Well, here we are, already in the month of November. The holidays are approaching very rapidly. Some people have already started their Christmas shopping. Turkey Day is the next holiday, filled with warm memories and good food for the more fortunate. Eat, nap, eat again; a pattern a lot of people follow on this day. Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pecan pie and pumpkin pie are on the American menu. I'm getting hungry just writing about it. May God richly bless you during this Thanksgiving season. Try to find it in your heart to reach out to someone less fortunate than yourself during this giving time of the year. If it's just a kind word or a hot meal, DO IT! I promise you one thing: You will get a warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy and you will be a better person.

Well, Dolly has finally developed her own record label. Steve Buckingham is going to head the new company. I'm sure I will hear more on that soon.

Rumor has it that Lorrie Morgan and her first husband, Ron Gaddis, have been seen together again. They have a daughter by their first marriage. Details later. Maybe friends will be friends. You think? Tanya Tucker is moving closer to marrying the father of her two children — Beau. Tanya says,"Marriage just scares me to death."

Listen for more details on the new amphitheater being built in Cave City. The World's Largest Juke Box is said to be parked there – Heartland, Kentucky USA. The next one will be built in Music City (Nashville). Hope it will be a national franchise.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to Marty Raybon, the lead singer for Shenandoah, who recently lost his mother after a lengthy illness. Our prayers go out to him and his family. These guys are the same every time you interview them — just Good Ole Boys.

Congratulations are in order for Tracy Lawrence on his recent wedding to one of his fans, Frances Weatherford of Farmington, New Mexico. They were married in a small chapel in Nashville.

Billy Ray Cyrus has donated $100,000 from a concert at Iowa State University to repair flood damage to the school's coliseum. He deserves a big YAHOO!

Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family and friends of one of our local music scene's family members. We lost Rick Burris to cancer. Rick was the lead vocalist for the J.D. Black Band and one of the strongest and most talented lead vocalists in this area. I don't think this empty space will ever be filled. I went to school with Rick and will never forget his endless talents. He will be remembered as a fun-loving guy who just wanted to make a difference by entertaining you, his fans. May God Bless.

RICK BURRIS

1951-1993

Coyote Calhoun needs to be congratulated once again on his endeavors with WAMZ and his own personal talents. He has received Billboard's 1993 Radio Award for Air Personality of the Year and Program Director for the Year for Medium Market. This is his sixth win for Air Personality and fourth for Program Director.

Thanks, Coyote, for once again focusing the eyes of The Industry on Louisville. This is one way to get our local talent recognized.

Another way is the new Coyote/WAMZ CD that will be released in November. The disc will include 12 local groups performing 18 original songs. Produced by Music Man Records of Springfield, Ky., the compilation CD features the following artists: Free Spirit, J .D.Black Band, Karen Kraft & Kiks, Uncle Pecos, Robert Morris and the Lonely Roads Band, Hard Livin Band, Wilder Days, The Reed Brothers, Black Hawk, Ron Peake and Open Country, John Allen Band and the Other Smothers Brothers.

I recently received a letter of thanks from the widow of the late NASCAR driver Davey Allison. Liz Allison was thanking me for the write-up in which I said that country music fans and racing fans are very close. It has been said that Liz Allison and Joe Diffie have been seeing one another. Well, it's the same old song and dance. Some people try to dig up the dirt on anyone trying to make the best of a sad situation. I commend Liz and Joe for being so brave as to stick together on this one. Good luck guys. For those gossip kings and queens, support your local NASCAR sponsors. Tide is sold in your local grocery stores.

The CMA Awards were very special to me this year. It was a three-hour show and very entertaining at that. A few wardrobe shocks for a few people. Oh, well, whatever floats your boat. Just being there is exciting.

I went with my cousin, better known as "Shannon" on the new TNN Friday-night video show Country Music Video Album Hour. What a Babe. We had a blast! We picked more than half the winners that were nominated. I'd say that's a pretty darn good average -— since we beat Coyote's average.

The night before the CMA Awards I was invited to a party at the Hall of Fame. Robert Oerman had a book signing party there. Oerman writes for The Tennessean and is a nationally known critic. He also produces the new Country Music Video Album Hour show on Fridays at 8 p.m. with Shannon, mentioned earlier. A little plug for the show.

Congratulations to the fortunate people who were lucky enough to buy Garth tickets. I was one of the goofy or positive-thinking people who stood in line for six tickets. To top it all off, it was raining hard at 8:45 a.m. when I got in line with approximately 1,200 others at NRM Music in Dixie Manor, one of 26 Garth ticket sales locations in Kentucky. (No tickets if you didn't have a wrist band you had picked up and worn for four days.) At 10:45 the first show was sold out. Some people left and some stuck it out for a second concert that was announced while we were in line. I was in the running for the second show.

Shawn Dugan, assistant manager of NRM, said this was the most civil of the Garth-ticket-buying crowds. The Garth and Hank Jr. crowds get violent at times.

At 11:45 I got in the door. A sure thing, I thought, I'm going to get tickets. Lunchtime rolled around and people were using their cellular phones to order pizza. Can you imagine what a great time we were having? To say the least, I was sweating and excited when I got up to the counter, three people from buying my tickets. Things were getting wild and louder and louder. It was 12:15 and the second show was SOLD OUT! At 12:20 I left the scene of the disappointment. I couldn't stand anymore.

I left WITHOUT MY TICKETS. There has to be a better way! What do you think?

Well, I guess that wraps it up for November. In December's issue there will be a few special things pertaining to the stars and their "Christmas Wishes."

Until then ...

There will be a Garth concert in Indy; listen for more details.

Get ready, Garth fans. Join the Caravan for the Garth Concert, Saturday, November 6. The most creatively decorated car earns a $1,000 prize.