a hillbilly singer from East Tennessee is doing releasing a traditional Chinese song. The answer is Love. For...

Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots by Reba McEntire is more than a cookbook. Sure, it’s...

An old friend called today and said, “It looks like you’ve got a lot of exciting, great stuff going on down there in Nashville!” I told...

For the past 12 years, I have been putting on the Nashville Songwriting and Music Business Conference, presented this year by...

It is estimated that 1 in 5 adults, (52.9 million in 2020) in the United States suffer from some form of recognized mental illness....

For your listening enjoyment, here is a fun blog-cast discussion with Key West native author Scott Atwell. We talk about: what it means...

Fantasy Meets Reality – Living and Creating Art In the Florida Keys – a Conversation with Artist Sandy West The Lower Keys in Florida are...

One definition for creativity is the ability to make new connections between familiar topics. That makes Buffett Backstories: Fifty Years...

How to handle the heat and humidity in the summertime great outdoors has always been a challenge for some of us. As a child growing up in...