It’s so hard not to be in awe of the many singers/celebrities I come across down here. I mean, I’m just not used to seeing so many famous people in the same room or building as me. I try to control myself, but I can’t help it. I know I live in Nashville, and should expect it, but I just wanna jump up and down for instance, when I walk right by Deana Carter or Wynonna in the Airport, or when Jason Michael Carroll is sitting right across from me at the Nashville Palace. Or for example, when I get to meet T.G. Sheppard at the Cracker Barrel in Hendersonville, when I simply went there to have lunch, or when I go to a songwriter’s night at the Bluebird and get to meet and take a picture with Rebecca Lynn Howard. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen all those people, plus gotten Naomi Judd’s autograph when she was a judge for ‘Can You Duet,’ saw Wade Hayes in a surprise performance from a few rows back at Marcy Jo’s Restaurant in Columbia, TN, saw Josh Turner in an up-close and personal show at the Mercy Lounge, AND of all things, got to meet Brenda Lee when she was attending the same church service as me. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I work with a certain Ernest Tubb Jr. at FedEx? Now not many can say that. Wow! That’s quite a few big names in just a short period of time. The opportunites are endless down here. And I’m looking forward to meet many more stars!!

It was a great turnout last Saturday night at Green Valley. Over a hundred people came out. We have so many people to thank. First and foremost, Gary Board, for allowing us to sing there, running commercials on WXBC, the sign display in the front of the restaurant, and also for providing the stage; The whole Green Valley staff for helping promote the event; Thank you to Carolyn French and Margaret Ross for putting up fliers to help get the word out; Jennifer Gardner for making shirts for us to sell at the show; the waitresses for sporting the shirts while they worked; Carlie Ross for providing the straw for us; Sherry Wilson, Carolyn French, Margaret Ross and Nancy Nottingham for providing the decorations for the stage… Also to Faye Swift for providing some extra cords from home for us to use; and a special thank you to Sheila Frank for staying there till the end to help us wrap everything up! We also want to thank Ben Probus for coming out to Irvington and sharing his great talent on the fiddle with us. Thank you again to all who came out to support us that night and made it a success. We look forward to seeing you all at the 15 year anniversary celebration on October 11th at Green Valley.

Hello everyone… I just wanted to let you know if you plan on attending the Green Valley Restaurant Show on Saturday the 13th from 7 to 9 pm EST - make sure to bring a lawn chair and maybe a blanket in case it gets a little cooler in the evening… Also, please take some time to come a little early and enjoy a meal inside the restaurant… or grab some take out just before the show and sit back and enjoy some good country music from yesterday and today while you eat… Either way, we hope to see you there… Ben, Belinda, and I are looking forward to spending time with everyone and we are sure hoping for some good weather. Just in case anyone doesn’t know him… Ben Probus, our fiddle player, has toured with Mark Chestnut and is currently touring with Sarah Johns… We are very glad to have him with us for this show and we hope to talk him into playing again with us real soon… so, please make him feel welcome while he is there at Green Valley with us! We look forward to seeing you all there!!!

I have 5 songs currently uploaded on my myspace page: www.myspace.com/ryanrosscountry. There is a direct link on the contact page. They are all original songs, two, in which I am proud to say were co-written by my dad. I enjoyed getting the chance to record them, just me and my guitar, with Jackie Dixon in his Old Path Recording Studio this past Saturday. Thank you to everyone who has given me positive feedback on them. It’s great to hear your comments. You don’t know what it means. I will be making more frequent visits to the studio to hopefully have a full CD of original music available in the near future. Thank you again for all your support.

Belinda and I went to a songwriters night to hear the famous husband and wife duo, ‘Can You Duet’ couple Joey & Rory, perform at Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse Restaurant near Columbia, TN. Who just happened to show up but Wade Hayes. We got to hear some of his big hits, like ‘Old Enough To Know Better’, ‘What I Meant To Say’, and ‘I’m Still Dancing With You.’ Joey & Rory sang their famous ‘Cheater, Cheater,’ in which they performed on ‘Can You Duet.’ Watch for the world premiere video now on CMT! You can find their debut CD in stores October 14th.

Unfortunately My American Idol journey was cut short on Monday. I still had a fun time though, seeing and talking to many friends who were also trying out. So I still consider it a great weekend. An estimated 14,000 people sat in Freedom Hall waiting for their audition. Not great odds for many to make it to the second round, which will be held in September. So it’s just back to work.

American Idol is coming to Louisville’s Freedom Hall this Monday. Hope to be able to make it front of the 3 famous judges. Also hope to see some friends waiting in line!

Thanks to Gary and all of the staff at Green Valley for having Belinda and I sing there for the first time. We really enjoyed our time with everyone and hope to see you all again soon. A special thank you to Sheila for helping us bring the whole thing to life and to Carolyn French for helping to promote us singing there that night.

I enjoyed getting to sing at the picnic with three other groups which included Jay Henderson and the Country Ramblers, Heaven Sent and By The Book. Thank you to the Bewleyville Masonic Lodge for having me.

I shook the hand of the one and only Brenda Lee this past Sunday. It just so happened she was at the same service I was at Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville for Mother’s Day. (I’m Sorry, So Sorry!) Yeah, that’s one of her songs.